Which Opinel?

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manowar669

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Oct 1, 2002
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I want to buy an Opinel (my first). Which one? I have read the No 8 is very popular, but perhaps a little large for the work environment. I want the locking ring, and a blade just under 3". So is that the No 7, or No 6? Below No 6, there is no lock. Which steel takes a better edge? I like the original carbon steel, but what should I oil it with if it might be used for food? Vegetable oil? Something else?
 
Opinel 7 is pretty good and Carbon steel is better, though my stainless #8 cutts really well too. You may want to use food grade mineral oil or paraffin oil to Opienl's handles preventing swelling and same can be used coating blade as they are not harmful for digestion... and with carbon steel you can make patina on your blade.
 
i have two 8s one in carbon and one in SS, i like the carbon a bit better, i stropped it up and its nice and sharp, it looks awesome with a patina :thumbup:
 
manowar669 said:
I want to buy an Opinel (my first). Which one? I have read the No 8 is very popular, but perhaps a little large for the work environment. I want the locking ring, and a blade just under 3". So is that the No 7, or No 6? Below No 6, there is no lock. Which steel takes a better edge? I like the original carbon steel, but what should I oil it with if it might be used for food? Vegetable oil? Something else?
Click to expand...

I have a 4, 6 & 9. The 9 isn't all that big really and it is quite light, but if you want a smaller knife then a 6 or 7 should be fine - it is just a matter of what size you want.

The carbon steel isn't as good for corrosion resistance - if you want to keep in looking new you will need to clean it after use and wipe with oil (mineral/paraffin oil is best) regularly. The advantage is that carbon steel sharpens up well and holds a good edge.
The stainless steel blades are better for corrosion resistance which is useful. But the steel wont hold the edge as well - it should be fine if you sharpen it regularly though.

Whatever you get will make a great slicer - when sharp they will slide through a tomato better than any serrated blade! Just take care while using them! I would advise that while sharpening you don't go to wipe the blade on a cloth and slice right through the cloth and into the little finger on your left hand - that would make such a clean cut it would take a while to stop bleeding, but would heal nicely being such a clean cut. I certainly would never be careless like that and cut myself! (well, not again anyway)
 
I have a stainless 6, it makes a nice invisible knife for office work. Even their stainless is good, partly because of the thin convex grind.

I first encountered the Opinel in a kitchen/household supply store. No. 8 carbon. Excellent paring knife and general kitchen utility. As an EDC, I'd say get the 8 if you can carry something that size, get a 6 as more of a gentleman's knife. Cheap enough to buy a few.

I use food grade mineral oil, so cheap it's almost free, from the pharmacy. Soak it into the pivot area to protect the wood and the metal from moisture, and rub the blade down with it periodically.
 
Moin !

I always had an Opinel No.8 as EDC (stainless and carbon,i love both),but a week ago i bought a No.6 stainless with an handle in olivewood to try a smaller size.Wow,great ! The No.6 is the perfect size for me for pocketwearing (i wear my No.8`s normaly in a leather-beltsheath).Small enough to be invisible,but large enough for my daily worktasks.
The little No.6 is a realy great knife!

Regards

wernerhumkamp
 
I suggest 6-8. For EDC all of them would be great. 6 for subcompact and 8 for full size. Guess it would be like glock 26, glock 19, and glock 17 in that order.
 
I carry the #8 carbon steel on a daily basis and love it.

The blade is about 3", but looks a lot less intimidating due to the wood handle, patina, and two hand opening blade.

I have not oiled the blade at this point, it formed a nice patina and has not rusted. I plan on mirror polishing the blade at some point to see how a mirror polished patina turns out.
 
thejamppa said:
You may want to use food grade mineral oil or paraffin oil to Opinel's handles preventing swelling and same can be used coating blade as they are not harmful for digestion... and with carbon steel you can make patina on your blade.
Click to expand...

How much, and how should I apply mineral oil to the handles? The whole handle, or should I just dunk the pivot end in a cup of mineral oil and leave it overnight, or just a few drops?


Thanks everyone, I just ordered an olivewood handled #6 (only available in stainless) and a regular carbon #6 (cheap enough, I should have gotten a #8 too, maybe soon, if I like them.
 
I usually apply oil them with Q-tip and let wood absorb oil over night. Then whipe off excessive, if there's any. With fflattened Q-tip head you can oil also the blade groove.
 
from the#6 they lock, the lock is not necessary but it's better to have one
my favourite is the #8 and it's a good allorunder
 
Here are some comparison pics.

A #10, a #6 and the little #2 which I keep on my keyring.


op1.jpg


op2.jpg






.
 
I ordered 3 #6s for Christmas... only they haven't arrived yet D: One for me, one for the pops, and one for the bro in law. Oh well, more like stocking stuffers than real gifts, and they should be here before everyone leaves town.

Are these easily touched up with the sharpmaker, even though they are convex grind? I wanna make sure they're shaving sharp when I give them away, and have never sharpened convex.
 
I have a #10 carbon and it actually makes an acceptable EDC because it's so light. I garden a lot and it's just about the perfect all around size for harvesting vegetables. I also have a #8 stainless with oak handles that I use for vacation travel. It's easily replaceable, non threatening and doesn't get rusty if you don't clean it. BTW I rarely oil my carbon #10, I just wipe it after use--it gets great character. Ever find that your Opinel blade gets stuck in the handle? That little squared off edge at the butt is for rapping against a table--the blade pops right out. Took me a while to figure that one out. The # 6 is a great size too.
 
goodeyesniper said:
Are these easily touched up with the sharpmaker, even though they are convex grind? I wanna make sure they're shaving sharp when I give them away, and have never sharpened convex.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Put a very narrow secondary bevel on them to touch up the edge and it will be extremely sharp and hold up nicely.


Later on you can learn to do convex grinds. :)
 
Is it possible to get the nicer woods with the carbon blade? I don't see them available anywhere. Alternatively, can you disassemble 2 knives and swap blades?
 
You can disassemble them real easy and try the exchange of blades. Depending on the manufacturing tolerances they should be interchangeable. Just use a needle nose pliers and pop the ring off by placing the closed jaws in the lock ring gap gap and by opening the plier jaws it will pop the ring right off. The pivot pin underneath can be either pushed out or lightly hammered out. I like to tighten up the lock ring by squeezing it slightly before popping it back on. You may have to very slightly open the lock ring with the pliers to get it to pop back on.
Even a caveman could do it.

If you use the carbon blade often you don't even really need to oil it. Just wash it under running water or just wipe with a damp cloth and always dry it off. As long as you dry it it won't rust, just start getting that nice patina.
 
I put a patina on my carbon Oppies with vinegar and have never oiled one, and never had one rust either. Great little knives. You can also do great things with the handles and a sander, customize the shape a little.
 
I've got a carbon No. 6 that I use regularly around the house. It's becoming one of my favorite knives.
 
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