Stainless or Carbon Steel in Opinel?

M

me2

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Oct 11, 2003
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I see the Opinel line now has a pretty good selection in stainless steel. Anyone know what kind it is? I want a 4" ish blade Opinel, but I'm torn between the stainless and carbon steel. I hear the carbon blades are 1075. Anyone know for sure?
 
My stainless Opinels are walnut handled with Inox stainless. I've heard of different woods used, like Pear and Olive, and it seems like I read somewhere they used 12C27, a sandvik stainless. Both of these stainless steels are easy to sharpen at the Rc55-57 ( guessing) hardness they seem to be run at and sharpen very much like the carbon steel versions.

Performance wise there's not a big difference either way.
 
dunno if this makes any sense to anyone.
but personally, i prefer the generic plain carb favorite with warts 'n all.
and that an Opinel, honestly wouldn't be an Opinel - if it wasn't in carbon steel; just as it is for a USMC Ka-bar.
perhaps the new stainless models would be comparable in performance, but i am no judge for that, as i haven't yet the need to replace my still serviceable Opinel.
 
Either will give you more slicing performance fun than you paid for. They are a great value for a simple folding knife.
I prefer Carbon myself, but, 12C27 is an excellent choice for the stainless version. Essentially, you can't go wrong with either steel type when it comes to Opinel.
 
Hi,

I lean to traditional carbon steels in general. But, the stainless has it's place and will give just as good service.

dalee
 
I've had a different experience than those that have already posted, having found the carbon steel Opinels to be
much sharper out of the box (or bag) - and they retain their edges longer - than the stainless steel Opinels.
 
i have a stainless and a carbon No.8...i dont know why but i like the carbon one more...
 
On the Opinel I would go carbon.

My 'Opi' is so ridiculously sharp... and the patina of the carbon is just classic looking.


Tostig
 
I wish they made the Garden Knife in carbon instead of stainless. I really like the spear point shape of the Garden Knife, but would much prefer that is was carbon steel.

I may just get a couple of extras and file or grind them to the shape I want. They're cheap enough to experiment on without worrying too much if you totally screw up the blade or the handle.

 
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Steve_Holt said:
I wish they made the Garden Knife in carbon instead of stainless. I really like the spear point shape of the Garden Knife, but would much prefer that is was carbon steel.
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+1 for me. I really prefer the look of carbon steel to stainless on a classic knife like an Opinel, especially since you have to avoid too much moisture anyway.
 
A while back I got a No.6 in stainless, the wood handle is a paler colour than the carbon beech handle , really a lovely piece of wood , grain and highlights.
Nothing wrong with the stainless steel at all. Has been a very satisfactory little Knife.

After that I had to get the stainless Bubinga effile model as well!
 
I have a #4, #6 & #9 in carbon steel and a #8 in stainless with walnut handle. None of these cost much but all a great knives - fantastic slicers! I use my #8 as a food prep knife a bit and it does a good job of it. All the Opinels are well worth buying.
 
A while back I got a No.6 in stainless, the wood handle is a paler colour than the carbon beech handle , really a lovely piece of wood , grain and highlights.
Nothing wrong with the stainless steel at all. Has been a very satisfactory little Knife.
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It might be Pear. It's a clean, good looking wood a bit less yellow than the Beech. If the Blade doesn't say "Inox", it's 12C27 sandvik stainless knife/razor blade steel. Very clean, nice steel that takes a very fine edge, not unlike the carbon steel versions.

I have a bunch of both, including the box set and to be honest, I like them all. I typically prefer carbon steel but in the Opinel it really doesn't matter to me.
 
I have a 6, 8, and 9 in carbon and two 8s (walnut and oak) in stainless. In general, I prefer carbon steel in my knives. The carbon 8 is an old one, I think from the 1970s. I like the blade profile and the larger nail nick better than my newer kinves. Either one will serve, but I'd get the carbon. I bought the stainless ones only to have the different handle materials in my collection.

I like the #8 size better than the 9 or the 6.
 
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