Has anyone ever broken an Opinel?

Wow I'm really surprised to hear some of you guys have broken of tips, cuz I have smashed mine through 30g and 26g metal with a 22oz hammer to start holes in duct work, and have hammered though strapping with my #9 and a hammer with no issues. Though mine was a #9 and the stock is prob. a little heavier. I would never do this with another knife, only the Opinel, as Jackknife said lower cost, not cheap.
 
These knives are light in weight but not lightweight in robustness. Probably one of the toughest workers around! It would be hard to break one or even damage it. Having no liners or spring these are the ideal work-knife for many situations. Nothing to foul up, nowhere for sand to hide and wreck the springs, easy to clean and a reliable and simple locking collar.
 
I carry a #7 everyday, and I'm always impressed with how well designed it is. Weighs only 2 oz. Round handle with no hotspots. High carbon steel sharpens easily, and stays sharp. It only cost me $9, and I prefer it to all my other EDC knives that cost much more. I guess there is a reason that it's been popular since it was first produced in 1897. I look forward to buying a #8 and maybe a #9. It's good to hear how it will hold up to hard use/abuse if I ever need to do that.
 
I do not understand the question

If you are using the knife correctly then what is there to break?
these are peasant knives for working

What will wear out?
The pin from opening it too often?
The blade from sharpening it to much
The wooden handle because you lent it to a beaver?

I have had mine as a working knife for over 30 years
I could break it in five minutes if I wished to
But I will use it well for as long as I last....
 
I've got a No. 8 that has been through all kinds of use & abuse, and it's never shown any signs of weakness, nor has it broken. I've taken it camping and hunting, it's been my work knife, I've taken it traveling (even though it's large, people don't seem to be afraid of it)... Definitely a solid tool. Enjoy yours in good health!
 
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I use my No.8 Carbon nearly every day and that includes chores around the homestead. It's never failed me.
 
Never thought I'd be carrying a simple, single blade knife with no tools on it. Never made sense to me. A SAK could do so much more then just cut. Why would anyone carry just a knife? Now, I understand. Kind of like Carl's dad carrying a tiny Peanut. Some knives just work for you.
 
Got my #6 a few days ago, I see what all the buzz is about. The thing i am most impressed with is just how thin the blade is, wow! I also don't have any fears of the knife breaking on me. Come to think of it, I've never broken a knife.
 
I used my No 9 without any problems for few months but today when I was throwing it to trees the blade suddenly broke. And i didn't even miss the tree, the blade just stuck and the back fell of. Little disappointed.
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JohnDF said:
I can't cast stones... I've thrown knives at trees before 🤣:thumbsup:
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I've done it before, as well, but I was responding to what I perceived as a complaint against the knife for breaking, when it was used in a way that it was not intended to be used. I could very well have inferred something the poster did not mean....

like I said.... stuck inside... bored.
 
I'm dissappointed that my Opinel sheath haven't arrived yet due prolonged covid shipping times.
 
Stich2442 said:
Wow I'm really surprised to hear some of you guys have broken of tips, cuz I have smashed mine through 30g and 26g metal with a 22oz hammer to start holes in duct work, and have hammered though strapping with my #9 and a hammer with no issues. Though mine was a #9 and the stock is prob. a little heavier. I would never do this with another knife, only the Opinel, as Jackknife said lower cost, not cheap.
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There is a big difference between #9 and a #6.

Like all tools, you can break a knife if you misuse it.

I think the 'flimsy' feeling you are talking about in regards to Opinel is due to the thinness of the blade stock but that makes it a great slicer, if not one of the best at that.

If you try to pry (like a paint can) or screw something with a lot of force using the knife, you'll likely bend or break it. This knife wasn't designed for such tasks and I would think not too many knives out there are actually made for such tasks using the blade (even if you could).

Heavy use is also a really broad term. Heavy use as in lots of cutting? Or as a 'hammer'? 🤣 If it's lots of cutting properly, I doubt you'll ever 'break' an Opinel. I definitely wouldn't suggest 'batoning; with #6 but maybe something heftier (I don't know, #9, #10 or bigger)?
 
To be honest and totally open, I have witnessed an Opinel number 7 fail completely, and I cracked one of the two 'fingers' of wood that the pivot pin and everything is mounted on.

Many years ago, on a winter morning hike, my friend Danny's wife slipped on some ice while crossing a rocky slanted part of the trail. It was a late winter snow hike, and we planed to eat some doughnuts and drink some coffee while admiring an ice waterfall.

We had my old SAK pioneer and Danny had an Opinel number 7. We decided to make a stretcher out of two saplings and the space brackets we had that we were going to sit on for ur 'picnic.' We both knew how to make a V groove to create a stress line to snap off the saplings at the cut groove. Halfway through the job, Danny's Opinel destroyed itself. The whole top part that was mounted on the wood handle sheered off even with the lathe cut step that the locking ring sits against. That step in the wood acted like a stress line and the whole works, blade, bolster, and locking ring sheered right off. Granted, Danny is 6' 4" and about 240 or 250 pounds. He was a bit anxious as it was his wife moaning with what turned out to be a badly fractured ankle. The Vic pioneer finished the job. The irony of it was, Danny had a Vic farmer at home, just forgot to bring it.

Not too many years ago, I was doing some yard work, and tried to use my number 8 to prune a branch off a tree that was sticking out in the walkway. It cut about 3/4 through the wood, about a bit thicker than a thumb, and stuck, and I twisted it a bit to free itup. One of the two 'fingers' of wood that everything is mounted on cracked and the whole affair got very wobbly. Tossed it in the trash can.

I no longer use or trust an Opinel for any "heavy duty" cutting. Now I just carry a fixed blade if hiking or doing yard work. My Opinel lives in the kitchen drawer where it gets used for precise slicing of veggies and fish. They do cut like the dickens. If I want a rugged pocket knife, thats what alox SAK's are for.
 
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