I've loved and hated them.
They've been tossed into the oblivion of the sock drawer, only to be rescued when I needed a dirty deeds knife. I've been fooling with them since 1982, and at times they've been my sole edc, other times put away on stand-by reserve to be used in dire last call for a sharp edge. But they cut like the dickens.
Looking back over all the years I've used them, they always seems to be nearby, and used more than not, sitting in the sock drawer much less than a pocket. They stand up for a good amount of abuse, if the wood is sound. But I've cracked one, and seen another break. But that was the exception to the rule, and the user that broke the number 7 was a 6 foot 4 inch well muscled guy leaning on it in a very heavy use situation. Lesser knives may well have broken under him in that circumstance.
Now in the last several years, the arthritis in my hands has been a pain in the knuckle, and I've been more and more enamored with friction folders. Way easier for an old man to deal with. My Opinel and the little Resolza from our man in Sardinia, has been used more and more as my sole edc carry. I'm not going to see the true wilderness again, and my tours of the National parks at this stage of my life is from the sight seeing trains and tour busses. So a nice lightweight folder that i don't have to fight with or fumble while opening is a good thing. Especially if it cuts like the dickens.
I found that getting 'older' has meant that a lot of changes had to be made, in both the way I do things, and what those things may be. Somethings fell by the wayside because I couldn't do that anymore. Somethings fell by the wayside because I didn't want to those things anymore. Been there and done that! I don't ride a motorcycle all year around anymore, but I don't miss it. Thinking back, I really wonder where my sanity was riding my BMW in the snow? I can only think of temporary insanity of youth. Same with knives. I went through the big Randall phase, but in the harsh reality of day, I just don't need them anymore. The older I got, the less I found I needed.
But everyone needs a nice sharp knife in a pocket. Things need to be cut, and until someone invents a pocket sized light saber, it comes down to a nice sharp piece of steel folded into a pocketable handle. Doesn't have to be big, just sharp. That's what dad always said. In all reality it doesn't have to be able to hack through car doors, have a lock that can support a Brinks Armored car, or fight off whatever. Just opening packages, cut some twine, slice some food items, or whittle a hot dog stick for my granddaughter. Enter the peasants knife.
Having good days mixed in with bad, days when the fingers work okay, and others not, a friction folder seems tailor made for an old farts knife. No back spring to snap closed when the blade slips out from said fingers while opening or closing. I'm thinking those old Sardinians who invented the Pattadese pattern may have been some pretty smart peasants. Right up there with the French workers who used the friction folder pattern long before Joseph Opinel put it into mass production. And not to leave them out, the Japanese guy who invented the Higonokami. All very useful knives for everyday cutting jobs. But the Opinel is the best of both worlds in some ways. Lots of choices for size, handle material, and potential for customizing with some sandpaper and stain. In a way, an Opinel is like a blank canvas ready to be whatever it's owner wants it to be. Filed and whittled into whatever shape is needed or wanted.
The low price of the Opinel is another draw. I think I've given away more Opinels than I have kept, for the same reason I've given away so many little Victorinox classics. They can be the Giddeons bible of knives. So many times I've sanded and stained and finished off an Opinel, used it for a while, then someone admires it, and if it's a non knife nut, I gift it to them for a quarter. Actually any coin will do in a pinch, I just prefer quarters because they work well in parking meters. Between the Vic classic and Opinel, I do believe I've converted a legion of non knife people to the fold.
Being retired, I find myself doing a lot of what I've done most my life. Going fishing, exploring the woods or countryside where ever I may be, and more fishing. I find my needs for a nice sharp knife actually more now since I'm an old fart, because it's harder to open the so called tear open packages. I have a sneaking suspicion that the dotted line is a hoax on us 'older folks' and more often than not, I find myself taking whatever knife is on me and cutting open the package. More often than not it's an Opinel that I use. I'd say most times I don' bother with the locking ring. If It's the resolza, its a non issue.
I find it ironic that in the end, the knife I bought in 1982 because it looked interesting in a funky old fashioned way, has outlasted all my other knives. My stockman, barlow, sodbuster, even the mighty legume, the peanut. Of course not everyone is bothered by arthritis, so it's a huge case of YMMV. This is just the ramblings of one old knife nut and the knives I've used over a lifetime. An opinel is not an end all be all, and I still will keep a sheath knife on me in whatever boonies I can still get to. Oh, excuse me, they're called fixed blades now, aren't they? The Opinel works well as a light duty everyday whatever knife that will stand up to some heavy abuse in reason. if you're going to lean on it, get a number 10 or bigger. Or use a fixed blade. But for a pocket knife, the Opinel does quite well.
Did I mention that they cut like the dickens?
They've been tossed into the oblivion of the sock drawer, only to be rescued when I needed a dirty deeds knife. I've been fooling with them since 1982, and at times they've been my sole edc, other times put away on stand-by reserve to be used in dire last call for a sharp edge. But they cut like the dickens.
Looking back over all the years I've used them, they always seems to be nearby, and used more than not, sitting in the sock drawer much less than a pocket. They stand up for a good amount of abuse, if the wood is sound. But I've cracked one, and seen another break. But that was the exception to the rule, and the user that broke the number 7 was a 6 foot 4 inch well muscled guy leaning on it in a very heavy use situation. Lesser knives may well have broken under him in that circumstance.
Now in the last several years, the arthritis in my hands has been a pain in the knuckle, and I've been more and more enamored with friction folders. Way easier for an old man to deal with. My Opinel and the little Resolza from our man in Sardinia, has been used more and more as my sole edc carry. I'm not going to see the true wilderness again, and my tours of the National parks at this stage of my life is from the sight seeing trains and tour busses. So a nice lightweight folder that i don't have to fight with or fumble while opening is a good thing. Especially if it cuts like the dickens.
I found that getting 'older' has meant that a lot of changes had to be made, in both the way I do things, and what those things may be. Somethings fell by the wayside because I couldn't do that anymore. Somethings fell by the wayside because I didn't want to those things anymore. Been there and done that! I don't ride a motorcycle all year around anymore, but I don't miss it. Thinking back, I really wonder where my sanity was riding my BMW in the snow? I can only think of temporary insanity of youth. Same with knives. I went through the big Randall phase, but in the harsh reality of day, I just don't need them anymore. The older I got, the less I found I needed.
But everyone needs a nice sharp knife in a pocket. Things need to be cut, and until someone invents a pocket sized light saber, it comes down to a nice sharp piece of steel folded into a pocketable handle. Doesn't have to be big, just sharp. That's what dad always said. In all reality it doesn't have to be able to hack through car doors, have a lock that can support a Brinks Armored car, or fight off whatever. Just opening packages, cut some twine, slice some food items, or whittle a hot dog stick for my granddaughter. Enter the peasants knife.
Having good days mixed in with bad, days when the fingers work okay, and others not, a friction folder seems tailor made for an old farts knife. No back spring to snap closed when the blade slips out from said fingers while opening or closing. I'm thinking those old Sardinians who invented the Pattadese pattern may have been some pretty smart peasants. Right up there with the French workers who used the friction folder pattern long before Joseph Opinel put it into mass production. And not to leave them out, the Japanese guy who invented the Higonokami. All very useful knives for everyday cutting jobs. But the Opinel is the best of both worlds in some ways. Lots of choices for size, handle material, and potential for customizing with some sandpaper and stain. In a way, an Opinel is like a blank canvas ready to be whatever it's owner wants it to be. Filed and whittled into whatever shape is needed or wanted.
The low price of the Opinel is another draw. I think I've given away more Opinels than I have kept, for the same reason I've given away so many little Victorinox classics. They can be the Giddeons bible of knives. So many times I've sanded and stained and finished off an Opinel, used it for a while, then someone admires it, and if it's a non knife nut, I gift it to them for a quarter. Actually any coin will do in a pinch, I just prefer quarters because they work well in parking meters. Between the Vic classic and Opinel, I do believe I've converted a legion of non knife people to the fold.
Being retired, I find myself doing a lot of what I've done most my life. Going fishing, exploring the woods or countryside where ever I may be, and more fishing. I find my needs for a nice sharp knife actually more now since I'm an old fart, because it's harder to open the so called tear open packages. I have a sneaking suspicion that the dotted line is a hoax on us 'older folks' and more often than not, I find myself taking whatever knife is on me and cutting open the package. More often than not it's an Opinel that I use. I'd say most times I don' bother with the locking ring. If It's the resolza, its a non issue.
I find it ironic that in the end, the knife I bought in 1982 because it looked interesting in a funky old fashioned way, has outlasted all my other knives. My stockman, barlow, sodbuster, even the mighty legume, the peanut. Of course not everyone is bothered by arthritis, so it's a huge case of YMMV. This is just the ramblings of one old knife nut and the knives I've used over a lifetime. An opinel is not an end all be all, and I still will keep a sheath knife on me in whatever boonies I can still get to. Oh, excuse me, they're called fixed blades now, aren't they? The Opinel works well as a light duty everyday whatever knife that will stand up to some heavy abuse in reason. if you're going to lean on it, get a number 10 or bigger. Or use a fixed blade. But for a pocket knife, the Opinel does quite well.
Did I mention that they cut like the dickens?
The No.6 in Bubinga hardwood at 3.5 " shut makes a great lightweight pocket carry, very handy!