That ONE friend who can't understand...

[Quiet]

Never bought an opinel. The ones I've seen seem too flimsy. I'd rather buy a knife with no lock than what I consider a poor one. For not much more money I can do much better in a knife for what I use them for, including many of the hard use tasks you claim the opinel has done.

And just to clarify, in the past you have claimed the opinel was the toughest folder you've ever used. You post all over bladeforums touting the opinel as the best thing ever. Folks reading your posts should know this and take your opinion with a big grain of salt.

Not to mention, I just gotta say it. Opinels cut well...for like two minutes, and then they are dull as dirt because they have blades made of cheap carbon potmetal steel. I sliced up a bunch of cardboard, and by the third box, my Opinel 10 was dull. I have cut boxes with one of my Buck 110s before, and it held its edge for quite awhile. And these days, a Buck 110 is like $30, and it's a vastly better knife than a Crapinel 10. Better made, better materials, better steel, better ergonomics, and more durable*. It's just heavier.



*despite what someone I'll leave unnamed (ohhhh no, stalking!) would have you believe. Don't believe made-up stories, folks. A Buck 110 will work harder and longer than an Opinel 10 all day long.

 

[craytab]

craytab, it looks like your liners are cut out. Mine (on both sizes) are not; the scales are, leaving posts between but not the liners, wish they were. Did they come like that or did you do it? Sweet!

It does look like that in the pic. I think it is the lighting. They are not cut out. Wish they were. That would be a hell of a lot of work to put into a $15 knife!

The value is off the hook already though! PB washers. G10. Decent budget steel. Cool looking and functional hardware. Backed by Kershaw. MSRP of near $60 I think. You can find them for $15 shipped (I got mine from knifecenter when they were doing a free shipping promotion, which they do often).

 

[craytab]

Not to mention, I just gotta say it. Opinels cut well...for like two minutes, and then they are dull as dirt because they have blades made of cheap carbon potmetal steel. I sliced up a bunch of cardboard, and by the third box, my Opinel 10 was dull. I have cut boxes with one of my Buck 110s before, and it held its edge for quite awhile. And these days, a Buck 110 is like $30, and it's a vastly better knife than a Crapinel 10. Better made, better materials, better steel, better ergonomics, and more durable*. It's just heavier.



*despite what someone I'll leave unnamed (ohhhh no, stalking!) would have you believe. Don't believe made-up stories, folks. A Buck 110 will work harder and longer than an Opinel 10 all day long.

This is true. The knives that I'm recommending are in AUS8 and 8CR which will both hold an edge longer.

It really does suck when someone tries to make a logical argument, about a knife, that isn't based in facts but rather an emotional connection to said knife. That is what is going on here with the opinel. But watch, despite being wrong, the goal posts will be moved to make the argument correct. Buy and use what you like but don't come here and blow smoke up our behinds.

 

[katanas]

OP, posts #119 and #122 is a great way to go. I bought mine (both sizes) before the price markdown, maybe $25-$30, and still feel good about it. The $15 price is ridiculous.

 

[jackknife]

*despite what someone I'll leave unnamed (ohhhh no, stalking!) would have you believe. Don't believe made-up stories, folks. A Buck 110 will work harder and longer than an Opinel 10 all day long.

I've seen this first hand. I served most my period in the army engineers in the late 60's and early 70's. The Buck 110 was on shelf in the PX for a much lower price than the retail civilian price off post. As a result, the Buck 110 was THE knife that young soldiers had onshore. belt. It was rare that in that 70's time period that you could find a soldier in fatigues that DIDN'T have the black pouch on his belt. In the civilian world, construction workers, truckers, bikers, factory workers, all had the 110. Even Charles Manson bought them for all his disciples to butcher their victims.

On the job I've seen them hammered on, pushed through material and jobs they were not designed for and come out the other end a bit scarred up and sometimes with an edge nicked, but whole. Nobody can abuse stuff like a young soldier, and if they set their mind to it, could probably break an anvil.

Having said that, I've seen only one Buck 110 failure and it resulted in an amputated index finger and almost amputated middle finger. And that was from gross, very gross, abuse of the knife by hammering the butt of the handle with a mallet through some very tough plastic sheeting like truck bed liners are made of, and then pushing down on the handle so the knife blade would cut the heavy plastic. He was warned several times to "knock that shite off!" by the older men, but his reply was "It's a Buck knife, it'll take it." Not long after lunch break the Buck didn't take it and it was a bloody mess.

I think the history of the Buck 110 in both military and civilian use will stand the scrutiny of time in that it developed a reputation for long rugged service under far less than ideal conditions. I myself had a Buck 301 stockman for almost 25 years that I used and abused, in all kinds of conditions on a couple different continents. This would include hammering it, and using out for jobs that I should have got another tool. It never said die. Today it's in my grandson Ryan's collection of family stuff. I never had an Opinel that stood up to what the Buck stockman did.

BUT...Ive had two failures of an Opinel including a crack in the wood of one of the two little 'fingers' of wood that come up from the handle that the blade and bolster is riveted to. It rendered the knife useless and trash can fodder. So, after a lifetime of use, to include army engineers and a lifetime of camping and fishing, I've had zero failure with a much used and abused Buck, but two failures with Opinels. I've also never had a failure with a Victorinox SAK. I don't mess with Opinels anymore, and I regret the time I spent waxing, sanding, oiling, and just plain tweeking them to get them to work at an optimal level. They are like the old VW beetle of the 60's; a great car in it's time, but time moved on and theres better cars now than ever before.

When I can walk, into an Academy Sports store and buy a Victoriox recruit or a Buck Bantam with a near indestructible synthetic handle, for the same price as an Opinel, it's a no brainer. One can knock the "plastic" handle of the Buck and other modern lightweight knives, but to say they are not as strong as a wood handle that everything is supported by two little fingers of wood, is BS, and I will call the BS on that. It's like saying the "plastic" stock of an AR15 is not as good as the old wood stocks of WW2. I think the synthetic material has proven itself in the past 50 years to be a rugged durable material. On old slip joint pocketknives from very long ago, the delrin handle scales are still good. Glock pistols have proven the synthetic materials to be up to snuff.

Reality can suck, it dispels our delusions.

 

[herisson]

Conditions where Opinels have faziolediles

Not to mention, I just gotta say it. Opinels cut well...for like two minutes, and then they are dull as dirt because they have blades made of cheap carbon potmetal steel. I sliced up a bunch of cardboard, and by the third box, my Opinel 10 was dull. I have cut boxes with one of my Buck 110s before, and it held its edge for quite awhile. And these days, a Buck 110 is like $30, and it's a vastly better knife than a Crapinel 10. Better made, better materials, better steel, better ergonomics, and more durable*. It's just heavier.



*despite what someone I'll leave unnamed (ohhhh no, stalking!) would have you believe. Don't believe made-up stories, folks. A Buck 110 will work harder and longer than an Opinel 10 all day long.

No, no, not pot metal... I believe it's something like 1065 (the stainless variant is 12C27). Good honest, low carbon steel. Now, don't you get mean with the Opinel !

 

[Quiet]

Conditions where Opinels have faziolediles

No, no, not pot metal... I believe it's something like 1065 (the stainless variant is 12C27). Good honest, low carbon steel. Now, don't you get mean with the Opinel !

Hey listen, I don't mind Opinels existing. They're a super cheap, poorly made, very basic little contraption lock of a product. I get there's some nostalgia to them, and some folks like that. I was never a tenant farmer in turn of the century France, so I have no such connection or connotation with them.

As disposable products, they're as good as any other. But when I start seeing all this high praise about how amazing they are, I really don't understand why more people don't speak up with facts so that these opinions don't keep working their way into the factual narrative. The fact of the matter is that Opinels are made with cheap, poorly done carbon steel that doesn't hold an edge up under any actual use, who knows, maybe the Inox versions are better. But they come with a fat round handle, so they don't even make a case for being the best pocket knife, since even CASE knives are A. sharper, B. hold edges longer, and C. are thinner. There is literally nothing that Opinels do better than other knives, so when you get a certain someone* coming in with that usual drumbeat of how they're the best, I'm going to respond. They don't slice any better than many other knives, their shape isn't great, and the wood is a complete nonsense design for something that was made to be used. You get it wet and it seizes up, simple as that. Also, they dull quickly, due to poor heat treat. I shouldn't have to break out a sharpening stone five minutes into a job with a knife. If I do, that is a bad knife.

Hopefully, if @Heartland_edc gets his friend a nice knife to try to show him there's a whole new world out there, it's not an Opinel. That dude would be back to his gas station knives ASAP.



*Don't want to be reported for stalking, you know.

 

[TheEdge01]

Opinel’s aren’t high dollar knives, and shouldn’t be expected to perform like one. I like my #8 pretty well, but it certainly won’t hold an edge like my Griptilian. If you want a lightweight friction folder to handle minor day to day cutting tasks, the Opinel does the job well. If you use a knife every day to break down boxes, scrape gaskets, cut zip ties, etc the Opinel will probably disappoint greatly.

 

[shinyedges]

I've had good luck with opinels, I don't know why all the naysayers are hounding the opinel. When I get a new opinel it's like a routine/ritual:

I prep the pot of boiling linseed oil or bees wax the night before.

I tear the package open with me teeth because I'm so excited.

I pull the knife out of the package and I just know I have the bees knees of knives because of the wood handle and blade.

I take the new knife over to the pot and boil the entire knife for about as long as an egg/or I melt the wax into the pivot and fill the cut out in the wood handle where the blade folds into it with wax.

I then work the water repellent/sealant in over the next few hours to ensure a thorough soaking.

Then I scrape the wax out of the cut out in the wood handle where the blade folds into it with my Leatherman squirt.

she's ready for hard use now.

 

[pinnah]

Never bought an opinel. The ones I've seen seem too flimsy.

Thanks. I think it's good to let people know if your opinions on a particular knife are based on speculation or experience with knife in question.

I admit, as a long time Buck 110 (like since the 70s) I scoffed when I was gifted my first Opinel due to the weight. Actual use though has been very different. As an engineer, it's a matter of design. The Opinel's design is simply better able to handle hard cutting and hard prying forces than a traditional lock back.

I'd rather buy a knife with no lock than what I consider a poor one.

The OP's complaint about his buddy's cheap knives was they are prone to breaking. Lock strength is an interesting side topic that is different from (albeit related to) the durability of the knife. As I said in an earlier post, the Opinel's lock is very weak and lock backs in general and the Buck 110/112 specifically has a very strong lock, provided that it's not fouled with sand or debris.

This said, the Opinel's locking mechanism allows you to monitor the lock ring while cutting as you can feel the position of the slot with your thumb. And the mechanism (as weak as it is) isn't compromised by debris or sand. And in a similar way, I monitor the status of a lock back under hard cutting by keeping my thumb on the lock bar and feeling for the tell tale rise of the lock bar. I don't trust liner/frame locks. I can't feel the status of the lock up while cutting, IME they are more prone to getting fouled with sand/debris and when they fail, they do so with no warning that I can feel with my hands. YMMV, obviously. Note, having grown up with slip joints, I don't push my luck with locking folders. When making piercing cuts, I treat them as if there is no lock and keep my fingers clear.

For not much more money I can do much better in a knife for what I use them for, including many of the hard use tasks you claim the opinel has done.

Yes indeed. I have actually used Opinel 9's and 10's and used them hard and what I've reported on is my actual experience with them.

And just to clarify, in the past you have claimed the opinel was the toughest folder you've ever used.

That is absolutely correct. More specifically, the Opinel 9 and 10 are the toughest. The smaller Opinels are another matter. And I've been very clear and elsewhere that the lion's share of my experience with folders has been with traditional lock backs like the Buck 110. As I described in some detail above, the Opinel 9 and 10 are in my actual experience tougher than a Buck 110.

You post all over bladeforums touting the opinel as the best thing ever.

I've never written such a thing. Knives should match the user's needs. Opinels are very light, very durable and they slice well. They would make a horrible tactical knife and a horrible hunting knife.

Folks reading your posts should know this and take your opinion with a big grain of salt.

I try to constrain my comments to either my direct experience or published data. I try to steer clear of speculation.

 

[pinnah]

Not to mention, I just gotta say it. Opinels cut well...for like two minutes, and then they are dull as dirt because they have blades made of cheap carbon potmetal steel. I sliced up a bunch of cardboard, and by the third box, my Opinel 10 was dull. I have cut boxes with one of my Buck 110s before, and it held its edge for quite awhile. And these days, a Buck 110 is like $30, and it's a vastly better knife than a Crapinel 10. Better made, better materials, better steel, better ergonomics, and more durable*. It's just heavier.

The Opinel Carbone uses 1084 carbon steel hardened to Rc56. It's a better choice for situations were toughness is needed but it won't retain an edge as well as their Inox.

The Opinel Inox is 12C27 harder to Rc58. I do a fair bit of wood crafting with both my 420HC Buck 110 and my Opinel Inox's and can't tell any difference in the performance of the steel in that context. I find my Opinel 9 and 10 Inox out performs my 420HC Buck 110 by a noticeable amount, but I attribute this to the flat convex grind of the blade. I find the modern Buck hollow grinds tend to bind in cardboard.

The older 440C Buck 110, 112 and 500 I have out perform both, as expected, due carbide rich steel and a nicer grind than the current Bucks.

Question regarding durability: Can you describe a situation in which an Opinel 9 or 10 broken on you?

 

[Quiet]

Painting oneself into a corner and doubling down on your position, because that always works. Can't beat it for entertainment value, that's for sure.

As I described in some detail above, the Opinel 9 and 10 are in my actual experience tougher than a Buck 110.

Ok, so, you've got a real chance to change some minds here. Please share with us exactly what you did that made a Buck 110 fail, but then were able to accomplish with an Opinel 10. I'd like you to tell us all.

Because then I'm going to go do it with my Opinel 10, and one of my Buck 110s with a friend running camera, and we'll see how well your "actual experience" stands up to reality. You in?

 

[craytab]

Thanks. I think it's good to let people know if your opinions on a particular knife are based on speculation or experience with knife in question.

I admit, as a long time Buck 110 (like since the 70s) I scoffed when I was gifted my first Opinel due to the weight. Actual use though has been very different. As an engineer, it's a matter of design. The Opinel's design is simply better able to handle hard cutting and hard prying forces than a traditional lock back.



The OP's complaint about his buddy's cheap knives was they are prone to breaking. Lock strength is an interesting side topic that is different from (albeit related to) the durability of the knife. As I said in an earlier post, the Opinel's lock is very weak and lock backs in general and the Buck 110/112 specifically has a very strong lock, provided that it's not fouled with sand or debris.

This said, the Opinel's locking mechanism allows you to monitor the lock ring while cutting as you can feel the position of the slot with your thumb. And the mechanism (as weak as it is) isn't compromised by debris or sand. And in a similar way, I monitor the status of a lock back under hard cutting by keeping my thumb on the lock bar and feeling for the tell tale rise of the lock bar. I don't trust liner/frame locks. I can't feel the status of the lock up while cutting, IME they are more prone to getting fouled with sand/debris and when they fail, they do so with no warning that I can feel with my hands. YMMV, obviously. Note, having grown up with slip joints, I don't push my luck with locking folders. When making piercing cuts, I treat them as if there is no lock and keep my fingers clear.



Yes indeed. I have actually used Opinel 9's and 10's and used them hard and what I've reported on is my actual experience with them.



That is absolutely correct. More specifically, the Opinel 9 and 10 are the toughest. The smaller Opinels are another matter. And I've been very clear and elsewhere that the lion's share of my experience with folders has been with traditional lock backs like the Buck 110. As I described in some detail above, the Opinel 9 and 10 are in my actual experience tougher than a Buck 110.



I've never written such a thing. Knives should match the user's needs. Opinels are very light, very durable and they slice well. They would make a horrible tactical knife and a horrible hunting knife.



I try to constrain my comments to either my direct experience or published data. I try to steer clear of speculation.

I'm not speculating. Why would I buy a knife and use it when in hand it seemed flimsy and totally unacceptable? Especially when I know I can do so much better. I don't need to eat dog poop to know it won't taste good. The smell is a very good indication. So go ahead and post your walls of text. Anyone can search your post history and see the complete bias on this subject and how many times no matter the recommendation requirements your answer is opinel.

If the op's buddy breaks cheap knives, an opinel is the last thing he needs. So many other actual recommendations in this thread.

 

[Quiet]

The Opinel Carbone uses 1084 carbon steel hardened to Rc56. It's a better choice for situations were toughness is needed but it won't retain an edge as well as their Inox.

The Opinel Inox is 12C27 harder to Rc58. I do a fair bit of wood crafting with both my 420HC Buck 110 and my Opinel Inox's and can't tell any difference in the performance of the steel in that context. I find my Opinel 9 and 10 Inox out performs my 420HC Buck 110 by a noticeable amount, but I attribute this to the flat convex grind of the blade. I find the modern Buck hollow grinds tend to bind in cardboard.

The older 440C Buck 110, 112 and 500 I have out perform both, as expected, due carbide rich steel and a nicer grind than the current Bucks.

Question regarding durability: Can you describe a situation in which an Opinel 9 or 10 broken on you?

I have never had ANY knife break on me, so whatever point you were attempting to establish about the alleged durability of your Opinel has failed, unfortunately. I have owned and used many knives of different steels for various tasks, and can tell you that the carbon steel Opinel uses is actually complete trash. I have had $15 Chinese-made 8cr Kershaws that held an edge longer. My household buys a LOT of stuff from Amazon, so before recycling day, I often have between ten and thirty boxes that I then cut into strips using various knives in order to test various factors (usually edge longevity and grind effectiveness). I am not sure what use an Opinel was designed for, but I would never in any actual conscience recommend one to anyone who needed a knife to stay sharp for longer than a few minutes of actual work. Also, wood-working? The blade on my 8 was so thin, that after the knife promptly dulled out, trying to push the blade through the wood I was whittling made my thumb hurt, so I said screw it, tossed the knife in the fire, and got a better tool (at that time, a PM2).

 

[Yonose]

Comparing the Buck 110 to the Opinel is comparing apples to oranges, as some posters have indirectly acknowledged. They are priced accordingly, even with the Opinel being made in France—while the Buck is made here in the states.
Neither is outright garbage, though the “locking” mechanism (on the larger opinels) feels like it was designed by a committee. I think the Opinel is overpriced for what it is—though this might be explained by the reason stated above. Still, both models do what they are intended, which is why I don’t understand the amount of friction generated by the subject.
If the rc of the carbon steel is several points lower than that of the stainless, saying one is tougher than the other is trivial.
To the OP; don’t buy your friend either of these knives, just to be on the safe side.

 

[katanas]

Someone coming into this thread late, without reading the opening page, would have a completely wrong idea regarding what the thread is about. People, believe it or not, this is NOT about Opinels. I feel for the OP. Somebody needs to start their own thread.

 

[craytab]

Someone coming into this thread late, without reading the opening page, would have a completely wrong idea regarding what the thread is about. People, believe it or not, this is NOT about Opinels. I feel for the OP. Somebody needs to start their own thread.

Exactly. No matter the thread, an opinel is recommended. Has been happening for years. Reminds me of Gaston turning every thread into cpm bashing. Helps no one. That said, we can't put up with blatantly wrong missinformation based on personal bias.

The op has gotten lots of good advice despite this opinel distraction.

 

[Heartland_edc]

Well! This has been extremely informative. I have much to ponder. Thank you, everyone, who joined in!

 

[Chariotz4]

Exactly. No matter the thread, an opinel is recommended. Has been happening for years. Reminds me of Gaston turning every thread into cpm bashing. Helps no one. That said, we can't put up with blatantly wrong missinformation based on personal bias.

The op has gotten lots of good advice despite this opinel distraction.

In my experience, when searching for knife/blade related things on the search engines, hits for threads on this site are usually the first suggestion. If not, they're almost always on the first page and often times more than one link to different threads pops up on the first page.

Given that people who may be new/just being introduced to the hobby are likely to turn to the internet in this day and age to find the answers to their questions and the likelihood of them ending up here for in their search for information is great, I also see no problem in trying to quash misinformation.

Opinels likely perform certain tasks adequately or maybe even well. However, they're not meant to be the "be-all and end-all" of pocket knives, or even inexpensive pocket knives; they're also likely nowhere near the first knife I'd recommend to someone, especially if the person looking for a knife is going through cheap liner locks like they're going out of style.

 

[pinnah]

When I can walk, into an Academy Sports store and buy a Victoriox recruit or a Buck Bantam with a near indestructible synthetic handle, for the same price as an Opinel, it's a no brainer. One can knock the "plastic" handle of the Buck and other modern lightweight knives, but to say they are not as strong as a wood handle that everything is supported by two little fingers of wood, is BS, and I will call the BS on that. It's like saying the "plastic" stock of an AR15 is not as good as the old wood stocks of WW2. I think the synthetic material has proven itself in the past 50 years to be a rugged durable material. On old slip joint pocketknives from very long ago, the delrin handle scales are still good. Glock pistols have proven the synthetic materials to be up to snuff.

Reality can suck, it dispels our delusions.

Carl, I've owned, used and wrecked around 1/2 a dozen plastic handled Bucks over the past 10 years or so. They last about year, sometimes less for me and the failure mode is consistent. They develop either vertical play, horizontal blade play or both. Sadly, this also includes the metal linered paper stone 112 I had. While I've never made a direct warranty claim to Buck on these knives (they are too cheap to be worth it, imo) I've sent 2 or 3 back to Joe Hauser, the head of Buck's warranty program, so they can inspect them. Based on what he saw, Joe advised me to stick with the full metal versions of the knives as they are more durable. The issue is that the holes for pivot pin and lock bar pin are prone to deforming under hard use, thus allowing the play to develop. If you don't believe me, you can find Joe's contact information pretty easily.

NOTE: The Bantam, Bucklites, the plastic Omni Hunters and the new LT series are designed first and foremost as hunting knives and if used for hunting or general light EDC use, they are just fine. The problems don't appear until you do regular hard cutting such as cutting back branches.

IMO, the BS here is your continued reference to the failure you had with a small Opinel 7, which is very small knife and easily overcome. I very specifically did not and would not recommend an Opinel 7, or 8 for that matter, to somebody who regularly breaks knives. Asserting that Opinel 9s or 10s are frail because an Opinel 7 broke on you would be like me saying that a large Case Sodbuster is frail because I saw somebody bust a Case Peanut. Or its like somebody saying that a wooden axe handle isn't durable because they once broke a wooden handle on a leaf rake.