Opinel new lock ring - bad design

My 2 No.7s have the new lock. Neither can be folded closed when the lock is engaged. I even spinewhacked them a few times. One lock slid a tiny bit, but remained unclosable by hand. I'd never put that much pressure on the knife in regular use. However, one is brand new, and the other hasn't been put through much use yet.
 
Planterz said:
My 2 No.7s have the new lock. Neither can be folded closed when the lock is engaged. I even spinewhacked them a few times. One lock slid a tiny bit, but remained unclosable by hand. I'd never put that much pressure on the knife in regular use. However, one is brand new, and the other hasn't been put through much use yet.
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Sounds good.

I'd still love to have the option to twist the ring the other way to make a more secure lockup.
 
353 said:
Sounds good.
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I think the jury is still out. Like I said, mine are newish or unused, so they're definitely not "broken in". Maybe longer use might expose some flaws.

OTOH, in the video, he uses pliers to take the color off, and I'm guessing he did it at least once before to the same knife. This could make the collar looser and less secure. I really don't know, but I'm not about to pop the collar of mine to find out.
 
Planterz said:
I think the jury is still out.
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I think you will learn that the original lock ring is superior. And once again, IMO, this is a really big step back for Opinel. And I suspect a newcomer engineer or someone looking for recognition is behind this flawed construction.

Question is if they have the guts to call a fail and take it back.
 
353 said:
Question is if they have the guts to call a fail and take it back.
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353 said:
This guarantees a higher production rate and better cutting and shaping quality. This new equipment demonstrates our commitment to continuous investment in modernising and improving our industrial facilities
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They prolly spent quite a bit on new tooling. Stamping and forming spring steel has a large initial outlay.
 
davek14 said:
They prolly spent quite a bit on new tooling. Stamping and forming spring steel has a large initial outlay.
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It's sad when a company start to prioritize quantity over quality. Never thought Opinel would fall over to this.

Economics taking over the way of production.. No good.
 
I really think a big hullaballoo is being made over something that's really a matter of taste. Just my take on it. Having literally just checked out my own inventory, which contains a mix of the old and new styles, I can say with absolute confidence that there's no perceptible difference in lock security between the two types and that the one the fellow in the video has is either defective or was damaged by the way he removed the ring.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I really think a big hullaballoo is being made over something that's really a matter of taste. Just my take on it. Having literally just checked out my own inventory, which contains a mix of the old and new styles, I can say with absolute confidence that there's no perceptible difference in lock security between the two types and that the one the fellow in the video has is either defective or was damaged by the way he removed the ring.
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That is nice, but i doubt you can twist your "new ringed" both ways when in open position?
 
Correct. But that's a matter of choice. Personally, I have always locked my own personal Opinels in the method that's currently still possible. As previously noted I think it would have been better if they kept the range similar to what the old ones were able to attain, but--almost certainly--it doesn't impact the manner of use for the majority of Opinel users. Yes, it goes against the preferences of some, but again, that's a matter of taste.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Correct. But that's a matter of choice. Personally, I have always locked my own personal Opinels in the method that's currently still possible. As previously noted I think it would have been better if they kept the range similar to what the old ones were able to attain, but--almost certainly--it doesn't impact the manner of use for the majority of Opinel users. Yes, it goes against the preferences of some, but again, that's a matter of taste.
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I will NEVER buy one of the new ones, period. And in my mind, at least, it's not a manner of taste. It's a manner of cost and quality, mixed with a bit of bad engineering.

If Opinel really stands by this they will diminish themselves as the true low cost quality brand they wore. IMO
 
353 said:
I will NEVER buy one of the new ones, period. And in my mind, at least, it's not a manner of taste. It's a manner of cost and quality, mixed with a bit of bad engineering.

If Opinel really stands by this they will diminish themselves as the true low cost quality brand they wore. IMO
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That's fine. I doubt they'll notice a perceptible dip in sales as a result of the change. However, I'd be interested in what you're basing your judgment regarding cost, quality and "bad engineering" on...it's pretty clearly a matter of taste to me. You like it or you don't. But in terms of the quality, it's the same. In terms of cost, it should allow them to actually keep costs lower as global prices continue to rise over time. As far as engineering it seems to have been designed well from an engineering standpoint. They just designed it in such a way that it prioritized some new features that maybe weren't all that important to a lot of people while sacrificing a feature that at least a few people here liked. That's not an engineering problem.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
That's fine. I doubt they'll notice a perceptible dip in sales as a result of the change. However, I'd be interested in what you're basing your judgment regarding cost, quality and "bad engineering" on...it's pretty clearly a matter of taste to me. You like it or you don't. But in terms of the quality, it's the same. In terms of cost, it should allow them to actually keep costs lower as global prices continue to rise over time. As far as engineering it seems to have been designed well from an engineering standpoint. They just designed it in such a way that it prioritized some new features that maybe weren't all that important to a lot of people while sacrificing a feature that at least a few people here liked. That's not an engineering problem.
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You know what, your answer is in this thread and I am not going to give it to you. Take your time and read. Your welcome. No offence.
 
353 said:
You know what, your answer is in this thread and I am not going to give it to you. Take your time and read. Your welcome. No offence.
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I have read it, sir, and the answer is most emphatically not there. The closest thing is Opinel's official statement, which is in alignment with the assertions that I laid out above. If your reasons were clear to me, I'd not need to ask.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I have read it, sir, and the answer is most emphatically not there. The closest thing is Opinel's official statement, which is in alignment with the assertions that I laid out above. If your reasons were clear to me, I'd not need to ask.
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I'll give you a hint. Two of your questions lies within Opinels statement, the last one is in the video and again IMO shows of bad engineering. If you want to improve a design please do so, don't take a step back.
 
You strike me as being unable to convincingly answer my question in a forthright manner. Oh well. I've no more to say on the matter; carry on.
 
I'm sorry you are seeing it that way. It was not my meaning to be rude in any way. Please post spesific questions and I will answer them and even take back my statements if I see a need for it.
 
I just bought two Opinels last week. A#6 and a#8. They have the new locks and they seem to work just fine. They work as intended.
Not having handled one in many years, I don't really remember how the old locks were, so I guess this will just be normal for me.:)
 
Honestly I never treated the Opinel lock as secure anyway. For me it has basically been a feature to keep old loose opinels from swinging shut, and that's really all.
 
Huge Opinel fan here. Don't have any of the new versions but I'm with 42Blades; I'm sure they'll perform well. My oldies and more recent Opinels are so sharp and tight that they make their cuts without any effort and their spines pry off bottlecaps without any trouble. Yeah, I think the newest models may be an overengineered solution, but it's all about sales. Competition in the leisure knife market is enormous. If Opinel can move more more product because of even marginally more secure lockup, they'll gladly lose some of us diehards.

Zieg
 
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