Thoughts On Collar-Lock Knives?

W

Wolfeye

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Apr 26, 2015
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Hey, everyone. Just wondering what you all think of those collar-lock type of knives like the Opinels. A lot of people seem to know something I don't- were these the first locking folders or something? Am looking into an Opinel folding saw, but don't know how well they work or hold up. Are there any stainless varieties? I heard on Junglecrafty's channel that they were, but it says that it's carbon steel on Amazon. Then there's descriptions (of varius things) that say "High Carbon Stainless Steel."
 
Opinels come in carbon and stainless. They are very good yet simple knives. They lock up very well and lock closed also. The knife has been around a long time and is a proven design.
 
I have no clue whether the locking ring is the first locking system for a folder, or not.
What I do know, is that it's simple and it does work great.
You should try one. And yes, every size (number) from #6 up has a locking ring and can be found in stainless steel and in carbon steel.
And, honestly, if you ever, even just for a second, wondered about getting one, you owe yourself the gift of an Opinel to try it out.
Their quality/price ratio is astounding.

Fausto
:cool:
 
bozack has it right...Opi's are very simple and do come in both stainless and carbone. As an owner of a #7 in carbon, I would suggest the stainless. The lock ring is effective and simple, same for the wooden handle. Pretty sure they were not the first locking blade, but the design has withstood the test of time.
 
Everyone should have at least one Opinel in their collection.
Very hard, if not impossible, to find a better knife for the dollar.
I have the carbone in size 8.
 
The rotating collar lock on Opinels are good enough for what the knives were designed for. Rhey will keep the blade from closing under normal use and a slip or mistake now and then. I don't know if I'd trust them under heavy torque on the blade, but then Opinels are not what you'd call a heavy duty survival knife. Bu then, on the other hand, few knives will slice and dice like a freshly sharpened Opinel. Heck, not many knives will slice and dice with one under most circumstances. These knives were made for cutting, and they do that extremely well. Extremely.

I rarely use the lock on mine. I keep it adjusted fairly snug, and just use good slip joint/friction folder techniques. Works fine for me.

I use an Opinel saw for all my yard work and prying, as well as a camping tool and day pack item. It cuts wood great. I've often thought that if you gave a beaver a good dose of crack, he just may cut wood like an Opinel saw. Maybe.

Grease the joint and use the ol' ladies blow drier on it to melt the Vaseline into the wood, and it will be fairly water resistant. Sand the handle to your desired shape and you're good to go. Everyone should have an Opinel.

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I don't think they're the first lock but I do like them.

I have the large Opinel No 18 folding saw (OP01198) and some Opinel knives but not the small Opinel No 12 folding saw (OP65126). I think the saw blades are stainless on both the No 12 and No 18 saws but I haven't looked up the specs.

What is your intended use?
 
Amazon has both, the stainless are labeled as "Inox." But I think they're cheaper elsewhere.. Either way get one and see if you like it. I love mine. Personally I'd rather the Carbone but there's plenty of reasons to want stainless, its all just personal preference. I've never used their saws but if they're anything like their knives then I'm sure they're great. All the fuss over them is because they really are just that good. Get one!



My most used shortly after I blued it, and before I cleaned a rust spot off of it. With Opinels you can personalize them, shape the handle to fit you better, patina the blade or blue it if its a Carbone. Even dye/stain/paint the handle if you want, Opinels were made to have personality!
 
Opinel's major US distributor lists the #12 and #18 saw blades as Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel. Good stuff. :thumbup:

So far as I know, all of Opinel's other knives are offered in Sandvik 12C27Mod stainless, as well as 'Carbone' (XC90) steel. All of their premium/exotic wood-handled knives are stainless, and the 'Carbone' blades are found with the standard beech handles.


David
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
Opinel's major US distributor lists the #12 and #18 saw blades as Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel. Good stuff. :thumbup:

So far as I know, all of Opinel's other knives are offered in Sandvik 12C27Mod stainless, as well as 'Carbone' (XC90) steel. All of their premium/exotic wood-handled knives are stainless, and the 'Carbone' blades are found with the standard beech handles.


David


David
Click to expand...
oh for an olivewood handled with Carbone blade ... in size 7 or 8 ...
 
"cuts wood like a beaver on crack" that my friend is blue ribbon ,world class simile.
My only advice on these brilliant old school knives is that collar lock will need a regular clean to flush out the gritty particles that get in there and make for grindy opening and closing-not nice but easy to avoid.:thumbup:
 
I just finally dug out my No. 6 in stainless to play with. That blade will get nasty sharp. Decided to order one in bubinga too since I decided to go ahead a take the tip here and make my olive wood model into an easy open. That was I'll have a backup non-screwed up by me. :)
 
Personally I have taken the habit of removing the locking collar from all my Opinels. In my opinion they add bulk in the pocket and the bolster when polished looks better. I just snug the pivot with hammer to my liking (quite tight) and use like a slip joint. I have used, for example, my sheepfoot made of a nr 12 quite heavily and it has done fine. The swelling, however is still bit of a problem. I have to try Jackknives vaseline trick. Now I leave the knives in a can of teak oil for some days, let dry and polish with a rag.

I would very much like to make an Opinel "gentlemans knife" of a fine wood version, but where I live they are rare. I have found on dealer who has olive wood version on their "products that are going to be sold out" list.
 
Opinel only introduced the locking collar in 1955, and it's very far from the first locking mechanism on a knife. For the first 50-odd years of production, they were a friction folder :thumbup:
 
Thanks, guys! Think I'll chuck one of each in the collection. The saw is mainly to save some space, since the Bahco takes up a lot more room & I figure it would be used mainly for things that you don't need something as big as a Laplander to handle. Haven't decided which would be what as far as stainless & carbon go, but I'd like one of them to be useful as a flint striker (probably the saw, especially if I'm keeping things portable- that way I wouldn't have to carry anything to keep the knife from rusting).
 
Jack Black said:
Opinel only introduced the locking collar in 1955, and it's very far from the first locking mechanism on a knife. For the first 50-odd years of production, they were a friction folder :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Yep. And the ability to lock closed is something very recent; my main carry user Opinel is too old to lock closed.
The smaller Opinel sizes don't have locks at all.
 
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