Opinel locks: yea or nay?

Maybe I've been eating too much brie, but I'm on a real Opinel kick lately. I love their locks -- not a single complaint. I don't really trust ANY sort of lock, and use every knife the same way I would a traditional, non-locking slipjoint.

With that said, I don't understand taking off the lock. :confused: I love that the modern Opi locking rings can keep the knife closed as well. To me, that's nearly as important as locking the knife open. I guess I'm too much of a curmudgeon :grumpy: but I just love Opinels exactly as they come. Other than sharpening them, the only "modding" I do is to carry the knife around in my pocket with keys and coins to give it the "pocket worn" look that Case markets on some of their knives. ;)

By the way, on Sunday I took our kids and some of their friends to the movies at a mall. I dropped them off and had about two hours to myself in the mall. There was a really high-end cooking goods store. You know the kind of place: $40 potato peelers, $500 copper frying pans, $1,200 espresso machines, etc. Of course I spent a good bit of time drooling over their German and Japanese kitchen cutlery. But what really caught my eye and got my blood pumping was the large selection they have of all things Opinel. They must have every size made, plus gift sets, sheaths, steak knives, kitchen cutlery and even little, old school sharpening stones (I bought one). I thought it was pretty telling that this shop, which specializes in nothing but the best, is clearly a premier dealer for Opinel. I'm certain that many guys walk out of that mall with a new knife in their pocket from another shop that costs 10 times as much and is no better than a good old fashioned Opinel. C'est dommage.

-- Mark
 
coaltrain said:
Timely thread for me. Since I've pretty much given up on most slip joints because I simply can't open them (RA), I'm now experimenting with a couple Opinels. The friction action is easier than any slip joint I have tried, but with the 3 Opinels I have so far I can't turn the locking ring.

Thanks for the link pinnah - when I get a day where my fingers work some I am going to try a couple of the modifications listed.
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Sorry to hear that, my dad has RA, it's a rough thing to live with. Might want to consider a Svord Peasant knife, nice and easy to open.
 
I got my first Opinel in 1982. At that time the number 7 was like 6.95 out the door. I fell in love with the design, and used it for a beater knife from then on. Not long after, I got curious as to how much the lock could be relied on. I decided to test one to destruction.


as usual, I had filed the locking ring edge so it rotated much farther around the bolster. I locked the blade 2/3ds down in a vise, and with an aluminum pipe over the handle, I started to bend the handle down. I expected the locking ring to zing off someplace in the shop. That's exactly what happened. I got a good amount of pressure on the blade, and the lock ring started to dig into the wood shoulder of the handle, then suddenly zinged off across the shop and the handle went right down to the vise. If I had been cutting something and put that much pressure on the blade, I'd have taken off a finger or two like that young idiiot we had in the shop that did a very neat amputation of his right index finger with a Buck 110.

I use Opinel's like a friction folder, and that's it. I don't know why they added the ring in 1955, because it works for it's intend purpose just fine without it. The lock gives a very false sense of confidence, and is not a real positive lock. If I want a knife that positively won't fold on me, that's why I keep a sheath knife in my woods/canoe bag.

Carl.
 
jimmyd1982 said:
Sorry to hear that, my dad has RA, it's a rough thing to live with. Might want to consider a Svord Peasant knife, nice and easy to open.
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Thanks - as a matter of fact I am going to try the Svord next. And my signature line is there mostly because of the RA.........

Back on topic, I am also going to try warming/drying my Opinels out a bit. I think they might be a bit swelled since the weather was quite humid the past month or so. Nice dry autumnal air coming in now might help the locks move a little better.
 
BJE said:
The thing I hate most about the ring lock, is that pocket lint and dirt make it under the ring and makes the action of the lock gritty, feels like metal galling until it is cleaned out.
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This doesn't line up with my experience entirely.

All of my slip joints and lock-backs get "joint-gunk"; some heinous combination of oil, pocket lint and food scraps. Opinels are no worse than any other folder I have in this regard.

As for sand and dirt... I use my Opinels on sandy beaches and in dirt quite often and yes, the action of the ring grinds. But, the ring still operates and when engaged, there is no compromise to the locking action.

When I drop a lock-back (like one of my Bucks) in the sand or dirt, the lock bar/blade indent gets fouled. In really bad cases, you see the lock bar sitting proud or the lock bar will jam entirely. I certainly wouldn't trust a fouled Buck 110 in any way because of this. "Surprise, surprise, surprise."



jackknife said:
I got my first Opinel in 1982. At that time the number 7 was like 6.95 out the door. I fell in love with the design, and used it for a beater knife from then on. Not long after, I got curious as to how much the lock could be relied on. I decided to test one to destruction.


as usual, I had filed the locking ring edge so it rotated much farther around the bolster. I locked the blade 2/3ds down in a vise, and with an aluminum pipe over the handle, I started to bend the handle down. I expected the locking ring to zing off someplace in the shop. That's exactly what happened. I got a good amount of pressure on the blade, and the lock ring started to dig into the wood shoulder of the handle, then suddenly zinged off across the shop and the handle went right down to the vise. If I had been cutting something and put that much pressure on the blade, I'd have taken off a finger or two like that young idiiot we had in the shop that did a very neat amputation of his right index finger with a Buck 110.
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Again, I think we can agree that there are 2 issues here: the virtue of locking folders and among locking mechanisms, the comparative merits of the different designs.

On the first, I think it's safe to say that you and I come down on different sides of that fence, which is totally fine. People of good conscience and all of that. If the point of the test was to demonstrate that any locking mechanism can fail under enough weight, then there is no argument. So the question becomes, how much closing force should a locking mechanism be able to resist to be effective under normal use-it-like-a-fixed-blade use? If we can accept that high bar (like a fixed blade), I would have to wonder what sort of cutting scenarios generate that much closing force? And placing that question into a larger context, how much "closing" force should a fixed blade be able to withstand? Fixed blades are *not* entirely immune to failure. Some break at the tang. A thin blade can buckle if a small amount of torsional force is added to the mix.

I see real safety benefit from having a locking blade but on the other extreme, I don't put my hands in a situation that would generate so much closing force on the knife handle that it would need to be replicated by putting a blade in a vice and a pipe on the handle.


In any event and moving to the second question of comparative virtues among lock designs, it would be interesting to see some tests on the amount of closing force required to cause all locking designs to close. If anybody has any links, I'd like to see them.

More importantly to me than closing force out of the gate is the durability of the lock mechanism under hard use. To me, this is where lock backs have some weaknesses. Hard cutting can put and concentrate a lot of stress on the locking mechanism of a lock back and the pivots. Over time, this can lead to vertical play issues and once a lock back has vertical play, IMO, the locking mechanism should be considered suspect. IMO, this is where the Opinel lock ring out shines lock backs. Opinels seem almost impervious to wear and tear of the locking mechanism.
 
I have a #6 and #8 in "Carbone" and like the lock ring.
I have to admit though, to not always using the virobloc if I'm doing something really light.
That said I really should start locking everytime because once in a while I've forgotten to lock and almost paid for it.
 
Admittedly, I don't use an Opinel very often, but I leave the lock in place. It doesn't hurt anything, and it's always there if and when you need it.
 
The most obvious advantage of the locking ring on mine is, I rely on it to keep the blade from trying to swing closed when honing or stropping it, which it has tried to do on multiple occasions. That's about the only time I feel the need for it. Otherwise, for most uses, I'd feel relatively safe and content using the knife as a friction folder.

I do have an older 1980s-vintage Opinel fillet knife. It's pivot is so loose, the blade will literally close about 1/2 by gravity alone. So I'd see the value in the locking ring for that one, as well.


David
 
I'm a fan of Opinel knives, and I never had any trouble with their locking system.
I don't use it much (I'm used to "pure" friction folders, so I never felt the need for it), but it doesn't bother me either.
Anyway, I think it works better than other locking systems, especially if you mod the ring as Carl explained.
As a sidenote, I think Opinel knives look worse if you remove the locking ring :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
To my way of thinking, there's only two kinds of knives. Folding, or non folding. Locks are a false sense of security.

Folding.
9514273564_9874dc8914_c.jpg


And non folding.
9902483144_165fa09b0b_c.jpg


If you're doing something that you worry about your fingers, choose a different tool. Somehow 65 years of Opinel users, let alone several generations of barlow, stockman, trapper, sodbuster, users got by without locks. Not to mention many generations of Spanish Tarramundi and Sardinian Resolza users. Using the Sardinian knife has really been an enlightening experience. Now I even view back springs of questionable value for the 98% of the cutting that only requires a sharp edge.

Carl.
 
I have a #6 I believe and have never had an issue with the locking ring. Do I use it all the time? like many said for a quick non stabbing cut I dont use it, other then that I engage the ring. Not fast to use but does keep with the classic feel of the knife.
 
I've taken to leaving the rings on mine, ever since the time one that was unlocked took a nice filet out of my thumb. Too much blood and (later) scar tissue involved not to change my approach to these knives :D
 
I have two #6 Opinels. I have the locking rings on them but tend not to use them. Last time that I used the lock was for a barbecue I think, a long time ago when it still looked like summer! Because the blades are so thin and sharp, I only use them for slicing cuts and to be honest, the fit is very tight on them both, they don't call them FRICTION folders for nothing.

I have had accidents in the past with slipjoints, locking folders and fixed blades. The most serious being with fixed blades (chefs knives mostly), one of them left me with no sensation on the tip of the index finger of my left hand, and almost cost me the finger. I have yet to draw blood with a friction folder, but I know it's only a matter of time because I am habitually clumsy.

But back to the OP. The beauty of Opinel's locking system is that it is optional. If you want to lock it, you will. If you don't, you won't.

Paul
 
I use the lock on mine but have limited the knife to lighter chores such as fish and bird cleaning. The weight of the knife is really what draws me to it. It's razor sharp and cuts well. I wouldn't use it to dress a deer but I think it's fine for lighter work.
 
Carl, I agree with you on that point.
If I want a knife that's not going to fold, I grab a sheath knife.
Having learned on non-locking pocket knives as a child, I tend to use all folding knives as if they had no lock, treating them with the same caution/respect/proper handling as a slipjoint. Locking mechanisms are like gun safeties: handle the gun as if the safety does not exist. Same with knives.
 
How can a lock be a bad thing...if one uses a folding knife properly? I prefer a lock...but thats me.
 
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