New Opinel Lock Ring - Jury No Longer Out

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davek14

Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
2,414
There has been some discussion on the new style locking ring Opinel has come up with. A small tab formed into the locking ring now runs in a track cut into the inner ring of the knife.

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I, and others, mentioned that the new locking ring makes a very common mod undesirable. The mod is to file or sand the slope on the top of the locking ring to make it a more gradual and longer slope. The idea is to make the locking ring turn a little further and accomplish a little more friction due to the more gradual engagement.
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The tab in the slot limits the turning of the ring, so that wouldn’t be a good idea. You could possibly reach the limit of it’s turn if you modded it to turn further. I had a feeling that might be a problem, regardless. I’ve found that to be true.

What worried me was that the locking ring (mostly the blade, actually) wears with normal use, causing the ring to turn further on it’s own over time.

I got a new style Opinel as a present about 1 1/2 yrs ago and decided to just use the darn thing and see what happened. Without the mod it didn’t lock up as well as I liked, but I intended light use. I smoke a pipe and the Opi was to be my homegrown tobacco plug cutter. I’ll err on the side of caution and say I opened and closed it once a day. It was prolly less. After the year or so, I noticed it wasn’t locking up very well and found that it was impossible to lock up tight even when turning it hard. At it’s tightest lock I can thumb it open one handed easily. I’ve reached the end of the track and the tab is stopping the ring from turning more.

So, the jury is not out anymore. I do not like the new ring, man. I do not like it Sam I am.
 
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New locking ring Opinels that i have (have 3 new ones)work very well with tight lockup.Basically the lockup is same as the older models at least on the ones i have
 
I just ordered an Opinel, am I going to get stuck with this mod unfriendly system? Nevermind, I just learned that it will. I hope it doesn't stop me from doing the mods I want or that really would soil me on them.
 
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I abandoned ship when they changed the design.

I used to like them and I've modded and handed out lots of them as give aways to people who are non knife people. But I have a limit as to how much I'm going to screw around with a cheap knife to get it ready for everyday carry. The Opinel has crossed over that line. I'm not gonna mess around when I can walk into Academy Sports and buy a new Victorinox recruit for 17.95, the same price as an Opinel number 8, and the SAK doesn't need any work. It's ready to go right out of the package.

Naaa, no more Opinel for me.
 
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Another update on my Opi. I didn’t really try to work the lock hard in the year or so I used this Opinel, I just put it into a situation of using it. I smoke homegrown tobacco in a pipe. This necessitates me dicing up twists or plugs which I make every day or three. This light/moderate use could have been done as a friction folder, so the knife could have been hitting the end of the track for a while before I noticed it. When I did notice it a few days ago, though, I started fiddling with the lock a lot. After a few days of fiddling, the lock is useless. It just barely gets any friction before hitting the end of the track. It is definitely not trustworthy.

I have always been a fan of Opinels since 12c27 is probably my favorite budget steel. So Opi’s are a decent blade in an inexpensive handle for cheap. This was an inexpensive knife, with decent steel, which drew comments with it’s quaint, and quirky appearance sitting on my cutting board. Quintessential Opinel.

However.

The locking ring is useless on this knife now. This is a fatal error.

Old Biker said:
So if your modding the lock ring anyway. What is the big deal? Just file or Dremel the nub, off of the inside of the lock ring, while you're working on it.
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I will definitely mod this knife to get rid of the tab. I’ll have to. The locking ring is spring steel, though, and it’s harder than woodpecker lips. It will be hard to grind that off neatly, impossible with simple tools. I’ve heard it said that the nice thing about an Opi is that you can mod it with a brick, and I’ve found that to be true. I’ve modded them with a pocket knife and a piece of emery cloth. You can mod the top of the ring with sandpaper or a stone. The track on the bottom of the ring to hold it closed is not much harder to mod with the same tools, and it’s quick work on a grinding wheel. I might be able to take that tab off with emery cloth wrapped around a stick but I’ll bet it will be hard work, we’ll see. I know it’ll leave a hole in the ring which might be hard to make pretty.
 
davek14 said:
I will definitely mod this knife to get rid of the tab. I’ll have to. The locking ring is spring steel, though, and it’s harder than woodpecker lips. It will be hard to grind that off neatly, impossible with simple tools. I’ve heard it said that the nice thing about an Opi is that you can mod it with a brick, and I’ve found that to be true. I’ve modded them with a pocket knife and a piece of emery cloth. You can mod the top of the ring with sandpaper or a stone. The track on the bottom of the ring to hold it closed is not much harder to mod with the same tools, and it’s quick work on a grinding wheel. I might be able to take that tab off with emery cloth wrapped around a stick but I’ll bet it will be hard work, we’ll see. I know it’ll leave a hole in the ring which might be hard to make pretty.
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A grinding point on a Dremel would be a more sensible way to go about it, I'd expect.
 
It looks like that nub is punched in the ring. Take a cloth and a pair of pliers and squeeze it flat.
 
Instead of trying to file down the hardened "nub," you could get a set of micro-files and extend the length of the "track." I have done this on three of the new models, although I cut the track so that I can rotate the locking ring both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Admittedly, I have not used mine enough to wear the locking ring to the point of being useless in any direction. I hope this helps.
 
Brhowser87 said:
It looks like that nub is punched in the ring. Take a cloth and a pair of pliers and squeeze it flat.
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Tried that, and several other methods to squash the nub flat. No go, the steel is too tough. With a Dremel, it is about a minute’s work simply to grind the nub off. Use a needle-nosed Vise-Grip to hold the ring securely while you grind. Grind a new locking ramp (more Dremel, with a sharp file and a bench scraper to dress the edge).

The remaining issue: now it will be even easier to lever the lockring off the knife by opening the blade against the closing notch. The solution: do not lock the blade closed.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
You might consider Antonini's "Old Bear" knives as an alternative if the current locking ring bothers you. It's actually a stronger lock that's easier to operate, too.
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The Antoninis also have flatter handles than Opinels, and ride better in the pocket without modification. They only come in stainless, however. I have had a hard time bonding with them for that reason.

The medium Old Bear is very close in size to the Opinel 8 and the MAM Douro. Out of the three, I prefer the Opinel, but would not consider carrying it until the handle was slimmed.
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Has anyone tried, or have thoughts on, the Opinel with the gray plastic handle that stores and drives a screwdriver bit?
 
number9 said:
Has anyone tried, or have thoughts on, the Opinel with the gray plastic handle that stores and drives a screwdriver bit?
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I have one, the DIY model. Mine has the old style ring.

It's handy to carry on the weekends when I am likely to come across a screw that has worked itself loose. (My house is about 35 years old. Stuff happens.) The blade is useful. It has notches for stripping wire. I won't use those for that purpose. They do work well for cutting twine. But it's kind of like carrying an SAK or a pocket tool that has a better than average blade. But just for carrying as a knife? I don't really recommend it. Kind of big and bulky for that.

I am significantly unenthused with the new EU politically correct non-locking ring. No more Opi's for me.
 
number9 said:
Has anyone tried, or have thoughts on, the Opinel with the gray plastic handle that stores and drives a screwdriver bit?
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I got the yellow one. The ring came very loose so I have to try and adjust it to mixed results. If you like the tools it comes with you will probably like it.
 
knarfeng said:
I am significantly unenthused with the new EU politically correct non-locking ring. No more Opi's for me.
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In what way is it a non-locking ring? I'm missing something.

Can anybody explain why they instituted the change?
 
pinnah said:
In what way is it a non-locking ring? I'm missing something.

Can anybody explain why they instituted the change?
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We explored the new locking ring in Traditional.
Even new, the lock is easier to defeat than the old one.
And with time it gets even more iffy.
Blades which lock in the open position are hard to sell in the EU. While it was trumpeted by Opinel as an improvement, my best guess is that it is to make them more appropriate for EU use.
 
I think some of the criticism of the "new" lock ring is an overreaction. I have some new Opinels with the new lock rings. I have not modified any of them. And they are all very secure and solid. No blade play in any direction, and extremely solid lock up both closed and open. Here is a pic of a #6 and its lock ring. Would I trust this lock with my fingers' lives? No. But that would be true for any folder. BTW, the larger knives in the set in the background (the 9, 10, and 12) have the old lock ring. And I don't perceive any noticeable difference in security. Whatever the case, the Opinel lock ring, both new and old, seem fine to me, and are probably more secure than a lot of the frame and liner locks on really expensive modern "tactical" folders (e.g., ZT :D)

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