Opinel knives

S

sethbradb

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Been considering buying an opinel to just throw in my pack for a backup food knife or just ligjt utility. Was wondering how well they perform. Thanks

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Fine slicers and easy to sharpen. The wood will swell if not cared for but easily replaced. Go with the #8 to start.
 
They are too economical and have to great of a reputation for you not to just try one.
 
Great. I have many. Only reason I'm not using my N°10 carbon daily is that I'm going sevl weeks with the Mercator prior to writing a review. But the 10 I keep coming back to. If you're in a dry climate, it won't swell on you. Mine don't. But I'm in Colorado.

Zieg

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I have one my wife actually bought in France. Carry it a lot. Great knife for EDC light work. Wouldn't
want it for heavy duty chopping though. I know of no comparable knife for the price.
 
Opinels are interesting and they do cut extremely well. But you have to screw around with them. A little sanding in the blade slot, and to smooth out the shape of handle is needed. Then you have to do some kind of oil or wax treatment to give the wood some water resistance. A mineral oil soak, or some melted snow seal or Vaseline jelly in the pivot area. I've used the Petroleum jelly and the better halts hair drier to melt the stuff in tot he wood, and I have to to where I can totally submerge the Opiel for 30 minutes with very little swelling of the wood. You can adjust the fit of the blade in the handle with either a large screw driver to loosen, or a hammer to tighten. The Opinels can be tinkered with to make them however you want.

Is it worth it?

I'm not sure, I have mixed feelings on them. On one hand, they are a PITA! But…on the other hand, they do cut like the dickens. They are very light weight for their size, and numbers 7 and 8 carry well in a pocket. They are cheap enough that they are like a semi disposable knife, used for those jobs where you don't want to mess up the blade on your "good" knife. But after a while of abusive and hard use, you find yourself having more respect for them. They will handle some pretty hard use, but not really hard. I've cracked one, and seen another one break.

But I like them for the same reason I fool around with black powder revolvers and traditional stick bows. It's kind of a blast from the past kind of thing. Did I mention they cut like the dickens?

Every knife nut needs an Opinel, and you should have one. But just keep in mind, it's like a general medium duty pocket knife. The blade lock is not that secure, so don't trust it like a modern lock blade. Most times I use my Opinel, I don't even bother with the locking wrong. I just use it like a friction folder, so I keep the blade pivot snugged up pretty firm. They are interesting. And they do cut like the dickens.

Used these two for years now.
 
Easy fix. Mash a teaspoon or so of wax (hard floor wax works great, but candle wax would do) into the blade groove and melt it in with a hot air dryer* (*don't use your significant other's unless you get permission). Seals the wood and lubes the locking ring too.
 
The only real competitor with the Opinel in terms of ease of slicing is the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. When you slice cardboard with an Opinel, you hear angels singing. The only reason I do not carry one is that I get a lot more utility for the same pocket space with a SAK. Opinels also have unsurpassed aesthetic appeal.

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If you want a good "out of the box" experience, look elsewhere. These are fiddly knives that demand some care, love, attention and (easier to find, thanks to the internet) knowledge to bring out their greatness.

If you want just try one, follow Alberta Ed's excellent advice and melt some paste wax into the pivot area, especially if you live in a humid area. Wax based leather dressings like Snow Seal will work in a pinch, as will carpenters bees wax. Heat gun (careful!) or hair dryer will work.

If you want one of the most rugged, beautiful and effective knives you can carry and you are willing to work for it, Opinels can be turned into amazingly beautiful knives.

#6 or 7 - Small traditional
#8 - Most common. Good fit for L sized hands.
#9 - Better fit for XL hands (my favorite for EDC)
#10 - Big knife (my favorite for backpacking)
 
Love mine. Lots of cuts for your bucks.

I've swam with a carbon steel opinel and was still able to open it fine, after a day of wetm it was stiffer, but not overly difficult. I put a drop of oil in the pivot occasionally.

I have about 5 of them.

Their stainless is even better than the carbon steel. Just as easy for me to get very sharp, but holds an edge a bit longer.
 
Got an Opinel #10 slim for a gift, that I carry with me for use @ restaurants where knives are dull, it's classy (no side eyeing) nice & sharp
 
Although I didn't know much about knives, I've had a fistful of Opinels for about forty years, simply because they were cheap and good. Now that I know a little more, I appreciate them even more. Classically, absurdly simple design, easy to keep sharp, and they cut.
 
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"Every knife nut needs an Opinel, and you should have one."

This was part of an earlier post. I have one: an expensive (60 bucks?) #8 ebony-handled inscribed with my wife's name on it. Thank God I only need one. Never liked it. It cuts, but I seldom use it. I have used it for a steak-knife before, but when you lay the handle down on the table, with the blade resting on your plate...it rests with the sharp edge istraight up waiting to bite you...ridiculous.
I appreciate nice knives, and of course the Opinel is cheap (in general), and the French are fine people, but that's it.
This is just my opinion. If other folks like it, that's great.
I've owned this thing for five yrs or more, have never folded it up once I opened it and "locked" it; have used it as a paring knife on many occasions, and if it didn't belong to my wife, I'd toss it.
BTW, she likes it.
 
Just say yes to opinel. Get a few, different sizes, woods and steels. You can find them for 10 bucks on the bay. Sometimes I just throw one in with a high priced knife.
 
Adjust the lock ring so it sits in the 9 o'clock position. That and flatten the handle a bit. It will lay in its side nicely if that's important to you. Or not.

The Opinel is a demanding knife and not for everybody.
 
pinnah said:
Adjust the lock ring so it sits in the 9 o'clock position. That and flatten the handle a bit. It will lay in its side nicely if that's important to you. Or not.

The Opinel is a demanding knife and not for everybody.
Click to expand...

Or, he could just close the thing ... or leave it half open. It doesn't take much effort 😉
 
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