What makes Opinel knives so sharp?

K

KHarper

Joined
Jan 4, 2019
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112
I got my first Opinel a month or two ago, a No. 4 Inox, and quickly bought a No. 8 Carbone and and then a No. 6 Carbone because the * is a leetle too big for EDC (for me). I have read all about about how "scary sharp" the Opinel's are, and it is in fact true. They take a sharp edge you can feel, and they do in fact slice through stuff like a light saber. I just used my 6 to slice through a stack of 20 sheets of scrap paper. Without sawing at all, just pushed the blade into it...slice. I don't know how $200 professionally sharpened knives work, but that's more than any of my other knives can do, even the $100-range ones.
So what is it about Opinels that make them so sharp? It can't just be the steel, so it seems that it must be the blade design. But what? I've noticed that the sharpened edge on them is so fine that you can't easily see it. I also just read that they are only sharpened on one side (which is news to me, since I've been sharpening mine on both sides). If that WAS true, then an apparent edge of 15deg would actually come to a point as sharp as if it was 7.5deg, since it isn't both edges meeting in an apex, but a single edge meeting the 0deg other face. Could this explain it? My other theory is just that they keep the metal so thin and the bevel so fine that it helps to cut through things more easily than larger beveled edges might. I can vouch that mine sharpen up real nice even though I've been sharpening both sides, not just one.
 
Thin blade, less drag? I'm interested as well. May have to pick up an opinel one of these days. I only just got a Rat 1 the other day, so I guess I'm behind haha!
 
Straight up blade grometry. The only knife I own that is close to that thin of an edge is a sak and it too slices really well.

Modern pocket knife design is geared more towards people who want a metal scrapey thing more than a cutting tool IMO. That’s why edges and spine thicknesses have gotten wider. Scraping and prying.
 
KHarper said:
I just used my 6 to slice through a stack of 20 sheets of scrap paper. Without sawing at all, just pushed the blade into it...slice.
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Nothing too remarkable if your knife has good blade geometry.

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soc_monki said:
Thin blade, less drag? I'm interested as well. May have to pick up an opinel one of these days. I only just got a Rat 1 the other day, so I guess I'm behind haha!
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Apparently so. I highly recommend the Opinels. They are something different all around. If you just want a knife that can cut stuff, the Opinel is famous for being the tool for the job. Very simple, very cheap, good steel. Highly customizable, ergonomic. Just not very rugged, nor "tactical" by any means (which I count as a plus). But nothing at all wrong with the RAT 1. I admit I don't have anything like the experience with knives that a lot of people have, but I've found my RAT 1 to be just a plain better knife than any others, in terms of all-around usefulness and effectiveness. The blade sharpens to a very sharp edge (or so I thought til I tried an Opinel), the handle is comfortable, and the way the designed the blade detent and the blade bearings means it swings open just like an assisted opening knife every time you nudge the blade out of detent. No wrist snap needed, at all. You'd swear it had a spring in it. The handle is well shaped for comfortable, secure grip, and the blade is set back to assist powerful cutting motion. Well-shaped, utilitarian blade with generous cutting edge. Only thing that's wrong with it is that it's basically ugly as sin. Just not a very aesthetically pleasing knife. It's a worker, which is what I like. Obviously the blade won't hold an edge like super steel modern knives that cost $200, but personally I expect my knives to need frequent sharpening. It's part of the joy of owning knives, in my mind. And AUS-8 is hardly cheap 440 crap from a gas station. And you could just about buy six brand new RAT 1's instead of sharpening them before you reached $200 (or better yet, buy several different types of knife and keep you RAT sharp). I bought a Spiderco Tenacious as well. I realize that this is the cheapest Spiderco and I can't speak for what the premium ones are like, but the Tancious cost more than twice what the RAT cost and I think the RAT is a plan better knife in just about every category but looks. The Tenacious isn't pretty, but it's more pleasing than the RAT. The blade shape gives you a finer tip for delicate work. But in every other category the RAT is better, IMHO. But sorry, this is off topic, and on my own thread. I'm terrible about that. Anyway, be happy with your RAT 1 is my point. I'd certainly recommend an Opinel any day, but a RAT is good for tougher, wetter chores, places where pocket clips and one-handed opening are needed. Best yet, just carry both, and use each for each chore it does best at. THe Opinel comes in good stainless as well, and I've read that it floats when dropped in water. Not many other knives can claim that!
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
They're sharpened on both sides. Not sure who fed you that line about them only being sharpened on one side...
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It was another thread on this very forum. Someone was asking how to sharpen an Opinel, and claimed that "they had looked at it with glasses and it appears to be sharpened only on one side". Everyone else answered him without noticing or mentioning that part except one guy who just said "not sure what you mean by 'one sided', you ought to sharpen both sides evenly". But it wasn't clear if he meant Opinel's specifically DO have both edges sharpened, or if he was just replying generically after a glance at the question. And at least one other person said something about it being only sharpened on one side, so I began to wonder if there was something to it. It is true that the edge is very hard to see it is so fine, and I never thought to see when mine were new. It did seem a bit unlikely, but you never know.
 
Chances are his particular example was either ground at the factory on only one side by mistake, or else was ground so much on one side that it erased the evidence of the secondary bevel on the other side. In either case, it's not normal.
 
The secret is that they are sharpened under a crystal pyramid. ;) Actually, as has been mentioned, just plain old edge geometry. :thumbsup:
 
Congrats on the score!

I guess you mean "slicey" by "sharp".
Any knife can be as "sharp" as Opinels.
But, as others have said already, Opinels have the great blade geometry (thin stock and thin behind the edge) to be great slicers.
I think everyone should have one to know how a knife is supposed to perform.

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KHarper said:
Apparently so. I highly recommend the Opinels. They are something different all around. If you just want a knife that can cut stuff, the Opinel is famous for being the tool for the job. Very simple, very cheap, good steel. Highly customizable, ergonomic. Just not very rugged, nor "tactical" by any means (which I count as a plus). But nothing at all wrong with the RAT 1. I admit I don't have anything like the experience with knives that a lot of people have, but I've found my RAT 1 to be just a plain better knife than any others, in terms of all-around usefulness and effectiveness. The blade sharpens to a very sharp edge (or so I thought til I tried an Opinel), the handle is comfortable, and the way the designed the blade detent and the blade bearings means it swings open just like an assisted opening knife every time you nudge the blade out of detent. No wrist snap needed, at all. You'd swear it had a spring in it. The handle is well shaped for comfortable, secure grip, and the blade is set back to assist powerful cutting motion. Well-shaped, utilitarian blade with generous cutting edge. Only thing that's wrong with it is that it's basically ugly as sin. Just not a very aesthetically pleasing knife. It's a worker, which is what I like. Obviously the blade won't hold an edge like super steel modern knives that cost $200, but personally I expect my knives to need frequent sharpening. It's part of the joy of owning knives, in my mind. And AUS-8 is hardly cheap 440 crap from a gas station. And you could just about buy six brand new RAT 1's instead of sharpening them before you reached $200 (or better yet, buy several different types of knife and keep you RAT sharp). I bought a Spiderco Tenacious as well. I realize that this is the cheapest Spiderco and I can't speak for what the premium ones are like, but the Tancious cost more than twice what the RAT cost and I think the RAT is a plan better knife in just about every category but looks. The Tenacious isn't pretty, but it's more pleasing than the RAT. The blade shape gives you a finer tip for delicate work. But in every other category the RAT is better, IMHO. But sorry, this is off topic, and on my own thread. I'm terrible about that. Anyway, be happy with your RAT 1 is my point. I'd certainly recommend an Opinel any day, but a RAT is good for tougher, wetter chores, places where pocket clips and one-handed opening are needed. Best yet, just carry both, and use each for each chore it does best at. THe Opinel comes in good stainless as well, and I've read that it floats when dropped in water. Not many other knives can claim that!
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I'm happy with the Rat. I was at Walmart and saw it, last one, od green, not my first choice, but as you said it's not really a pretty knife. Really good build quality for around 25 bucks! My Tenacious was my 4th decent knife, and I still carry it. I have a good number of spyderco now, as well as Kershaw and a few ZTs. But I like good knives regardless of price and the Rat is much higher quality than it's price suggests.

Anyway, enough derailing your thread! :D
 
One might well ask why a scaple is so scary sharp.
Imo, an opinel's blade is exactly just that
only it's in a larger scale ;-)
Yeah, iits narrow flat v-grind cross section might
explain its smooth and effortless "slicing sharpness" ability.
Edge retention is another matter altogather.
 
They have good steel, with thin stock. A lot of knives are too thick, theyre wedge like. Opinels are very thin, so they slice well.
 
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