Opinel of France

F

flip888

Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Messages
190
I just picked up an Opinel no 9 from an online store today for an edc beater and I have to say Im pretty impressed. The blade has a perfect shape, very thin, long and tall. It has a good streight portion and a good belly under the curve, and the tip is extremely sharp.
Also its got a full convex grind and holds an edge very well, much better than I expected.

The lock is kind of weird but very secure and solid and the handle is confortable and modable.

All together this is a very solid slicer that outcuts almost every knife I have and costs about $12. I ordered 2 more in different sized for a back up and a gift to a friend.
Ive only used this knife for a day but Ive made about 10lbs of wood shavings and shredded about a dozen cardbored boxes and I have to say, this knife is the best bang for the buck that I have ever seen in the knife world.

How come we dont see more of these being carried?
 
Oh yes. The opinel is one of the best. I use my 8 as a paring and steak knife. It is a major part of my "kitchen" (living in dorms).
 
You can get them in a decent stainless as well as carbon steel, and with different wood handles. I also like the garden and efile (filet) models.
 
> How come we dont see more of these being carried?

They are EDC'd quite often in motherland France.

I do love them as well. I have several models from size 7 (btw these are ideal for many smaller woman hands) to 12. My fave is a relatively expensive 8 with a horn tip handle, it is one of their more exclusive products, and in fact it elevates the humble Opinel to a class where it can easily stand next to the more prestigious laguiole knives.

Als try the big 12, It is excellent as a chef knife when on holiday. I also use it for bbq etc.
 
How come we don't see more of these being carried?
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I carry one every day, kept in my work bag.

Why aren't they more popular among overall? First, they aren't available anywhere around here. Second, they lack the black plastic 'tacti-cool' appearance, the current trend in popularity.
 
And third, most people carry them in their pockets, not waving them around in their hands. :)

A lot of us carry simple knives we take for granted, and don't talk about as much. For example, the General Knife Discussion covers a lot of ground, but Swiss Army Knives usually go to the Multi-tool and Multi-purpose Knives forum, and slipjoints go to Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades.

They are out there, and they do get used.
 
They're great knives, the "mora" of folders imo.

They make great gifts for non-knife people, just gave a #8 to my sister.


Both the #6 and #8 are great EDC blades.
 
Question on the handles: are there any functional advantages to the other woods they offer? I see ash, walnut, oak, and olive. They all look prettier than the standard beechwood, but for example is oak going to be tougher in any meaningful way than beechwood? Or is walnut going to be less likely to absorb moisture, thereby preventing the dreaded blade pivot lockup? I get the impression they're just prettier, but someone please feel free to correct me.
 
BoxANT said:
They make great gifts for non-knife people, just gave a #8 to my sister.
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Same thing happened with me. I bought my first Opinel going through a kitchen supply store in New York City, a #8 carbon. My brother came over and saw it and really liked it, so I immediately gave it to him. It was quickly replaced.

For pocket carry, I like my walnut handled stainless #6, very compact and handy for a great range of tasks, including impromptu steak knife.
 
I gave my father the #10 variant with the corkscrew. Actually while it's a decent corkscrew which is cleverly placed in the handle, the whole concept doesn't work as well as a dedicated cortscrew device. There is no lever to pull out the cork. Anyway, it is still a practical knife which he often uses.
For my girlfriend, I once gave her an orange #7.

> I've got a #9 in the kitchen that my wife fell in love with. Her mother thinks it's weird to use a folder in the kitchen....oh well.

I also use mine in the kitchen but it's true that they are not so evident to clean. You can't just drop them in the water because then the wood will swell and then the blade will get stuck.
 
Dagon said:
You can't just drop them in the water because then the wood will swell and then the blade will get stuck.
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You can eliminate much of this problem by soaking the front end of a new Opinel in mineral oil. This will keep the wood from absorbing water as easily, and will lubricate and protect the pivot and locking ring as well.
 
opinel's just the thing for real slicing jobs.
with a fine old world reputation, some things become so common place that we oftentimes overlook its beauty; created with a kind of outdated simplicity in design, it is nevertheless extremely practical and an economical tool in every sense of the word.
 
Got a #7. The only Opinel in an environment full of tacticals. Just my way of bucking against conformity. bwa ha ha
 
They have excellent geometry, I wish they would use a better steel. I used my OP7 yesterday to cut some cardboard, and literally after a foot or two, it started tearing instead of cutting. Mine just can't keep an edge.
 
A #5 was my very first EDC knife. A little small/delicate for tough tasks, but it fits nicely into the watch/coin pocket of a pair of jeans, doesn't scare non-knife people and cost next to nothing.

Actually, thanks for bringing this up; I'm going to buy some more now :D
 
flip888 said:
I just picked up an Opinel no 9 from an online store today for an edc beater and I have to say Im pretty impressed. The blade has a perfect shape, very thin, long and tall. It has a good streight portion and a good belly under the curve, and the tip is extremely sharp.
Also its got a full convex grind and holds an edge very well, much better than I expected.

The lock is kind of weird but very secure and solid and the handle is confortable and modable.

All together this is a very solid slicer that outcuts almost every knife I have and costs about $12. I ordered 2 more in different sized for a back up and a gift to a friend.
Ive only used this knife for a day but Ive made about 10lbs of wood shavings and shredded about a dozen cardbored boxes and I have to say, this knife is the best bang for the buck that I have ever seen in the knife world.

How come we dont see more of these being carried?QUOTE]

Probably because they are a low end knife and speaking strictly for myself there are many better options available that I can afford. That is not knocking the Opinel at all. I don't have any yet but from reading about them they seem like a decent cutter. Looks like a decent affordable knife. I would like to get one and use it as a beater knife.
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