#OMG - I've turned into that weird Opinel guy....what the heck!!!

cchu518

cchu518

Joined
Mar 6, 2013
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This is ugly. So ever since registering for this forum, and my reading of many thousands of posts on what steel is the best or what knife to get....

There has ALWAYS been some dude who I imagined, just came out of the bush somewhere after a 2 week trek who would jump into some random thread titled something like, "What is the nastiest cutter on the market under $XX or $XXX," or "Best EDC steel in a knife S30V or VG10...blah blah blah".... and the random (in my head I'm envisioning) bushcrafter dude who just came out of Zion national park or something, who survived 3 weeks out there with a tin cup, army issue surplus boots a horse blanket, and half a stale snickers bar would throw out, "OPINELS cut the best, go try one!!!" in the middle of someone's thread. It wouldn't matter if the OP was talking about CRK's, Damascus sprint run benchies, Spyderco's or CRKT's.

There was always that one random dude whose answer is always Opinel... and then the thread continues on and all you hear about the Opinel comment is well crickets.....

LMAO. Well...I was gifted an Opinel a few months ago and I use it often and NOW ... as of lately.... when I'm reading the forum, if I don't post what I'm thinking, I have found myself to be sub-consciously thinking exactly what the bush dude has been saying all along.

I.E. I was in the middle of my lunch break reading threads, on posts where I didn't post a comment, I was, nope...my Opinel #9 would just destroy that [insert knife brand and model in that situation]... or I think to myself, "well that is true...but a freshly honed carbon Opinel is still sharper than ....[insert whatever the thread is talking about], or "damn, I'm not going to wreck a knife doing that, I'm just going to go beat on that Opinel for that, the Opinel can take the abuse and if it breaks I'll just get another...."

And now... every now and then, I catch myself participating in a post... and I just randomly throw into my response something to the effect of, "you know what's funny...you should go try an Opinel, I know its like a $12 knife but you should go try one..."

Lol what the heck is going on...

For the record I like traditionals just as much as moderns too....
 
Great bang for the buck! An Opinel is always a good choice - little ri$k, great service!
 
Lol! Pinnah is like the Opinel-Mafia Tzar without a doubt.

Months and months ago, I kept thinking who the heck is this guy and why does he keep bringing up that darn bush-crafty knife... even the bushcrafty people are rocking Becker's and Busse's then... my first Opinel came to and bit me upon arrival while playing with it. Respect for it only went up and up from there!

You sir have been Pinnah-ized.
 
I feel like this at times. It's hard more often than not, to not recommend and Opinel, seeing as they fit such a broad spectrum of use. Very good knives, regardless of price.
 
You can't beat Opinels and Moras. You just can't, not for the price anyway. If you had a Mora on your belt and an Opinel in your pocket, there's no cutting task that you wouldn't be able to do. They rock!
 
Yeppers they can be addictive for sure, and they do get pretty sharp!
G2
 
The full flat grind, carbon steel, and not overly thick stock makes it very refreshing to cut with after you get used to the modern "tacticool" blades with 4mm thick stock. The thing just slices through material, and I love using it for food prep. I actually use my Opinel for a steak knife over every other knife in my collection. That's how well it cuts.
 
im not a bushcrafter or a survivalist or anything like that. but i generally suspect that all the attention given to hard use whatever is a lot of balderdash wrapped in hooey and sprinkled with horsefeathers.
an opinel is an excellent knife. i have used one all day long to cut coconut fiber erosion control netting which has been impregnated with sand. it will cut even when it is hideously dull. you could sharpen it on a nice smooth rock picked out of any creek on the planet.
if someone made me give up all my pocketknives i would fight to keep an opinel. that and my imacasa machete. nobody *needs* more than that.
 
I think the overbuilt knives are cool, but they are pretty much for fun. My grandfather survived just fine carrying nothing but a slipjoint. I know I could do the same, but it's nice to have a pocket clip and locking blade sometimes.
 
And they age nicely, had this one for ten years.
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Only way to break the Opinel addiction is to pick up a peasant knife. Then you will be recommending both. ;)
 
We all (at least in this part of the knife world) have an inordinate appreciation of timeless design, simple and sturdy construction, comfort in use and proven cutting ability, in an inexpensive platform. Nothing quite embodies all of these qualities to the degree an Opinel does. The reputation is deserved.

The first time anyone has one in hand, they suddenly understand, in a new and clear way, why the Opinel is legend. After using one for a while, the impression is reinforced and expanded. And it's always unexpected and surprising to find an object of legend justified.

It's not the best knife in the world and you have to keep it in good condition with regular maintenance, but if you take care of it, it'll do whatever you ask of it. If you ask too much and it fails, you can always just get another and start over.

And that may be a large part of the fascination they inspire.
 
Opinels are the only knife that I have different sizes of. And one day I will have all the sizes. I think it is cool that they are all the same, and different. I didn't understand Opinels until I used one. It's not tactical, it's not one handed. But it is utility. And when someone says, "Heh, that is cool" and you can say "Keep it". I feel better, and they do too.
 
jimmyd1982 said:
Only way to break the Opinel addiction is to pick up a peasant knife. Then you will be recommending both. ;)
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Very true.
I love opinels, they are the perfect pocket knife for me, they have so much character that I didn't think any other knife could compete, that is until I finally bit the bullet and ordered a svord mini peasant.
Now I have two perfect knives.
If I had to get rid of my whole collection except three folders, the ones I would keep out of the 100+ I own would be a svord peasant mini, a opinel No.8, and a victorinox spartan.
 
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