Different Opinel handle materials?

J

jackknife

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Oct 2, 2004
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So of all the Opinels I've had, all have been the beach handles. With lubing the joint, water swelling has been kept down to a minimum, with some stiffening after a good water soaking. Oaky I accept that. But I once cracked an Opinel handle up at the joint, so I was wondering what of the other woods I see them available in?

How many of you have the bubinga, oak, or ebony handles, and if so, how is the water resistance and durability of them? Ebony should be very dense and durable.

Also, I noticed that they are available with a bull horn handle. I like the horn, and the horn in my Sardinian resolza is very consistent. No swelling or change because of moisture, and seems very stable, so I actually thought of the horn on the Opinel based on how well it works out on the Sardinian knives. I just have to think about an Opinel over a hundred bucks. Having a little trouble getting my head around that. But it's a darn pretty Opinel!:eek:

Anyone ever have one?
 
I have also considered an Opinel with a horn handle, but as I would probably take off the lock anyway, I may as well get a resolza! :D



Opinel also offers this line of 'chaperon' handles, which are interesting but I'm not sure how well they would hold up (unless they are pressure filled with acrylic)

couteau-opinel-n6-chaperon.jpg
 
If I'm not mistaken, Will has a horn handled Opinel, so hopefully he will chime in and give us some feedback.
I have a #6 in rosewood, and my impression is that it's a bit more resistant than beech.
I have been tempted by the ebony (if only they made more than just the #8), and by the olive version as well (walnut looks nice but I prefer olive wood myself).
I might be giving away my rosewood and getting an olive one, so I will let you know.
Also, Opinel lately released a series of #8 with "treated" wooden handles (in various colors) which could be a bit tougher as well...but I haven't handled one yet :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
I've got one in walnut, which has been stripped of any finish. I carry it regularly down here in swampy North Central Florida with no problems. If I have ever oiled the joint, I can't recall. I suspect this is one of the reasons walnut has been a popular traditional option for gunstocks.

Edit to add: The #6 in walnut is in their very nice stainless, as I think all the walnut handled ones are. I also have a #8 inox with the standard beech handle, though it has received the official Pinnah strip, sand, and varnish treatment. That one seems a little more snug than the waltnut one, but not in a bad way. It seems relatively unhindered by the weather, too.
 
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I didn't know they made one with an ebony hande. Gonna have to check that out. Thanks a lot guys. lol

Jim
 
Jackknife I have the bubinga wood No 8 and it doesn't swell nothing like the beach models, it is my favorite!
 
Ryan Sumner said:
I have also considered an Opinel with a horn handle, but as I would probably take off the lock anyway, I may as well get a resolza! :D
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Yeah, there's the other side of the coin. But the resolza is harder to come by than a horn handled Opinel. And I was wondering with this kind of construction, (the Opinel) would the horn handle number 8 Opinel be a stronger built knife than the wood handle number 8 Opinel? I love the looks of the Opinel horn, but for that price I can buy a whole collection of Opinels in various sizes and woods!
 
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Thank you, Peter and waltmc. That was what I was looking for!:thumb up:

The Vaseline jelly treatment works pretty well, and I can submerge an Opinel for short periods. But this past summer, I spent some days fishing down on the eastern shore with some family, and it was hot and humid, and wet as well with a light rain falling. The rain part was while out on a crabbing boat helping a cousin who is still a working waterman. My number 8 got a bit more sticky than normal, even after the Vaseline treatment before I went down. I can only think that after a few days of constant moisture, it swelled some even with the treatment. I have not doubt that if I had not treated ti, I may not have been able to open it without a struggle.

So I began my question of a better wood for my Opinel. Of course, the problem can be fixed by just putting a screw driver in the joint and opening it up a bit, but that means I don't get to buy a new Opinel! Shh, don't let on to the 'ol lady!
 
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jackknife said:
this past summer, I spent some days fishing down on the eastern shore ... and it was hot and humid, and wet as well with a light rain falling. ... My number 8 got a bit more sticky than normal ... if I had not treated it, I may not have been able to open it without a struggle.
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Maybe. I guess "a struggle" is relative (I know you've had some issues with your hand). But honestly, I've never had any problem with my untreated carbon no. 8. A couple summers ago we spent a week in the Austrian Alps, hiking by day and sleeping in an apartment hotel, where we cooked all our own meals. The cheap Ikea kitchen knives there wouldn't cut butter, so my wife would commandeer my Opi when it was time to cook. She treated that knife exactly like she would a paring knife at home, getting it covered with juice from onions, garlic or tomatoes, cutting up meat, etc., and when done, just setting it down somewhere or tossing it into the sink. At first, I would hover nearby, cringing and -- when possible -- quietly rinsing the blade and carefully drying is as best I could. But after the first day, as a test of sorts, I decided to just let her at it. I decided to let her "thrash" the knife as a test. Oh, did I mention she'd wash that sucker end to end in hot, soapy water when she was done? :eek: As the blade was already well patinaed, rust was not a problem, but I thought to myself, "Good thing I brought other knives, 'cause I'm never going to be able to pry that thing open tomorrow."

But you know what? I could open it just fine. Sure, it was a bit stiffer than usual, but not a huge deal by any means. And when we got back home and the wood finally dried out completely, the knife was back to its normal self. Knowing it survived a week on kitchen duty with my wife (AKA The Knife Beater) raised that Opi up about 10 notches in my eyes! Since then, I've really been a fan of stock, un-modded Opinels. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but ..... what a great knife!

jackknife said:
So I began my question of a better wood for my Opinel. ... Shh, don't let on to the 'ol lady!
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Wait. Scratch everything I wrote above!

You need a new Opinel, buddy! And your secret's safe with us. :D

-- Mark
 
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quattromori said:
If I'm not mistaken, Will has a horn handled Opinel, so hopefully he will chime in and give us some feedback.
I have a #6 in rosewood, and my impression is that it's a bit more resistant than beech.
I have been tempted by the ebony (if only they made more than just the #8), and by the olive version as well (walnut looks nice but I prefer olive wood myself).
I might be giving away my rosewood and getting an olive one, so I will let you know.
Also, Opinel lately released a series of #8 with "treated" wooden handles (in various colors) which could be a bit tougher as well...but I haven't handled one yet :)

Fausto
:cool:
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That sounds interesting. Where did you see those?

I've never had real moisture problems after soaking the entire knife in mineral oil for days (once). To be honest I've only done EDC use with no real extreme testing.

Still, I've had an Opie get impossible to open with my fingers and requiring a rap on a hard surface with just ambient moisture when untreated. I've had them get stiffer but not impossible when treated.

I figure moisture will migrate through wood efficiently enough to try to get as much oil in there as possible.

I would love to check out their treated ones. I'll bet they keep it close to the chest as to what that treatment is.



Jackknife, you need a new Opinel in the interests of future R&D and testing to further enlighten and enrich the knowledge base of members of this board. (In other words, sure... you need a new toy. Whattsa matta dat?)
 
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It's very much a possibility that I'm obsessing over nothing. I certainly have had great results from my Vaseline and blow drier treatments. So far, my Opinel's have passed the jackknife submarine test. Totally submergence for 30 minutes, and pulled open with no need to the rap. I get some stiffening, but even with my arthritis I can still open it easier than some slip joints.

The jackknife test;
14393478975_b08036605d_c.jpg


Or it's also quite possible I'm fishing for a reason to maybe buy the horn handle Opinel.
 
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Here you go. There are four colors available and they look treated somehow, although I haven't handled one yet.
Go to Opinel's website: they're referred to as "Baroudeur" :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
Here's the Opinel USA website: all sorts of handle materials - beautiful, but some very expensive.

[non-BF dealer link removed]
Rich S
 
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Please discuss the knives and not where to buy them.
 
I'm about to give away my rosewood Opinel, and I'm thinking about getting the Baroudeur in green or grey.
Since I do not carry my Opinel in my pockets when I go out, but keep it in my scrubs or when I go hiking, I might go for a bigger size ;) so I will let you know :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
jackknife said:
Thank you, Peter and waltmc. That was what I was looking for!:thumb up:

The Vaseline jelly treatment works pretty well, and I can submerge an Opinel for short periods. But this past summer, I spent some days fishing down on the eastern shore with some family, and it was hot and humid, and wet as well with a light rain falling. The rain part was while out on a crabbing boat helping a cousin who is still a working waterman. My number 8 got a bit more sticky than normal, even after the Vaseline treatment before I went down. I can only think that after a few days of constant moisture, it swelled some even with the treatment. I have not doubt that if I had not treated ti, I may not have been able to open it without a struggle.

So I began my question of a better wood for my Opinel. Of course, the problem can be fixed by just putting a screw driver in the joint and opening it up a bit, but that means I don't get to buy a new Opinel! Shh, don't let on to the 'ol lady!
Click to expand...

For use on salt water and on a boat, maybe the Opinel Outdoors is the ticket.

I wish Opinel would expand the offerings of synthetic handles. Minimally produce the #8 Inox with a synthetic handle. Stopped by the side of a cold wet trail, I care little for "charm".

I just wish the Outdoor model came in a non serrated version. But for working on a boat, it makes sense to me.
 
Here is a picture of my Outdoors with some wooden friends. As Pinnah said, I wish they came in a non-serrated version.

 
pinnah said:
I wish Opinel would expand the offerings of synthetic handles. Minimally produce the #8 Inox with a synthetic handle. ... I just wish the Outdoor model came in a non serrated version.
Click to expand...

Yep. I like the looks of their synthetic handles, but the serrated blade is a deal breaker for me. YMMV.

-- Mark
 
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