Extremeña, Spanish twist-collar knives

[puukkoman]

I recently ordered a couple knives from a fellow in Spain, and he included a little prize in the package in addition to my order. I had been meaning to try out something from this brand, and now I accidentally have one! It's very small, but very well made, and I am now certain that I will be picking up a larger one (or two, or three, or...) in the future.

Extremeña knives are very similar to Opinel. They use the same type of locking collar, and the same construction (one-piece wooden handle, etc.). Available in both carbon and stainless, and every bit equal to Opinel in quality, the Extremeña knives come in several different shapes, and many sizes. There's a clip point, a sheepsfoot, a wharncliffe, and likely more that I haven't found yet. The handles come in various shapes as well.

And, I know some folks will appreciate that their logo is a picture of an acorn.

This little guy is a No. 2, and is only 1 7/8"closed, with a blade of 1 3/8". The wood handle is definitely nicer (in my opinion) than the plain beech handles of the basic Opinel. This blade is stainless.

So... If you're a fan of friction folders, and want to try something new and a little different, I highly recommend checking out Extremeña knives. I'm looking forward to picking up some larger ones, to really test out the steel. In any case, I can't imagine being disappointed with a super-thin carbon blade.

 

[jon_slider]

Cool little Acorn knife, thanks for the pics!

wikitrivia about the acorn in Extremadura, Spain
"Wild Black Iberian pigs roam in the area and consume acorns from oak groves. These pigs are caught and used for the cured ham dish jamón ibérico. The higher the percentage of acorns eaten by the pigs, the more valuable the ham. For example, Iberian Ham from pigs whose diet consisted of 90%+ acorns can be sold for more than twice as much as ham whose pigs ate on average less than 70% of acorns."

Here is an example of an Extremeña Jamonera (Ham Knife)

Here is another Extremeña Jamonera

uncanny resemblance to a slim Opinel, I wonder which came first?

 

[Gevonovich]

You have been showing some real lookers, Puukkoman!! You have me looking up all the knives you have shown. Great taste sir!!

 

[jackknife]

I likey!

Kind of like a tiny sub peanut Opinel Franken knife experiment.

 

[Nal0n]

Thanks for sharing!

Extremeña knives ... Opinel ... Wharncliffe ... got it! Excuse me but I need to do some shopping now

 

[puukkoman]

Thanks for your comments, guys.

Here are a couple images of some of the variations I've found on the web. (Sorry for the size...)

 

[Alamosmick]

Very interesting. It appears the Opinel mirrors the Extremeña the same way the Laguiole mirrors the Navaja, or perhaps vice versa. Who knows which came first. Thanks for sharing.

 

[scruffuk]

Sweet little knife.
I've seen these a few times on some European sellers sites.
Good to hear its of good quality.

 

[jon_slider]

Very interesting. It appears the Opinel mirrors the Extremeña the same way the Laguiole mirrors the Navaja, or perhaps vice versa. Who knows which came first. Thanks for sharing.

I did some research earlier, you may find interesting. It seems Laguiole preceeded Opinel by 60 years, but both were preceeded by Spanish influence. I dont know where the Extremeña fits in the chronology

I recommend you look at the map in this link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...belgian-german-border?p=12944966#post12944966
Laguiole

Pattadesa
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ther-sardinian-knives?p=13289191#post13289191

French Opinel

[/QUOTE]

In addition to the Extremeña, Spain currently also produces a knife called the Aitor Castor, discussed here
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1088969-The-Mighty-Pequena?p=12726921#post12726921

and the Pallaresa,
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ot-are-ya-totin-today?p=13182641#post13182641

 

[roosterscrow]

And, I know some folks will appreciate that their logo is a picture of an acorn.

I like the looks of them, but I just found a website that claims, "the logo of these Extremeña knives is a boinera wearing a Basque beret!"

I'm still sticking with your "acorn" logo image as I much prefer it.

 

[Kermmak]

I suspect that this brand manufactures in China and only distributes its products in Spain.
Pallares if manufactured in Spain, I know the factory.

 

[sevilla]

I suspect that this brand manufactures in China and only distributes its products in Spain.
Pallares if manufactured in Spain, I know the factory.

I´m afraid you´re right, Kermmak. Chinese cheap fakes.
Extremeña (meaning 'from Extremadura', a Spanish region close to Portugues border) is an attempt to cheat people, as Extremadura is in fact the origin of traditional friction folders like "Don Benito" or "Teodomiro". But it´s a brand used by a Spanish importer who brings low quality cutlery from China. Something similar happens to the brand 'Pallaresa', another fake brand trying to trick people who wants to buy the traditional Pallarés_Solsona (as shown in this thread).
Really sorry about telling you the truth, but among all the good Spanish manufacturers (Muela, Cudeman, Celaya, JJ Martínez, even Aitor) you´ve found the black sheep. Beware anytime you find "Martínez-Albainox": just a lowest quality chinese products importer.
Sorry again, but being Spanish, I must set things straight.
Best regards.

 

[Kermmak]

Albainox only imported products of the cheapest quality.
En español y rapido, albainox solo importa la peor mierda que hay en China.
Don Benito makes a good razor friction. For less than 10 euros and carbon steel, so says my hand (10 CM WOUND).
Greetings from the North