Opinel - use or opinions?

cmdr249

cmdr249

Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
1,402
I've looked at and almost bough a couple Opinels but didn't and got distracted. Never see them mentioned in W&SS much.

What are opinions? Use?

Any info and pics would be good.

Lets talk. :D
 
they are pretty much the mora of the folding knife world. strong, sharp, dependable, and cheap. the ring lock takes some getting used to, but it is a great locking mechanism. they are convexed when you get them, and they have great geometries. also, they are really light and come in about any size you could want. ill get some pics up shortly.
 
Hey Cmdr - well they are thinner than a BK2 :D :D :D

Honestly, though, they are the bees knees in cutting locking folders. They cut like nobodies business. Of all my knives, my little opinel #7 still gets the sharpest. They certainly have some quirks to them. Like, when it is really humid or if they get wet, the wood expands and the blade gets hard to pull out. They are thin and not tactical. They just aren't a tought knife.

What they are is amazing cutters. Thin blade, carbon steel, sharp as the devil's tongue! At $8.00 it is the best value you can have. You can also easily mod the handle to fit your hand and give it which ever finish you like. Trust, me. Buy a couple of them. They are great, even if they are french. ((((I'm french so I can insult myself)))). I bought mine in Belgium last Feb. Have no regrets!

DSC_0021.jpg


DSC_0032.jpg
 
this is the #6 and the #12. the #12 dosent see much use, but it is still great. the little one is a great knife for the pocket. so light that i often forget it is there.

2503724096_2d79a7ddbf.jpg
 
kgd - :D That is funny!

Nice patina on that one.

A few months ago I had a couple in an electronic cart, got distracted and forgot about them. The pain of multi-tabbed browsing. :)

I'll have to try one or two.

BarberFobic1992 and baldtaco-II - thanks as well.
 
I have several Opinels, including a #6 stainless in wlanut. While it's too ordinary to be a true gentleman's knife, it performs well in that niche: lightweight, sharp, small, inoffensive. Very handy, very comfortable to use.

Do not relegate the #12 to a drawer1 Mine is about the best bread knife I've found. Slicing a loaf or a cake or a roll, whether fresh and soft or stale and hard.

I also have the usual #8 in carbon and in stainless, and a beautiful efile from A.G.Russell that comes with a leather sheath. I also have their garden knife, a drop point with a handle more like the efile.

Of course, after you get to appreciate having a few Opinels around, you should see about a Douk-Douk ... :D
 
I'd call them the absolute best value for money in the knife world! The blades take an extremely sharp edge and hold it well, the lock-up is bomb-proof, the handle fits comfortably, and if you need to, you can sand it down to fit even better, and they cost less than a Big Mac and fries for two!

The one and only drawback that I've found, if you want to call this a drawback at all, is that it looks as cheap is it costs. For me, I don't care at all. It's a workingman's lunch knife, (which is my main usage for it,) that will also cut most everything else!

I bought my first one in a Farmer's Market in France when we were picking up food for a mountainside picnic, and have since bought several more. It's the only knife that I don't mind losing as it costs next to nothing and I know that the finder will be overjoyed at getting a great knife!

Stitchawl
 
Actually, I think one reason we don't talk about them all that much is that most or many of us have them and use them so casually there isn't a need for discussion. I'm sure a lot of wilderness people carry slipjoints but don't talk about them, either.

What we do discuss are the bigger, newer, or more controversial knives.
 
I hate ordering off the internet. I wish a store would carry Opinels and Moras. Ive looked at every hardware store in every little town Ive come across in Northern Missouri. No luck.
 
They tend to come with virtually no edge at all on them, especially at the tip, but once you touch them up they'll split atoms! Fantastic little knives, and ripe for modification!
 
The Beauty & the Beast:

IMG_0459.jpg


The Beast is a well used Opinel nr. 8. It's my "don't scare sheeple" knife. The Beauty is a customized Opinel nr 8. (Customized by dutch knifemaker Gert Van Den Elsen).

Kind regards,

Jos
 
My experience has been that they have great geometry for cutting, but they don't hold an edge very well. At their price point, it is certainly worth trying.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Actually, I think one reason we don't talk about them all that much is that most or many of us have them and use them so casually there isn't a need for discussion. I'm sure a lot of wilderness people carry slipjoints but don't talk about them, either.

What we do discuss are the bigger, newer, or more controversial knives.
Click to expand...

A good point.

It's good to talk about the overlooked or simple things sometimes. I have just seen the moras mentioned so much more.
 
I have every carbon steel Opinel and only one of the stainless ones; the #8 garden knife. They're all very nice for the low price, and all will shave hair. Edge retention is better in the carbon versions, although the stainless ones come out of the package sharper. I even bought the 10-piece set just for the hell of it, and it only set me back $90.
OP83102.jpg
 
i would say folders in general don't get a whole lot of "air time" here in WSS since most people prefer a fixed blade for primary use in the woods...

an opinel #7 was my first carbon knife (a big deal after spending a while with cheap stainless, reading about how great carbon was) and it is what i consider among my first "quality" knives.

they have great cutting geometry, the only full convex factory blade i know of off the top of my head. they are easily customized etc...

the edge retention isn't that great, i would say about on par with SAKs. they do get sharp easily, which is a plus if you don't happen to have a sharpening shop handy...

the wood swelling is my biggest problem, i put my opinel away last summer because of the swelling and finally gave my buck stockman a chance, and fell in love with the stockman...but that's besides the point.

some mods that i would like to do to an opinel when i get the chance:
remove the blade and sand the channel bigger, so that the blade has a little more wiggle room. when locked, the blade would still be secure due to the cool locking mechanism.
re-heat treat the blade, aiming for a harder edge
 
I've noticed on Smokey Mountain Knifeworks' site, they offer some different handle options, like olive, walnut and oak. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with those as to being less affected by the environment. One downside though, I think they are only offered with SS blades.

They also have some of the "Legends series" that I love the looks of with the carvings in the handles: http://smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/prodlist.jsp?Mode=Brand&Brand=196&CatalogName=&PriceStart=&PriceEnd=&Feature=&Cat=196&SearchText=opinel+legends&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0&list=50&range=1&order=Default
 
I have four of them and the folding saw. I used one to field dress and skin a deer a couple years back. I had a heck of a time getting it cleaned out. However it worked well and held it's edge. I really like them. I would like to get one of the bigger ones to try out.
 
I got a #8 from my dad. He went to england and came back with a opinel for me, at first I thought it was a pos knife. but then I sharpened it and it came alive.
I'd never heard anything about them and only discovered the locking mechanism after a few days, very clever huh? lol.
I like it a lot now. sharp, light, simple, cheap. what's not to like?
 
I've had an Opinel #9 for a few years now. Fantastic knife. Does anything I want it to (I compliment it with a hatchet) and between the two theres not much that cant be handled. If you file it to a drop point (it takes 10 mins) it becomes more useful IMO. Also, sand off the varnish and soak it for a couple of days in linseed oil. Makes the grip when wet much better. And definitely get a carbon steel model, I've used mine and a piece of quartzite to strike sparks and light a fire. It damages the back (cosmetically) and makes it look dinged up, but I take it as character. Buy one, you'll love it.
Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top