Opinel

T

TheGoldenWalrus

Joined
Jul 16, 2011
Messages
433
why are Opinel knives so inexpensive?
they seem to be of fairly high quality wood, steel, and build, yet they are only about 10-20 bucks.....
why?
 
Because Opinel has maybe the most automated knife factory in the world, second only to Victorinox. They have knife production down to a fine science, and can turn out more knives in a week than most companies like Spyderco or Benchmade can in a year. They make literally millions of knives a year for shipment world wide. The knives are designed to be cheap to has produce, and use as few parts as possible. Just four of five parts depending if it has a locking ring or not.

Opinel's are the Bic pen of knives.
 
Don't let the price fool you they're excellent. In fact I've got this 06 in my pocket right now.
IMG_0166.jpg
 
While they are no match for some of the more modern sharpened pry bars ( nothing against modern knives or knives with thicker blade profiles), They are no weaklings by any stretch. They will do 99% of any ordinary EDC task on a daily basis and cut lighter materials exceptionally well. The Opinel has survived this long for good reason.
 
Agreed. My No.8 has handles some very tough tasks with enthusiasm. Because of how light and thin they are I think a lot of folks are too afraid to push them, but they're very tough for what they are. I've never felt under-knifed with an Opinel.
 
TheGoldenWalrus said:
why are Opinel knives so inexpensive?
they seem to be of fairly high quality wood, steel, and build, yet they are only about 10-20 bucks.....
why?
Click to expand...

for years ive wondered that as well. ive never owned one, so i guess im gonna have to give one a try. thanks for the info guys
 
They're inexpensive because they're simple in terms of their components, and the company spent decades refining the efficiency of their production process. Great stuff!
 
TheGoldenWalrus said:
why are Opinel knives so inexpensive?
they seem to be of fairly high quality wood, steel, and build, yet they are only about 10-20 bucks.....
why?
Click to expand...

They aren't all inexpensive. :)
If you want fancier wood, a built-in corkscrew, or one of the limited edition knives, they are priced more in line with other major knife brands like Gerber, Case, and Buck. You can spend over $100 for an Opinel if you want the horn handles...

Otherwise, in addition to the manufacturing factors mentioned above, the standard Opinels use very common and inexpensive materials.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top