• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

what do you think of opinel

Opinel is a very highly thought of brand with many sizes/ steels and handles to choose from.
Their price is great for what you get.
The Inox is usually a little more expensive, but the Carbon blades are their mainstay.
The No. 7 and 8 are their top sellers and really are good for the $.

Can be easily modded too, if that is your thing?
Buy one and you will get more.
 
They are proper knives. Not one of these sharpened pry bars they folks seem to be so fond of lately. I really like mine. But I still wish it had a pocket clip and a thumb stud. Easily added though. Mine is carbon, and I like it, I've not used their stainless before. Because of the acute geometry of the blade the edge doesn't need to stay super sharp to cut well.
 
They are without a doubt my favorite inexpensive knife, and I like their carbon steels. I also like that there are so many sizes and handle woods to choose from, although I favor the #10.

Probably my favorite value knife ever, and as for quality, I think it is high, again, especially given the value.
 
Very good, very inexpensive and very reliable knifes.
My preference is for the n°7 and n°8 carbon.... they are the most standard and IMHO the best for EDC, camping, etc...
 
I just got a no 8 to try in a passaround. I think it works ok as a gentlemans folder but didnt like it for a construction work knife.

I like the blade, carbon btw, but im meh about everything else. If the blade was sold hooked to a knife with a different locking mechanism it would be a must buy but as it is.......i think its a good knife, but not great
 
theAntihero said:
I just got a no 8 to try in a passaround. I think it works ok as a gentlemans folder but didnt like it for a construction work knife.
Click to expand...

Well yeah, it's not exactly meant to be a construction work knife...that's like me saying I don't like my .38 snub for long distance target shooting, or my Ford Focus for high speed performance driving.
 
I have several. My most often used are my no. 6 in carbon and my gardening knife in inox.
My no. 6 is my apple knife at work and over the last few months has developed a great patina.
I use my gardening knife to cut fresh herbs and light utility stuff.

The edge retention on the inox seems to be better than the carbon but they both take incredibly sharp blades (I use the sandpaper method).

The ergonomics are nice, they're easily modded (I've rounded all the angled edges off the no. 6 to make it more comfortable in hand) and they are excellent value for money. There are also some more expensive ones in with nicer materials.

The best way to find out is to buy a couple :)
 
it's a damn shame that i didn't discover the opinel earlier.
it would have saved me countless heartaches for the times when i was obliged to "lend" my more expensive cutting tools.
it's a real fine cutter, and it would be a great mistake to miss owning a few because it's so entire affordable, and works like a charm.
 
Opis rock.
Carbon all the way for me; easy to sharpen and they can get very sharp.
Opis are practically begging to be modded too, as they are so cheap and nice to work with.
I needed some sharp hard use box cutters, that would work for a long time and be easy to sharpen.
These Opis more than exceeds my expectations. They zip through cardboard boxes with the greatest of ease.
When one gets dull, I change to the other sharp one. Then sharpen both and repeat. They are able to work for a surprisingly long time even with a heavy workload. I have no motivation what so ever to change to cheap flimsy production box cutters. No doubt they work too - I just like the Opis better.
Due to length and design, they are easily controllable, easy on the hand and wont penetrate and damage contents of cardboard boxes even when working at a fast pace. A finger along the spine controls the knife with ease.
They were both stock #12 in a previous incarnation.






 
opinelcarbon_zps1169c3b1.jpg
 
They are great. Unsurpassed slicers at any price. Didn't a bunch of people just tell you so yesterday in your "Would you buy this cheapo Frost knife?" thread?
 

Opinel by Pinnah, on Flickr

Great knives but not for everyone.

Couple of comments...

First, there is no single Opinel. The different sizes are very different knives so you need to match the size to the need. The #8 (bottom of the pictured ones above) is the most popular. It gives a tight 4 finger grip for M to L hands (as in glove size). Feels like a folding paring knife to me. The blade is thin and flexible but the knife is tougher than it looks. The 6 and 7 are more like small pocket knives. The 9 (the middle knife) gives my XL hand a solid 4 finger grip and still easily carried in the pocket. It's by far favorite EDC and hard use knife. The #10 (top) is as big or bigger than a Buck 110 and IME tougher to boot. It's a bit too big for pocket carry but I keep one in my backcountry kit as a light back up knife.

Second, they are crude when new and need some tuning up to take them from crude to nice. If a person is looking for something that is totally maintenance free, they should look elsewhere.

Third, obviously, is the styling, which is not to everyone's tastes. YMMV territory. Personally, I find they are more socially acceptable and deploy my #9 in places where even a smaller modern flipper would scare people.

In terms of cutting performance, I think they're amazing. The steel is good and joint is very, very tough. The lock doesn't foul with dirt and sand and is very reliable (so long as you pay attention to it and don't stand on the handle). It's the sort of knife you can drop in the dirt and not worry that the lock up will be less secure. It will make noise, but it still works and I can't say that for any liner lock or lock back I've owned. The blades are thin and slightly convexed. They go through wood, vegetables and cardboard well. For hunting, fishing or meat processing, a hollow grind might be preferred.

The carbon steel is close to 1085 and hardened around 56Rc according to reports. It is very tough, dents before it chips but doesn't have the edge retention of 1095 hardened in the 58Rc range (e.g. old Schrade USA among others). The Inox is Sandvik 12C27 hardened to the 58-59Rc range according to reports. It takes an incredibly fine edge, is reasonably tough and holds an edge like good, hard 1095. My recommendation is to use the Carbon if you cut stuff that bumps into metal. Otherwise, go with the Inox.
 
i have a number 7 in carbon but it has a few small rust spots, so how can i turn it into a patina ? will it turn into one naturally? i have no idea but i do know carbon rusts if you dont baby it but their only small specs of rust so any suggestions ?
 
Clean the rust off with a metal cleaner. If you have nothing else, WD-40 should do it.

I use a mixture of yellow mustard and vinegar to force patina on my carbon blades and yes, this does help control rust.

More information on forcing patina. Go to google and enter this.

site:bladeforums.com forced patina

You'll get tons of hits from past threads (better than using the search feature on the site, I think)
 
knives4ever said:
i have a number 7 in carbon but it has a few small rust spots, so how can i turn it into a patina ? will it turn into one naturally? i have no idea but i do know carbon rusts if you dont baby it but their only small specs of rust so any suggestions ?
Click to expand...

Search the board for 'force' or past-tense 'forced' and you will find threads on this with different suggestions if you don't want to wait for it naturally.

an inox 5 and a carbon 8 are in my desk drawer at work. I use a carbon 9 for trimming and cutting meats at home. Inox 6 or 8 in my pocket sometimes. Easy knives to use around others where they cause no 'alarm'. Fantastic slicers, easy to sharpen, and maintain. Among the best values in the knife market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top