New Opinel question

K

kraash

Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
240
Wondering if it's normal for the locking ring to ride up a bit in the unlock position?
Locked

Unlocked
 
It's part of the design. And if you look closely, it's not "riding" any direction, it's contoured that way. It just looks like it's moving up or down because of the couture. It allows pressure to force the lock ring in place and keep the blade tight when locking. It also allows it to keep tight after wear and tear over time. Very elegant yet simple design.
 
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Planterz said:
It's part of the design. And if you look closely, it's not "riding" any direction, it's contoured that way. It just looks like it's moving up or down because of the couture. It allows pressure to force the lock ring in place and keep the blade tight when locking. It also allows it to keep tight after wear and tear over time. Very elegant yet simple design.
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No there's a space between the collar and the handle when in open that closes when locked up. It's moving up and down. Wondering if I could fix that?
 
I wouldn't worry about it. You're being too perfectionistic with an inexpensive knife. If this "issue" is not affecting performance of the knife then don't worry about it.

Alternatively you could buy another knife, but that seems kind of silly when your current one is working fine.
 
Just checked mine. (inox)... doesn't have the gap that you have when unlocked. However, if its safe in the locked position, why worry? ... they are pretty inexpensive - so if it really bothers you you can always grab another and gift that one to a friend or keep as a 2nd. :D
 
Locking the blade in the closed position lifts the ring away from the handle

Locking the blade in the open/ deployed position pushes the ring toward the handle.

Normal at least with the two no. 8's I have.
 
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What stops the ring from riding up or down too far is the peening of the pivot pin. The biggest reason I don't completely disassemble Opinels to mod them anymore is because I rarely can get this peening just right on re-assembly. In my case it then rides way up on locking closed. This doesn't hurt anything either, I'm just anal.

That looks like pretty minimal shifting to me.

Newer Opinels have some sort of groove in the inner ring and indent in the locking ring. Don't know if this is supposed to help that or not.
 
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This is off topic, but how durable are Opinel knives? I have never owned or even handled one before, it doesn't look like it would hold up real well if used much.
 
TheEdge01 said:
This is off topic, but how durable are Opinel knives? I have never owned or even handled one before, it doesn't look like it would hold up real well if used much.
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For regular knife stuff, i.e. cutting, slicing etc. they hold up fine. Using one as a substitute for a froe or hatchet on the other hand...
 
IMG_20170508_084713.jpg
I've been using Opinel knives for over twenty years and the only problem I have with them is the tendency to give them to admirers (of the knives, not of me, I should add). They hold up to all sorts of use and even, sometimes, abuse. Just off the top of my head, the sorts of tasks I have put them through include cutting open bales of hay, stripping wire, freeing horses tangled in line, trimming overhanging branches, trimming candles, repairing eyeglasses, opening bags of grain and mulch and potting soil, food prep in the kitchen and on the trail, cleaning fish, skinning game, cutting carpet, prepping kindling for campfires, sharpening pencils, cutting hoses, breaking down hundreds of cardboard boxes, and on and on.

I keep picking up the odd Opinel here and there, but I've stuck with two that do the lion's share of the work: A N°8 I received as a gift in 1997 and a N°10 I bought a few years ago, both in carbon. I have about a dozen Opinels in all, but the 10 is the best for me so far (it was the 9 that I favored, but a failed modification experiment has that one in pieces awaiting a nice piece of antler for a handle). I like being able to swing the 9 and 10 open and closed one handed and unlock and lock them with my thumb. None has ever closed on me by accident, none has ever broken off in normal use (my wife broke the tip off hers but I reground it and it's good as new, now), and putting them to shaving sharp is a breeze even for a mediocre sharpener like me.

The locking rings do sit differently from one knife to another, so don't dwell on it. It's like a pair of leather shoes not being 100% identical to one another in fit or color. Small variations occur. What matters is how it uses. Does it open, lock, cut, and close correctly? If so, then it's ready for use. Use it, love it, wear it out, pass it on to a friend, teach a youngster proper knife skills, make something with it, gut a fish with it and cook dinner, make it dirty, clean it, and use it again. Repeat as necessary until it's a part of your life. Long before Spyderco or even the Buck 110, the Opinel was serving French herders in the Pyrinees and horsemen in the Camargue doing rough tasks without complaint. In most cases the same Opinel was a worker's only knife his or her entire life. It'll stand up.

Zieg
 
The Zieg said:
IMG_20170508_084713.jpg
I've been using Opinel knives for over twenty years and the only problem I have with them is the tendency to give them to admirers (of the knives, not of me, I should add). They hold up to all sorts of use and even, sometimes, abuse. Just off the top of my head, the sorts of tasks I have put them through include cutting open bales of hay, stripping wire, freeing horses tangled in line, trimming overhanging branches, trimming candles, repairing eyeglasses, opening bags of grain and mulch and potting soil, food prep in the kitchen and on the trail, cleaning fish, skinning game, cutting carpet, prepping kindling for campfires, sharpening pencils, cutting hoses, breaking down hundreds of cardboard boxes, and on and on.

I keep picking up the odd Opinel here and there, but I've stuck with two that do the lion's share of the work: A N°8 I received as a gift in 1997 and a N°10 I bought a few years ago, both in carbon. I have about a dozen Opinels in all, but the 10 is the best for me so far (it was the 9 that I favored, but a failed modification experiment has that one in pieces awaiting a nice piece of antler for a handle). I like being able to swing the 9 and 10 open and closed one handed and unlock and lock them with my thumb. None has ever closed on me by accident, none has ever broken off in normal use (my wife broke the tip off hers but I reground it and it's good as new, now), and putting them to shaving sharp is a breeze even for a mediocre sharpener like me.

The locking rings do sit differently from one knife to another, so don't dwell on it. It's like a pair of leather shoes not being 100% identical to one another in fit or color. Small variations occur. What matters is how it uses. Does it open, lock, cut, and close correctly? If so, then it's ready for use. Use it, love it, wear it out, pass it on to a friend, teach a youngster proper knife skills, make something with it, gut a fish with it and cook dinner, make it dirty, clean it, and use it again. Repeat as necessary until it's a part of your life. Long before Spyderco or even the Buck 110, the Opinel was serving French herders in the Pyrinees and horsemen in the Camargue doing rough tasks without complaint. In most cases the same Opinel was a worker's only knife his or her entire life. It'll stand up.

Zieg
Click to expand...
What work did you do on your 9/10 to have them opening so easy,..

Thanks for all the replies guys
 
You don't have to lock it. Locks don't matter. Treat it like a slip joint. That's basically what it really is.
 
An old farmer boy I know has had the same Opinel for 20 odd years and grallochs at least two deer a year with it. Looked after they last plenty. A real cutting machine, just don't do "heavy" with them.
 
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