Opinel No8 Outdoor Survival Type Knife

jdk1

jdk1

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I was at REI yesterday and had some time to kill. As I was wandering around, I stopped at the knife case and did a double take. I was familiar with the standard Opinels, but hadn’t heard of them joining the survival market. I don’t have an Opinel and can’t speak to their usefulness outdoors, but I do have a very old CS Twistmaster and it would make a good woods tool. The plastic handle is OK and colors, especially orange, are always good outdoors. The built in whistle and “shackle key” (not sure what that is honestly) may have taken it too far. Also, I don’t see the serrated portion being too popular among knife users. My suspicion is this was designed, not for knife folks, but hikers and climbers. I also noticed the big online retailer has the #8 for $13 and this orange one sells for $37. That seems a little steep, unless they add "Bushcraft" to the name, which makes knives worth 2x-3x more:D What do y’all think?

opinel-outdoor-multi-function-knife-10170-p.jpg
 
Yeah these have been out for awhile now but seem to generate little interest among knife folks. I picked one up over a year ago as I am a fan of Opinels but have not used it much, although I did incorporate it into a new survival kit I put together. I would have preferred a plain edge rather than the combo edge. The shackle key refers to the cut-out on the blade that can be used to tighten or untighten the pin on a shackle. It is the finest knife with a built-in whistle I have ever owned. It is also the only knife with a built-in whistle I have ever owned.
 
On the plus side, it's very light and pretty much immune from the environment. That's great for a knife thrown into a kit and forgotten. I prefer a Mora LMF for that though.

Opinel should've put a compass in the end:D
 
Looks like a very sturdy knife
Great for non-knife folk
A lot safer than a sharp #8
The serrated edge will always be sharp
And it is a knife that they can use and leave wet

If you do not know the price of a #8, then this is a very reasonably priced knife
 
Looks pretty decent, and it corrected the biggest problem the Opinels have when it comes to outdoor use, that if a bit of moisture gets into the knife, the handle swells up and locks the blade in place so tight you have to use pliers to open it. Too bad about the serrations though, a plain edge would've been much better.
 
By the way, there's another Opinel model which is somewhat similar, and still suitable for outdoor use. It's the Opinel No.9 DIY, which also comes with a plastic handle in bright colours, but with a different blade shape, a wire stripper, and two screwdriver bits.
couteau_opinelbrico1-z.jpg
 
I have yet to try the No.9 DIY but it looks very interesting. Another one I like is the No.8 Garden knife that has a drop point blade profile with a stronger tip and a lanyard hole. I gifted mine to one of my nephews and have been missing it.
 
It's worth noting that France has a strong tradition in yachting and that Opinels have been used by preeminent French sailors.

My take on the Opinel Outdoor is that is was primarily designed for sailors, and is actively sold to climbers.

The shackle key is used as a wrench to open something like this.
53751-lg.jpg



Fittings of this sort (roughly) are used to attach sails to fittings and lines.

Sailors and climbers both have good reasons to like serrated blades for fast cutting of ropes, which can be a life/death sort of thing.

IME, the Opinel #9 (pictured) or #10 make great backpacking knives. They are very light and insanely tough - much tougher than any lockback I've used. Really the best folder I've used in the woods, bar none. IME, the only way to get more rugged is to move to fixed blade, which is heavier.

Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
pinnah said:
My take on the Opinel Outdoor is that is was primarily designed for sailors, and is actively sold to climbers.
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I should have guessed. Who needs a shackle key or a serrated blade in bushcrafting? :)
 
Ausseknifeknut said:
Lol I thought the French just ran away from everything
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When they reach the ocean they need to hop on boats. ;)

I've been carrying a carbon no 8 for a couple weeks. Not sure yet if it'll remain my edc but I like it for trips and hiking.
 
I had no idea Opinel had these variations, but it's pretty neat that they do. The concept of an extremely basic and simple folding knife with a sort of fool-proof locking system is solid. Add in the light weight and cheap price and I see why it's so popular. This Outdoor model loses my interest because of the high price. Otherwise, I can see where it would be a great blade for a basic kit to stash in a vehicle, especially if paired with a cheap machete, CS SF Shovel, or the like. Ultimately, I'll fall back on the MORA as a better alternative. Even the LMF can be had for around $20 on sale. If Opinel had a orange, plastic handled stainless #8 for the same price as the wooden version, I think they'd sell well.
 
Pinnah, thanks for the shackle clarification. As a boating blade, this knife makes perfect sense.
 
I never had any interest in Opinel before...a plastic knife with a whistle doesn't change that fact.
 
Stelth said:
I never had any interest in Opinel before...a plastic knife with a whistle doesn't change that fact.
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Plastic & whistles aside a lot of people feel that way until they actually try using an Opinel. Clearly they are not for everyone but they are a great value in an very efficient slicer and fun to customize.
 
jdk1 said:
I had no idea Opinel had these variations, but it's pretty neat that they do. The concept of an extremely basic and simple folding knife with a sort of fool-proof locking system is solid. Add in the light weight and cheap price and I see why it's so popular. This Outdoor model loses my interest because of the high price. Otherwise, I can see where it would be a great blade for a basic kit to stash in a vehicle, especially if paired with a cheap machete, CS SF Shovel, or the like. Ultimately, I'll fall back on the MORA as a better alternative. Even the LMF can be had for around $20 on sale. If Opinel had a orange, plastic handled stainless #8 for the same price as the wooden version, I think they'd sell well.
Click to expand...

JDK1, I agree with the bolded bit in spades and would add that I would like to see the #9 and #10 available in plastic handles too. The only drawback to the Opinel is that the pivot can be finicky in wet conditions.

I've found the pivot to be incredibly durable to hard cutting and lateral forces. Tougher than any lock back I've owned (many). But, I would never ever trust the Opinel lockring to keep the blade from closing. It pops off under pressure. Think of it more of a disengagable slipjoint.

I rely on white gas or alcohol stoves for 99% of my backcountry travel. I'll be taking a Batchstovez 2.0 this weekend. The primary use for a knife for me is food, particularly lunch which is often either hard salami and cheese or peanut butter and jelly. The long thin blade of the Opinel is ideal for this. The #9 and #10 are the most commonly carried for me.

I also have a Mora Companion HD. It's a wonderful knife and I carry it when I use an Emberlit stove. The Mora can baton light sticks well enough. But it's a lot heavier than the Opinel and (for me) not worth the extra weight.
 
Pinnah, have you tried the Mora LMF? It has a great handle and a very thin blade, which carves wood like a laser. It only weighs 3.4 oz. with sheath and fire steel. The Opinel #10 is 2.7 oz. It would fill your Opinel niche with a bit more strength.
 
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