Certainly. Bad design. That said, I would call an unused Loveless or Scagel far more useful than those design monstrosities, used or not. They serve no purpose.
I'd say, also, that any if these classic designs (despite being very valuable collectors pieces, would excell at knife talks. I can't imagine a loveless hunter, or a scagle design not performing at the tasks they have excelled at for generations.)
At first I thought that opinels were useless and a bit of a joke but after reading so many positive reviews here on the BF I'll have to pick one up and give it a go. Such a large group of faithful followers can't be denied and I plan on doing some whittling on my next camping/fishing trip so which size or model would be best suited for that?
It is a balance between your hand size, and stock thickness. I like the thin blades on #7's and #8's a lot. My go to yard knives are 10's. But they have a bit thicker blade stock and much bigger handles. The photo I posted goes from a 7, 8 to two 10's.
I like Opinels as much as the next guy but I'm not sure I'd take one fishing. Those handles are porous and untreated. :/
I've fished, canoed, and actually swam with a carbon. Keeping it wet, in my pocket for half the day( to see how bad the swell got) I could still open it, though it took more thought). I put oil, or vaseline on the pivots and heat it up with a hair dryer to get it soaked in.
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Opinels do well in dirt and sand as their pivot and lock ring aren't affected by grit as much as lock backs and liner locks are. But Opinel's become more challenged by being wet constantly, as the wood can swell making the pivot tighter.
IMO, the biggest thing to grasp about an Opinel is that it comes from another country and, really, another time. There is a bunch of common sense lore about how to use and maintain that style of knife that we, as modern consumerist Americans, don't know or understand. There are countless threads on this forum about how to take apart and clean various modern flippers and plenty of discussions of people's favorite lubes for knife actions. None of this applies to an Opinel. Opinels require a different set of approaches.
IME, an Opinel can be used out of the box in most situations just fine. If the joint becomes tight, grab the knife by the collar and whack the butt end of the handle on a hard object. A boot heel works fine. In France, that sound is called the "coup du savoyard". Anyway, this will usually pop the blade out enough to get a better grip on it.
IME, the best lubricant for the joint is Johnson's Floor Wax paste available at most hardware stores. Carpenter's wax or bees wax will also work well. Stuff as much wax as you can in and around the joint and melt it in with a heat gun. This will help the Opinel stand up to water betting and will help reduce binding. But it won't make it into a dive knife. If you like to swim with a knife in your pocket or are doing active water sports, there are better choices, IMO.
The #8 is the most popular size and still small enough to work for front pocket carry. I prefer the #9 for general carry but I carry my EDC knives in my rear pocket.
IME, the Sandvik Inox is so good there is no reason other than tradition to get the 1086 Carbone.
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I've experienced the swelling, but never to where I found I not open it. I did bend a nail once, but had been I the water in a river for hours with the opinel in my pocket while floating the river in just a life jacket with my kids (we kept floating, then getting out, and riding a truck back up and jumping in again).
I can confirm, the stainless seems better for edge retention and is still super easy to get and keep razor sharp).
They are not the be all, end all. I just enjoy them, and can't imagine a cheaper cutting tool that also cuts better. Plus, I can modify them without concerns.
I have used them unmodified also, with no issues.
