Opinel knives

[Stelth]

I've never been curious enough to buy one. Their locking system seems like a poor design. I did buy an Antonini "Old Bear" which is similar, but I can't say I carry or use it very much. For an inexpensive knife, I usually prefer FRN or G10 as a handle material because it's thinner, stronger, and not affected by moisture.

 

[Sonnydaze]

Folks here love them. I bought a #8 with fancy wood for my wife, ~$75, and absolutely hate it.
It never comes out of the drawer.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Folks here love them. I bought a #8 with fancy wood for my wife, ~$75, and absolutely hate it.
It never comes out of the drawer.

Those high dollar Opi’s are intended for hardcore fans. The beauty of an opi for most people is in the value.

 

[Hashishiin]

Those high dollar Opi’s are intended for hardcore fans. The beauty of an opi for most people is in the value.

I use my ~45 dollar Opinel Bivouac no. 8 from the Escapade series (really wanted the Azimut...) regularly. I think they're super nice, but they're still as usable as any other Opinel, I would just use it gentler than a normal Opinel if I was worried about it. It's not like it is brittle. I really find even the simple upgraded Opinels, like the Walnut-handle no. 6 I got for my mother are exeptionally beautiful, and even the regular ones.

Meandering a bit, but I love Opinel, always have and always will. I appreciate how modifiable their knives are, and I intend to do my first blade re-grinds and such on Opinel knives, also plan to do woodwork and handle modification on some Opis. I want to make cigar handles, drop points, maybe give one a Scimtar shape, lol. I want to make them and give them away to various people who have been nice to me in the knife community over time.

 

[JohnnyGalt]

I've never been curious enough to buy one. Their locking system seems like a poor design. I did buy an Antonini "Old Bear" which is similar, but I can't say I carry or use it very much. For an inexpensive knife, I usually prefer FRN or G10 as a handle material because it's thinner, stronger, and not affected by moisture.

I bought one just to see what all the fuss is about. It’s fine for cutting a box open or slicing an apple, but it‘s basically a cheap somewhat flimsy little knife with a quirky locking ring.

Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to write home about either. Just my opinion.

 

[Hashishiin]

I bought one just to see what all the fuss is about. It’s fine for cutting a box open or slicing an apple, but it‘s basically a cheap somewhat flimsy little knife with a quirky locking ring.

Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to write home about either. Just my opinion.

Give it some use, you will find it is not flimsy, but a great thin slicer. It's grind is partially the answer for this, as its convexed edge is able to take a lot more than its simple and inexpensive nature would belie you. The edge, the thin blade and subtle Yatagan clipped grind, angling so gently to a dropped point that trails all the way back, all go into creating such a perfect cutting experience, you will think you have kissed an artifact fallen from heaven. Opinel. Original. Own it.

Okay, maybe I went a little too far in that last bit, but seriously. It's a good blade. You should just take it to work one day instead of your regular knife, try doing your duties with the Opinel, and get back to me on how that works out. Worst that happens is it doesn't work the best, and you have something better than an Alfa box cutter for a day. Seriously, vouch for them. I do not agree with the following statement, but various Opinel afficionados have called it as stout as a fixed blade. That is not true. But, it's dang stout.

 

[Hashishiin]

Some I've modded over the years.....

Effile 15. 15cm/6" blade filleting.

You should sell some mods, man, those are simply stunning.

 

[Another Shepherd]

I bought one just to see what all the fuss is about. It’s fine for cutting a box open or slicing an apple, but it‘s basically a cheap somewhat flimsy little knife with a quirky locking ring.

I bought a #8 just to see what all the fuss is about. It was too dull out of the box to cut cardboard (BESS score 553 grams). I think the word "quirky" regarding the locking ring is excessively polite.

 

[cudgee]

What everyone has said, plus , a great knife to learn or teach someone else how to sharpen and get the basics right.

 

[Hashishiin]

I bought a #8 just to see what all the fuss is about. It was too dull out of the box to cut cardboard (BESS score 553 grams). I think the word "quirky" regarding the locking ring is excessively polite.

Never had an Opinel this dull personally!

 

[EngrSorenson]

I bought a #8 just to see what all the fuss is about. It was too dull out of the box to cut cardboard (BESS score 553 grams). I think the word "quirky" regarding the locking ring is excessively polite.

After you sharpened it, what was its BESS score? Also, what’s wrong with the locking ring?

 

[Hashishiin]

After you sharpened it, what was its BESS score? Also, what’s wrong with the locking ring?

We had a guy whose Benchmade wasn't sharp from factory and that is a typical thng with them. I haven't even had this problem with Opinel, but if I did, I would be way more understanding to them than Benchmade.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Opinel gets you a very serviceable and customizable knife for 20 bucks. They’ve been in business for well over a century making nearly the same product and by gum it’s a product that’s still relevant.

Everyone’s welcome to knit-pick the humble Opinel, but I think that says more about the “reviewer” than the product.

 

[Another Shepherd]

After you sharpened it, what was its BESS score? Also, what’s wrong with the locking ring?

The locking ring is cumbersome and flimsy. Being unable to discern any virtue of the knife, I saw no reason to waste time sharpening it.

 

[EngrSorenson]

The locking ring is cumbersome and flimsy. Being unable to discern any virtue of the knife, I saw no reason to waste time sharpening it.

So you never really tried it, and you were unable to discern any virtue? Sounds like you were biased or you clearly didn’t understand what you were buying.

Here’s the only lock test I could find on an opinel, and the way the guy got it to fail was by jimmying the blade position so the lock ring would rotate open. I notice that the “flimsy” lock is still in one piece. Looks to me like if that lock fails, you were doing something you shouldn’t have been doing with a peasant knife.

ETA: and in case you were wondering what "Opinel Knife Fail 1" was, this heavy mouth breather locks the opi closed and then pulls up hard on the blade until the lock pops off. It's the most pointless test I've ever seen.
It's a good thing his comments are disabled.

 

[jackknife]

So you never really tried it, and you were unable to discern any virtue? Sounds like you were biased or you clearly didn’t understand what you were buying.

Here’s the only lock test I could find on an opinel, and the way the guy got it to fail was by jimmying the blade position so the lock ring would rotate open. I notice that the “flimsy” lock is still in one piece. Looks to me like if that lock fails, you were doing something you shouldn’t have been doing with a peasant knife.

ETA: and in case you were wondering what "Opinel Knife Fail 1" was, this heavy mouth breather locks the opi closed and then pulls up hard on the blade until the lock pops off. It's the most pointless test I've ever seen.
It's a good thing his comments are disabled.

I have to admit that I have never understood the obsession with blade locks. I guess growing with slip joints in the pre-Buck 110 era, I learned to not tr to cut anything with the back of the blade.

As far as the Opinel locks goes, I find it funny that from 1890 to 1955, all the Opinels were a friction folder. In all the years since 1982 when I got my first Opinel, I rarely bother using the locking ring, as I am cutting with the actual edge of the knife. A novel idea, I grant you. But when I got my first knife at age 12, a genuine 'Official' Boy Scout knife, the first thing we learned was not to do anything stupid that would cause the blade to fold on your fingers. Like trying to cut with the back of the blade. If we needed a knife that we knew would absolutely not fold on us, we had it. It was called a fixed blade. A blade that didn't need any kind of lock because it was one solid piece of steel from tip to pommel.

I must have been so very lucky, that I made it through childhood with slip joint pocket knives, 10 years service in the U.S. Army Engineers with the demo knife or a SAK as my do-all pocket knife. In the early 1970's I tried a Buck 110, but it only lasted a few months before I gave it away. Just couldn't stand a half pound of brass to hold just one skinny blade. In the 40 years I've been using Opinels, I've had zero failures myself. I did witness one failure, that was a smaller number 7. It was an occasion where out on a winter hike, a friends wife slipped on some icy rock and broke her ankle. we decided to make a litter to carry her out on. I was using a Victorinox pioneer (No lock) and Danny had a number 7 Opinel. He was cutting down a sapling by notching around the base and creating a stress ring to break it off. The wood handle broke off flush where it was turned down to mount the whole business on; the blade, pivot, licking ring, and inner bolster sheered off. We finished making the stretcher using just the Victorinox pioneer.

To be fair, Danny is a 6' 4" 250 pound gym guy, with hands like a baseball glove, and he was a wee bit frantic hearing his wife groaning in pain. His number 9 Opinel has held up for him for many years, as well as his number 12 slim that he uses for filleting large fish he pulls out of the Chesapeake Bay.

I've found the Opinel is a great knife for every day use in real world suburbia. If I need something more surly, I'll use a fixed blade. That so called test video is plain dub, who puts that much pressure on the back of a blade? In my 81 years of life that includes a lot of backpacking, canoe camping, kayak camping, hiking, and fishing, I've never had to lever or push on the black or the blade. I do not understand the obsession with blade locks.

 

[TC]

Regarding the lock, just remember Chris Reeve used the same type on some of his custom folders in his earlier S.A. days (IIRC! - think at least one was shown in the CRK subforum not too long ago.) Most people here would agree that CR knows a thing or two about knife design.

Edit: Found it. The Helix Lock. https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/picture-history-of-early-crks.1466852/post-16881109

 

[EngrSorenson]

It was an occasion where out on a winter hike, a friends wife slipped on some icy rock and broke her ankle. we decided to make a litter to carry her out on. I was using a Victorinox pioneer (No lock) and Danny had a number 7 Opinel. He was cutting down a sapling by notching around the base and creating a stress ring to break it off. The wood handle broke off flush where it was turned down to mount the whole business on; the blade, pivot, licking ring, and inner bolster sheered off.

just for clarification... the handle broke off at the tenon?

 

[jackknife]

just for clarification... the handle broke off at the tenon?

Yup!

Right where the wood was turned down so the inner bolster/tenon was slipped over the two wood 'fingers' that support the whole works. But...like I said, Dany is a big guy. Think of a guy that could give The Hound a good fight, and he's really wanting to help get his wife with the broken ankle out of there. He really leaned on the Opinel 7 with all he had trying to cut through too deep making the notched ring around the base of the sapling. The smaller Opinels won't stand for a lot of twisting in heavy cutting. If you're looking for a folding knife that will do lumbering operations or prying, the Opinel ain 't it. But it will slice open Amazon boxes all day. break down boxes. Open plastic blister packages that defy tooth and nail and small charges of explosives. It slices and dices food stuff like a chefs knife, and cuts jute twine and other cordage like its spaghetti. It cleans and fillets fish great.

The Opinel is a great knife for general carry. But if you're looking for something to pry open a tank hatch while yelling "WOLVERINES", Yes, go to something else.

 

[Dav1]

Love Opinels. I use a No7 carbon sometimes as an EDC/small knife and a number 10 stainless as my camping kitchen knife.

Super easy to resharpen (a few strops) and cheap.

I love traditional knives and am looking at a few Au Sabots.