Should I get fitted for a beret? Bought an Opinel

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
6,676
Well, you guys finally wore me down. I gave in and bought a carbon steel Opinel, no. 8. At just over $10, I couldn't pass it up. I'm impressed with how light in pocket the knife is. I bought it on my lunch break, so I haven't had time to sharpen it up a bit, but based on everything I've read here, I'm expecting to take the edge from passable to ridiculously scary sharp in about a minute on the Sharpmaker. :)

On the way back to the office it rained (no swelling) and the first task was to cut up an apple for my afternoon snack (very faint patina starting). I intend to use the heck out of this knife. Not abuse, mind you, but throw in in my pocket and use it.
 
Right on, I have one too. The finish on the handle is not great. I sanded mine down and soaked it in mineral oil. The steel responds really well with steel and stropping. Enjoy.
 
Congratulations! Opinels are fantastic. I like to give the handles on mine a few coats of lineseed oil, it will keep them from swelling.

About sharpening, since Opinels are almost convex, I tried sharpening them like my convex fixed blades, on sandpaper backed with an old mouse pad and it works fantastic. I start with coarser grits and move up to 2000 grit paper, and finish them off on a leather strop with some buffing compound. The result is a gleaming, mirror polished edge that slices like a light sabre and contrasts the dark patina on the blade nicely.
 
Good going, Opinels are great knives!

I've had a long time running love of them since I got my first one almost 30 years ago. I have to keep getting a new one every couple of years because I keep giving them away to people. They do cut better than most knives out there. Most knives, regardless of price. It's awefully hard to beat an Opinel. It's the one knife that keeps finding its way into my pocket, in spite of the current favorite knife I have.

Go ahead and get that beret, and pick up a bottle of wine and some Brie to have with that fresh loaf of French bread. 50 million Frenchmen sice 1890 can't all be wrong.:D
 
I was just playing with the 12cm fillet knife I keep in my desk drawer for cutting fruit. One of my few stainless Opinels. Razor sharp. Great knives.

I keep one in my car, too.

-- Sam
 
Opinels ROCK. I have a No. 8 carbon in my EDC bag for food prep at all times.
 
Lesson learned: Don't try to cut wire with on Opinel. :o I was walking with my son, 4, yesterday morning and he was gathering "wild flowers" (aka weeds) for his sick sister, who has the flu. He wanted to tie together the bundle so we were looking for string. I found a piece of insulated wire that I figured would suffice. I thought it was thin enough to cut, no problem. Wrong. A portion of the edge, about 2 inches, folded over like the French government in the face of Nazi aggression. I may have thinned the edge too much when sharpening the knife Friday evening -- OR it was just some serious wire.

At any rate, all's well that ends well ....... I got home and had the blade re-profiled on my coarse stone, then touched up on the Sharpmaker in no time. Spent the afternoon slashing open mulch sacks in the garden. Vive le Opinel.
 
They are great little cutters that just can't be beat for the price.

You don't have to wear a beret while carrying one, but you may very well get a hankering for some camembert.
 
jackknife said:
Good going, Opinels are great knives!

I've had a long time running love of them since I got my first one almost 30 years ago. I have to keep getting a new one every couple of years because I keep giving them away to people. They do cut better than most knives out there. Most knives, regardless of price. It's awefully hard to beat an Opinel. It's the one knife that keeps finding its way into my pocket, in spite of the current favorite knife I have.

Go ahead and get that beret, and pick up a bottle of wine and some Brie to have with that fresh loaf of French bread. 50 million Frenchmen sice 1890 can't all be wrong.:D
Click to expand...

We We khat hé sa id
 
Jackknife,

Try brut Champagne or brut Cider with Brie (or Camembert) and don't forget the "béret basque " !

ELDE
 
I had a #8 opinel until Sun. nite. Lost it in the hotel room where my lady-friend was throwing me a "birthday party" for monday:cool:

guess I have to buy another one. bought my mom a opinel #10 last year which she promptly told me "...hands off my knife":(
 
stevekt said:
Surrender? Yeah, you seem pretty French. A beret would be appropriate.

(Just joking, sorry French forum members. ;))
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I prefer to align myself with the bad a$$ French underground resistance that fought the Nazis and Vichy Regime tooth and nail - armed, presumably with Opinels.
 
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