Opinel, Okapi,Triflex, Pig Sticker Received

cavetech

cavetech

Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
760
After reading about these knives on this site (one of my favorite forums) I ordered one of each; Opinel, Okapi,Triflex, Pig Sticker. I wanted to satisfy my curiosity about them for their dirt cheap prices. I received them today and thought I would share my opinions and observations about them.

Frosts Triflex seems to be a good buy for the money. Comfortable handle with a 4-1/8th inch long blade. 8-5/8th OAL. Blade is very sharp and seems strong. Sheath is so-so, but can be replaced easily with leather or kydex. Knife tip gets stuck in the sides of the sheath when you insert the knife into it.

Pig Sticker also seems to be a fair buy for the money. It has a 6" double edge blade that will flex, but seems quite usable and very sharp. The down side seems to me to be the short 4-1/2" handle. At least it seems short in relation to the long blade. The handle is fine if you just want to hold it. The natural tendancy with this knife when you use it is to stick your thumb forward for more leverage when using the knife. Problem is the sharp double edge blade comes right up to the handle and you will slice your thumb open but good. I might put a guard on it, but that will make a short handle even shorter.

The Opinel is literally a wood dowel with a slot in it to house the blade with a pin through one end so the blade can pivot. There aren't any metal liners or metal backspine. It is worse than weak and worthless.

The Okapi is also a wood dowel with a slot in it to house the blade with a pin through one end so the blade can pivot. There aren't any metal liners or metal backspine. There is too much blade wobble and it is a piece of junk.

Don't even accept an Opinel or Okapi if they are given to you. Both are also too light weight (being slotted dowels with no metal for strength) to even make a decent paperweight.

So, I satisfied my curiosity at very little expense. The seller was prompt and delivery was quick. No invoice came with the delivery or via e-mail.

It was interesting. It seems you get what you pay for in the knife world. I would be ashamed to let anyone I know see an Okapi or Opinel in my possesion.

Whew, Steve

Nuts. I mistakenly put this on the wrong site. Would a moderater please move it to the Cantina? Multiple apologies to all.
 
Perhaps a question of expectation.

I used an Okapi for a couple of years without problems. It's obviously not something that will take a lot of abuse, but who cares? If you break it, you're only out a couple of dollars. I have no problems telling anyone that I use one of these.

The pig sticker that I have frankly makes me nervous. It came with a double-sided razor edge, and I made it even sharper. As Steve said, one's tendancy is to move your thumb forward. Or to put your other hand on the back of the blade. Unfortunately, both of these movements will put your hand in contact with a VERY sharp edge. Don't try this at home. I refinished the handle (looks like walnut) with a super-glue finish. Looks very good.
 
I agreed with most of this post, but the Opinel in my opinion is just good design. Liners are only necessary if there is a stiff metal backsping as without one the structure and weight of the liners is unnecessary. The opinel opens and closes with no spring, hence no snap. Many accidents happen due to that snap. That is a safety feature. Additionally it locks securely in both positions (negating the need for the spring). The woodworking is simple and efficient too. Yes it is undoubetedly a shaped dowel with a mortice in it, but its comfortable in the hand and I've used it to cut wood. Its a mean cutter and I don't get the feeling it is fragile when I use it. I bet it came razor sharp, and its a convex blade. Thin and well machined. I'll admit you've got to open your mind when collecting ethnic blades. The designs are radically different than what you may expect sometimes. Maybe give it another chance, or just stick to Bulldog brand, they make a fantastic pocketknife.
 
Moved to the Cantina per request.

The Opinel is an honest working knife. It just might grow on you.
 
I'll chorus what the others say; that individual knives have distinct uses, and it makes no sense to be disapointed in an Opinal (as an example) because it cannot perform all or some of them.




munk
 
I used one of my Opinels just this evening to carve a piece of ebony for a project I was working on. I had no idea it was "worse than weak and worthless". Neither I suppose did the millions of people, all over the world, who have carried and used these knives for the past 100+ years. Thanks for the heads up Steve.

Sarge
 
Hehehe....

Good thing I didn't read this post before I used a hammer to beat my Opinel through 1/4 plywood for an hour or so, and then proceeded to scrape 25 year old tile off the floor with it, and then pull up heavy duty staples and horseshoe nails. I might not have succeeded in the tasks if I'd known how bad the Opinels were.;) (just joshin' ya'...they are admittedly a bit crude, but have always worked for me, nonetheless)

Glad to hear the Tri-Flexx may work out for ya'. I'm looking to order about a dozen or so of 'em by the end of the month.

The Okapi....I'll try it one day, I suppose. I can't help but to be a little skeptical though.

Pigsticker....yeah...that's scary lookin'...I guarantee ya' my clumsy self would shed plenty of blood with that one. I think I'd wind up at least dulling the first half inch or so of blade.

Sorry to hear they fell below your hopes and expectations. Hopefully if they stay around you'll be able to at least save one of your better knives some abuse with one of 'em.
 
Hey, Andy. Please don't say that or I will have to buy a Bulldog to see what it is!

Thanks, Steve
New Collector of Toy Knives!
 
Steve Poll said:
Thanks, Steve
New Collector of Toy Knives!
Click to expand...

Steve just try the Opinel for a few days. The metal tube around the front will lock the blade both open and closed.
I'm like a lot of the other guys here and I love my Opinel and wish I had the boxed set of them.
I can see the very tiny ones being pretty useless because of their size but when you get up to about a 3"-3-1/2" blade they're really handy.

Which pig sticker are you guys talking about? :confused:
Anyone have a linky?;)
 
Considering the lack of a guard, and sharp edges running right up to the handle on the pig sticker, Ragnar's personal handle modification makes a lot of sense.
sticker-custom.jpg


Sarge
 
Still a neat lookin' knife for $10. Could be my next tinker victim on the workbench infact. Maybe modify the handle into a full coffin shape....
 
Opinel? I made a sheath for mine and carried it on my belt for a while back when I was in uniform, alongside a Spyderco Manix. The Manix wound up with the grunt work. The Opinel trimmed, sliced, and prepared meals. The handle is easily customized, the blade steel is good, and the locking mechanism is good enough. (Often I didn't even bother to lock it.) As far as the <$10 price bracket is concerned, this is the knife to buy. Try it a little more. You'll see.

Okapi? The lock scares me, frankly. It reminds me of a guillotene. But the steel is good, the lock seems to keep on keeping on, and despite the fact that it's verboten on account of the blade length at every post I've been to, no one ever mentioned anything about it other than commenting on how cool the handle was. (And the handle is cool.) Mine doesn't see much use because of the company it keeps, but for the money it's extremely good. Take it out and use it hard.

Got one of Ragnar's pigstickers on a whim. Well worth the money, but again, it doesn't get used often due to the other knives I own. It gave me an excuse to make my first sheath. If the edge bothers you, consider grinding an inch or so off the edge you use least for a thumb rest. Some may not approve, but it's your knife and you paid very little for it. There's no harm in modifying it to fit your needs and you still have 1.5+ effective edges left after all is said and done, which is pretty good considering the price niche this knife fills.

Triflex? Don't own one, but if I had to sum up Frosts in one sentence, it would be, "Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap." I own a few Frosts Moras that see duty as kardas. If they were selling for twice what they currently do, they'd still be a good buy.

Work the Opinel and Okapi more. I think that you may be pleasantly surprised at the cost vs. effectiveness ratio that these knives provide. And don't be afraid to modify any of them. IMO, working knives priced in this range are intended to be shaped into what the user desires, which is what keeps them so inexpensive in the first place. The blades are good; it's the other stuff that doesn't sit well with some. Change those things to fit your needs. Make them yours.
 
the opinel and okapi knives do come in non-locking versions. i like my fingers. i do not like the non-locking ones for that reason.

i generally carry a ring-pull lock okapi, it has a steel spring spine to the 'slotted dowel' handle & a substantial pivot pin. the lock is very tight & releases with a great deal of effort & is ratcheted. to unlock i hold it slot out in my right hand with thumb thru the ring, and lift the ring while pressing on the blade with my left hand. do not put fingers in path of edge as it tends to release stiffly. steel is OK & holds an edge. not as good as others, but well worth the price & can be used where you'd not want to damage a better knife. the supplied ring is not strong enough. i replaced it with a more substantial one from an old keychain.

the opinel twist lock is secure, tight and turns it into a fixed blade knife. blade is sharper than heck & holds its edge well while carving. the lock is not adjustable or dismountable, but i've never needed to adjust it. i've taken a half-round bastard file to the handle by the fingernail slot in the blade as i found it sinks too deep on the handle to be usefull. after grooving the handle about 1/4 in. deep there it works a treat now.

i have another cheap & cheerful friction folder, spanish from andujar, with an olive wood handle which again is just a slotted piece of wood. the blade has a good pivot, and a second pin to prevent over rotation & the pivot is a cutlers screw which is used to adjust the friction. it is almost useless when the friction is adjusted too light as it wants to eat your fingers at the slightest use. tightened more securely and it is usefull for opening cartons and boxes where you don't want to use a better knife. gotta watch your fingers tho. i take it to work for those times one of the other guys wants to borrow a knife....

i have an ebony marjaq knife which is similar to the opinel & has a slightly different twist lock which unlike the opinel can also be twisted to lock it closed as well as open. the pivot is a cutlers screw that again can be used to adjust the friction in unlocked position. i find it is hard to keep adjusted. too tight & the lock is difficult to apply. too loose and the blade comes out in your pocket (even after locking - the lock can wiggle loose in your pocket) & bites you. steel is good tho.
 
These knives will *not* stand up to a side by side comparison with high quality folders, period.

What they excell at is dirty work, risky work where they may get lost, service as loaners and for fun to fiddle with. The Okapi is just cool as an ethnic blade...the Opinel for customizing (reshape the handle, turn it into a drop point or a Warncilff, stuff like that). The pigsticker I haven't found much use for, but decorated it makes a fine *period* sort of more for display piece.

The Frost Moras are fantastic fixed knives for young campers and woodsfolks...likely to be abused or lost. An added bonus is the different colors they come in...easy for the young ones to remember who's knife is whos...
 
Steve,

I'm sorry you don't like the opinel.:o For an excellent quality classic folder goto ebay and check out Bulldog Brand. They are still hammer forged and hand assembled in Solingen Germany. They are constructed of top notch German carbon steel, and you can get GREAT genuine handle materials such as stag, buffalo horn, mammoth ivory, elephant ivory, etc. They don't cost ten dollars though.;) Right now I'm carrying my little Russell barlow, but usually its my bulldog cattle knife. You can be assured there is no better mass produced folder on the market. :thumbup:

Edit...Sarge check out this Bulldog barlow on ebay....6601512673 Its at $295.00 now. Of course its a mint condition limited edition collectors item and all.
 
Nasty said:
These knives will *not* stand up to a side by side comparison with high quality folders, period.
Click to expand...

I have to respectfully disagree with you. In terms of pure cutting ability, the opinel more than holds its own. In fact it is a better cutter than either my Spyderco Military or my Microtech LCC.
 
"I have to respectfully disagree with you. In terms of pure cutting ability, the opinel more than holds its own. In fact it is a better cutter than either my Spyderco Military or my Microtech LCC." Kamagong

Those tactical knives aren't intended as cutters. That's not a good comparison. However, I agree with you. The opinel outcuts them.
 
kama - Sorry I didn't make it clear...they cut like wonders. I was simply saying that comparing them to modern folders, the construction doesn't compare...not even a fair trial. For routine chores, they are wonderful and useful far out of bounds for their price. I have a couple of each and enjoy having them.
 
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