Opinel?

N

n8swag

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Feb 4, 2012
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Can you please explain the benefits of an opinel knife? Ie. what draws you to them?
 
I don't have one but i'm getting a few shorty. Simple function for small dollars ;-))

Regards

Robin
 
Others will write you longer apologies of Opinel's but I will just state a few facts that make me love them.
- they're available in a wide range of sizes, and they cost almost nothing
- very lightweight (especially compared to blade length)
- amazing blade geometry that make them great slicers and great on wood as well
- among the easiest knives to modify to your own likings
- their look and appeal is so traditional and functional
- they're among the safest knives ever (no backspring tension to snap closed, locking ring to keep them both open and closed)
- .....
To say it in three words, just get one. Then, you'll understand.

Fausto
:cool:
 
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Just received my first opinels this week,have yet to carry them but they appear to be very well made for the money IMO.:thumbup:
 
Amazing bang for the buck. Capable of much harder work than their "picnic knife" reputation. The thin blade stock is just right, and the carbon steel takes a diabolical edge.

-- Mark
 
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Form follows function,plus poindexters and tactikal teddies don't understand 'em.
 
quattromori said:
Others will write you longer apologies of Opinel's but I will just state a few facts that make me love them.
- they're available in a wide range of sizes, and they cost almost nothing
- very lightweight (especially compared to blade length)
- amazing blade geometry that make them great slicers and great on wood as well
- among the easiest knives to modify to your own likings
- their look and appeal is so traditional and functional
- they're among the safest knives ever (no backspring tension to snap closed, locking ring to keep them both open and closed)
- .....
To say it in three words, just get one. Then, you'll understand.

Fausto
:cool:
Click to expand...

He's right you know!
 
They're simple, cheap, readily available, and they work. What's not to like?
 
I like the farmhouse/rustic look, and they are very affordable. Combine that with the size options and the scary sharp edges that are easy to produce, and you have one fine little knife.
 
I will also add that the wooden handle of classic Opinels are a lot more winter friendly than other materials. For example I also love my Douk Douk, but its not a winter knife in any way. Cold, wet, numb finger might turn into near severed fingers with that heavy back spring if you could get it opened in the first place. With the Opinel, no problems.

And I mean no problems doing anything a pocket knife is supposed to do.
 
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Why Opinel's are so good has already been covered by Fausto and others, so I won't go there. Instead, I;ll just say, go buy one. It will cost you about the same as a few beers at your corner pub. When you get it, make sure it's nice and sharp. Yes, go ahead and touch up the edge.

Then...

Go slice some cardboard, or break down a cardboard box. Take note of what the blade does. The way it glides through the cardboard with a smoothness that is, for lack of a better word, almost sensual. Nothing cuts like a sharp Opinel. Well, I suppose a light saber may, maybe. But short of spending a heck of a lot more money for a Moran or other high dollar custom with a convex edge, the Opinel is it.

Then there's the personality. Or more correctly the personality it will take on after you shape it. You see, to some folks, an Opinel is like a blank canvas. A starting point. The wood handle can be reshaped with some sandpaper to just about anything you want it to be. Think of an Opinel as a sharp sculpture yet to be shaped. There's whole website dedicated to artistic Opinel's. Even if you have zero carving talent, the Opinel can be reshaped, stained in the wood stain hue of choice, and varnished, or finished with a nice hand rubbed linseed oil finish like an old rifle stock. No matter what course you take, you will end up with a knife that is uniquely yours.

But the bottom line is they are fun knives to own. You can tinker with them, or just use them as a great cutting tool.

Carl.
 
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JAB nailed it. They are so cheap, lightweight and easy to carry in your pocket. Fantastic things. And easy to modify, if you feel that way inclined.
 
Always kind of blew them off as just a *cheap* knife. Just recently I decided to pick up a carbon steel #8. Took it out on a Cub Scout campout & started whittling with it. The performance to price ratio impressed the hell out of me. Then I ordered a stainless #8 and a carbon steel #8 with cherrywood Ebauche handles. Shaped the cherrywood handle to my hand & ground the point of the blade down to better fit the new handle & I love my *custom* Opinel. Just this week I ordered 2 stainless steel #8s for my boys with their initials engraved on the blade. Perfect stocking stuffer presents that they'll probably like more than some of the expensive ones.

Buy one & see.
 
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I think Opinels are the best value in the knife world if you shop around you can find most models for under $10, the most I've paid was $12 for a #10, I went into a knife store at a mall about ten years ago the clerk was trying to discourage me from purchasing it saying its a picnic knife, I told him I had used them for many years and was fully aware of the knives capabilities and pulled out my worn #8 to show him.I used a #9 hard everyday for over 6 years in construction and HVAC, used it to cut insulation, cut/score Sheetrock, cement board, scrape mortar off bricks, started holes in 30g & 26g metal in a pinch, cut heavy duty 36" zip ties,used as a scribe, cut cedar shingles, cut flex duct, 1&1/2 closed cell insulation, scrape PVC and copper fittings, light prying to seat duct work, etc. my Opinel #9 has been put to work pretty hard, much harder than I think any other knife I own without fail. I trust my Opinel #9 more than any other knives I own because I know what I have done with it.
A pic of my trusty #9 & #9 my wife gifted me with my initial
725B26A3-B565-48F8-A8ED-22A797930DDC-4051-000006AAF6AA5BE6.jpg

#9 is my favorite size, I like the #10 for camping.
 
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'Cause they are a great cutting toolbox/utility knife which just about anyone can turn into a great cutting knife people will pay you compliments on.
 
Just curious, but can the blade be removed from the Opinal? I see a lot of modifications and am wondering if people are modding them as is, or removing the blade and locking ring first.

Another noob opinel question. I keep seeing people refer to them by size number, but I've been able to find a number on mine. Even when looking at the sales sites, I don't see them listed by any numbers.

Thanks.

btw, these things do get wicked sharp.
 
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