Opinions on Opinels

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popcornpicker

Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
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I hear they have good steel, but something has to be done with those wood handles. I feel like I'm in the Pinewood Derby. Has anyone altered the grip concerning the locking mechanism?
 
Nope, I carry mine stock. If you search the forum though, there are a lot of custom Opinel photos that have been posted.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
Hi.

I never altered an opined and i personally don't think it's necessary. Opinels are cheap, they cut great and sharpen super easy. the locking ring works pretty good (i know just the smallest one are without lock). Handle could be more ergonomic, but you should be able to find the size that fits the best for you.
 
Do a search in the Toolshed forum, before I bought my Opinels, I read a bunch of threads on custom Opinels, how to take them apart, etc.

I carry mine all stock though, great cutters and they only cost me $9 a pop. They'll serve valiantly as my main kitchen knives when I move into my new apartment in September :thumbup:
 
popcornpicker said:
I hear they have good steel, but something has to be done with those wood handles. I feel like I'm in the Pinewood Derby. Has anyone altered the grip concerning the locking mechanism?
Click to expand...

Why not just buy a different knife, then?
 
Nothing wrong with a stock Opinel but having said that I alter mine. There are more detailed posts you can find on this but briefly, I take mine apart, remove some wood in the bearing areas and epoxy seal the grip, particularly in the pivot area. This weatherproofs the knife and stops seasonal swelling of the wood which can be a problem in the tropical environment I live in. I also like to round off the top of the rear end of the grip but this is a personal preference. I don't do anything to alter the locking mechanism as it works fine as is.
 
I have a modded no.7 and a stock no.12. Good knives very easy to sharpen with good steel.
The wood swelling can be annoyance however. A synthetic handled Opinel would be interesting.
I've seen pics of some Robinson knives which are basically Opinels with synthetic handles.
Actually i've seen a few pics of double bladed (pseudo Opinel) Robinsons, one blade plain edged the other serrated. Set up like the old Spyderco Dyad.
Anybody here have any Robinsons or know where to get them?
 
Opinels are the best knives you can have for this price.

I had fun modding mine, handle and blade shape. You only need a few files and sandpaper.
 
i have been reading around on the boards about opinels think i'm gonna cave and get a couple this year, i didnt much care for the handle shape on the standard (although i havent handled one) but they offer a fishing version and a gardening version with a much sleeker handle kinda like a laguiole knife, looks interesting.
Quality and affordability can't beat that!
ivan
 
I agree with tholiver.
I have only one Opinel, and it is an excellent knife...but, alas, the deal-breaker is the wood swelling issue. I experienced it first-hand: I absolutely could not open it for about two days. This is absolutely unacceptable.

I know, I know, I can spend several hours taking it apart, sanding, applying coats of oil or urethane...but, I simply don't have that kind of time (but, I can understand the relaxing nature of modding).

Give me an Opinel without the above issue, and I would probably buy ten of them.
For now, my carbon-blade Opinel is serving as a letter opener.
 
I modded one of my Opinels just because it was fun, and the end result was a really nice little EDC. I have a couple that are unmodified and they are great EDCs also. I would think that the wood swelling would be a pain, but living in NM I don't have to worry as we have little humidity and no water anywhere (at least in my little corner).
 
I'm fortunate to live in a dry climate, no wood swelling problems. I wish they would harden the steel more. Mine seem to be too soft, and dent easily in cutting harder wood and objects. I would love to see them use 1095 or M2 at 65 HRC. I do have some HSS hacksaw blades. Hmmm....

That said, they are well designed cutters, and a very good value.
 
I had some, got rid of them all. I can't stand them swelling up due to a change in weather. Yes, one could mod them to behave better, but then why not just by a less climate dependent knife to begin with.
 
pedalinbob said:
I agree with tholiver.
I have only one Opinel, and it is an excellent knife...but, alas, the deal-breaker is the wood swelling issue. I experienced it first-hand: I absolutely could not open it for about two days. This is absolutely unacceptable.

I know, I know, I can spend several hours taking it apart, sanding, applying coats of oil or urethane...but, I simply don't have that kind of time (but, I can understand the relaxing nature of modding).

Give me an Opinel without the above issue, and I would probably buy ten of them.
For now, my carbon-blade Opinel is serving as a letter opener.
Click to expand...

You really should think about taking your Opinel apart and then soaking the handle in some mineral oil. It only takes five minutes to disassemble it, and you can just get it in the oil and forget about it overnight.
 
I've fooled with them on and off for some years, and I get turned off by the wood swelling issue. I gave mine away and now just rely on my Case sodbuster for my pain jane working knife. The yellow handle stands out in the grass when I lay it down when fishing, and I wash it out in the lake and shake dry. Cuts as well as an Opinel, but no water issues. The carbon CV blade hold a very good edge.

I lost patience with the Opinels, great cutters that they are. There are great cutters around without issues.
 
I didn't mean to create an Opinel bashing thread...I just wanted to voice that I really like the Opie, but that one issue drives me nuts.

I dislike being limited to dry-duty only.
I gently rinsed my knife and the result was a complete lockup. How are you supposed to wash it?
Perhaps dry cleaning? ;o)

Just food for thought.
 
I find my Opinels to be aethetically pleasing, but they do not get much use. The folding saw lives in my vehicle, and the smaller two have junk drawer duty.

Gratuitous pic:

July09.07003Medium.jpg


right on
 
Does anyone have pics of ones you have reworked or replaced the handles of? I went to the Toolshed archives, but can't find much. I bought a 10 piece "collection" in a wood box and am ready to put 3 of these corroded pieces of crap to the grinder. The pictures on ebay don't do these justice.
 
IVANKERLEY said:
they offer a fishing version and a gardening version with a much sleeker handle kinda like a laguiole knife, looks interesting.
Click to expand...

I've owned a couple of the carbon blade models over the years and recently purchased the gardening knife, which has a spear point INOX blade. I was very pleased with it and it's held up well for about four months.

Luckily, I don't have swelling issues (that I've noticed) here in Colorado. I've actually purchased all the supplies I need to do the waterproofing thing but haven't gotten around to it...
 
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