Why all the Opinel rave?

[mykel m]

I've had an aversion to French made products brought on by the general rudeness of the people when I was there on a port call when in the Marines back in 78.
Buuut, after hearing all the "rave" about Opinels here on the boards of BF I had to try one, (they're just knives & shouldn't be blamed for the attitude of their countrymen after all) and boy am I glad I did!
I initially bought one to modify and just to see what all the hype was about.
Now I get it.
The simplistic design is genius IMO & with a little tweaking they make for a great pocket knife. (I like to add an EO notch, round off the butt and embellish 'em a little)
The warmth of the wood handle, the simple but effective locking mechanism and the fact they don't add a noticeable amount of weight to my already cluttered pockets makes 'em winners in my book.
I don't need a hard use folder & don't buy into that hype, but I do carry a Shallot for it's quick, one hand opening convenience should I need it in an emergency, but the majority of my daily cutting is done with the knife that rides lightly in the bottom of my pocket & that's either an old Imperial Stockman or a modified #6 or 7 Opi.

I'm not one of those fools that think just because a product is made in Europe it is superior, but I do love the Opi's.

Edit to add: I also carry a Vic rambler & carried a Vic Champ on my belt when I was in the Marines.

 

[155440]

I'd certainly take that trade, but then I'd sell the Sebenza, buy an Opinel No. 8, and pocket the difference or buy some scout patterns with some of the difference.

I have like 6 opinels, I'd just rotate the sebenza in. :thumbup:

 

[upnorth]

Even better than a mineral oil soak is Vaseline jelly. Use the 'ol ladies blow drier to really warm up and dry the wood. Then smear some Vaseline in and around the pivot. Then use the blow drier until it all melts into the wood. Repeat this again. Wipe off any excess and you will have a pretty water resistant Opinel. I've left mine submerged for 30 minutes with only a little stiffening of the joint. Wood likes Vaseline!

Thank you, I'll do that. The wardens hand blow dryer could blast the bark off a tree, or incinerate it. Considering that I am follicley challenged, I find these female primping devices to be quite surprising at times.

 

[jackknife]

Thank you, I'll do that. The wardens hand blow dryer could blast the bark off a tree, or incinerate it. Considering that I am follicley challenged, I find these female primping devices to be quite surprising at times.

You're welcome!

I've tried oils, waxes, varnish's, and this is the closest I've come to getting the waterproof Opinel. It will still get a little stiff on opening, but it's not bad. Every few months I re-new the Vaseline treatment and it keeps the Opy working in the kitchen. I have made it very clear tot he 'ol lady, that it is NOT to be put in the dishwasher!

I don't think anything could help an Opinel if that were to happen.

 

[Halfneck]

As a knife-nut I dismissed Opinels as cheap knives for many, many years. A couple of years ago I picked up a Opinel #8 in carbon steel after reading their praises here. Shortly thereafter I had to head out for an official Boy Scout camping trip - thus no fixed blades allowed. On a whim I took my Opinel. During that trip it surprised me with what is was capable of. I carved my 1st spikketrollet out of Dogwood and it did very well at it. After that trip I started recommending Opinels to some of the parents in our Scout Troop. I still think a SAK would be better for them, but some of the families are very low income & the Opinel is easier on the wallet.

The Ebauche versions are fun too for carving/sanding out your own handles. I have a carbon steeled #8 in cherrywood that turned out well & a stainless #8 in olivewood as a future project.

 

[SwiftDream]

I've narrowed my choices down to a #8 stainless but can't decide between the olive wood or bubinga...thoughts???

Either really are much better than the beech wood models.

Both olive and bubinga are harder than beech.

The modulus of rupture or bending strength is much better in both compared to beech.

The modulus of elasticity or measure of its stiffness is greater in both olive and bubinga compared to beech.

Crushing strength or compression parallel to the grain is better in either of those compared to beech.

Volumetric shrinkage or total cumulative shrinkage in all directions is less than beech compared to either olive or bubinga.

Olive and buginga are close enough in all those attributes that it comes down to looks and both look good. Olive can have some very nice colors and features in the wood. Bubinga has that nice rich warm red color and some nice features too.

Top two are olive and the bottom is bubinga.

All the premium woods that I'm aware of come with the Inox (12c27) blades a fine Swedish steel that is both super clean and tough. It takes a super fine edge and holds it better than the carbon Opinels.

I put it in my drill press and make a good lanyard hole. That way I can hang my knife from a leash and tiny S-biner off my belt loop and it rides inside my pocket vertically and feels like it is not there.

I learned an important lesson from a French fellow who has used these for more than 40 years. Soak the entire knife in a 50/50 mixture of odorless mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil for 24 hours. I do that in hot weather. Clean the blade off real well and wipe all excess oil from the handle and then let it dry for a couple days in the sun if possible. The wood will still “breathe” with humidity but this will keep it from drying out too much which is bad for a friction folder and when it stiffens from humidity it stays fluid and does not stick hard. Also do the petroleum jelly in the pivot once a month on top of it all. You should have a very serviceable knife. The locking ring can be adjusted with split ring pliers or even the long nose needle nose pliers.

Then I knock a little shoulder off the rear of the tang so the blade does not have that ugly cant to it and finally sharpen with a full convex edge. They come with a crappy edge, even the highly polished LUXE models.

It will cut through hard, seasoned wood like crazy;

Food prep in the wilderness is almost effortless with this knife. The blade geometry makes it a good all-rounder.

They are light weight which equals very good for backpacking and sharp as I need.

I do take a second knife with me, a nice fixed blade, almost the size of the #8 Opinel so I never put all my faith in any one knife.

 

[wtlj]

Swift dream, that's just the answer I was looking for!!! Thanks so much for taking the time for the superb explanation and pictures! To be honest I have a soft spot for walnut but with how light and porous it is I bet it's not the best choice for me. The Bubinga is the closest looking and I don't mind the increase in price however I read that the luxury woods (bubinga, ebony, horn) have highly polished stainless and in use I might destroy them (or polish again). I believe the walnut, oak, ash, beech, olive all have brushed stainless. I could be mistaken and either shouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
Ps your opinels looks outstanding!

 

[guns_and_labs]

But my Opinel will still be used for the Brie and crackers with a nicely chilled Zinfandel.

A Zinfandel? Shouldn't that be a Beaujolais, or maybe a Cote de Rhone?

Like others, I love the little Opinels, but I don't expect too much of them. I have one in the truck that I've carried for decades as a picnic knife, and I have another in my backpack that I use for food prep. I have another in a box that holds all my stuff for teaching boy scouts how to use and care for knives (along with a Mora and a official BSA lock back). Since I already keep a machete, an axe and a saw in the truck, I've never tried it for forestry projects.

Light weight, nice slicers, and they fit my hand well... what's not to like? Plus they look so darned cute next to the sliced salami and cheese.

 

[upnorth]

Great post SwiftDream.

 

[SwiftDream]

Swift dream, that's just the answer I was looking for!!! Thanks so much for taking the time for the superb explanation and pictures! To be honest I have a soft spot for walnut but with how light and porous it is I bet it's not the best choice for me. The Bubinga is the closest looking and I don't mind the increase in price however I read that the luxury woods (bubinga, ebony, horn) have highly polished stainless and in use I might destroy them (or polish again). I believe the walnut, oak, ash, beech, olive all have brushed stainless. I could be mistaken and either shouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
Ps your opinels looks outstanding!

Walnut is all over the place from about the quality of beech to way above it depending where in the world they get their supply. We would have to know their exact source to make a good guess. I don't like the porous look that the walnut Opinels have myself.

I did take some 1000 grit sandpaper to the bubinga then 2000 before soaking it, makes a better, lustrous finish to the wood. I try not to blur the lines of the wood handle but some like them completely rounded off, not me. I also pop off the locking ring when I soak the entire knife so all the metal surfaces can be cleaned well and put a bit of petroleum jelly between the metal collar and locking ring. If sand gets in there, just pop off the ring and clean when you can.

My Bubinga come with the high blade polish but in the end it and all of my Opinels blades take on a brushed look. When I sharpen I lay the blade flat on sandpaper over a mouse pad or leather. It keeps that great convexed profile in mind. I might start as coarse as 320 or 400 grit and take it down to 2000 grit in the end and in the finer grades, say from about 600 to 1000 to 2000 I lift the blade to make a steeper, fine edge. This also helps zip off that tenacious wire edge. I got ribbons of steel about half and inch in length off the bubinga model. I finish it on a leather with strop with emory lay flat on a wooden board. That seems to be about the same as 2000 grit but polishes off that final bit of wire edge and leaves a nice brushed finish. I wouldn't worry about the high polish. You will scar it up some with use but the blade takes a nice re-finishing with little work.

Sometimes I go a bit further and knock off any wire edge left with a loose buff and jeweler's rouge. If any wire edge if left it will lead to edge damage when you use it. But once you get completely rid of the wire edge that edge will really hold up well.

It is not a Jedi Light Sabre but what it is a very capable all-around utility pocket knife. The simplicity and the old world, 19th Century design in my opinion is a comfortable and good looking piece that performs.

 

[Dirtknap]

SwiftDream wins ! Way to gank these stiffs, newb :thumbup:

(Nice collection, by the way)

 

[davek14]

Those sure are nice looking knives.

 

[jackknife]

A Zinfandel? Shouldn't that be a Beaujolais, or maybe a Cote de Rhone?

.

Hey, what I know about wine can fit in a shot glass. Beer and Bourbon is my go-to drink, but a nice lady that knows all about that stuff told me that you can't go wrong with a Zin. I trust her more than my knowledge of wine. All I knows, that I can get wine in a box that fits in the fridge great!


Yup, I come a long ways since I drank screw top Boons Farm!

 

[guns_and_labs]

but a nice lady that knows all about that stuff told me that you can't go wrong with a

Yeah, I knew a nice lady like that, once. Learned a lot about many things!

 

[chiral.grolim]

Tell you what... want to try a this Opinel for free?

Buck 110 and Opinel #10 by Pinnah, on Flickr

Shoot me a visitor message with your email and I'll send it out to you. You can literally beat on it all you want and use it side by each with you Benchmade or any other folder you want.

Couple of caveats... I consider this knife entirely disposable. It was a failed experiment and I took the eo opening down way to deep and the handle now disappears in my XL gloved sized hands. If you hate the shape of the handle like I hate the handle shape, blame me, not Opinel. Also, it's a Carbone model, which has the softer (Rc56) carbon steel (close to 1086).

I honestly don't care if you break it. In fact, I would love know what it takes to bust it. All I ask is that you do the same things with your Benchmade or whatever and take pictures and report back on the comparison.

No need to spend money. Just postage back to me when your done.

Interested?

VERY tempting ... Perhaps in a month of two? My wife is expecting our 3rd child, so i have some paternity leave coming, not sure I'd have time for a proper review before then. But I'll happily do a comparison to a couple of different knives if you like.

... just as you hate the "Opinels are the best" hyperbole, I hate the "Opinels are junk" hyberbole.

Yeah, I wouldn't call them junk, but look at the title of this thread

...If you can put the knife into a padded vice, I just shove a large blade screwdriver in catching just the lip of the inner ring (not the wood, the metal) and give it a good twist to open it. Takes a few tries but no more than 5 minutes.

Sounds like what i should do then is pop off the collar lock to clean out the grit, dry it out a bit (we've had some humid weather here, and my wife may also have gotten the knife wet, though I'd treated it with mineral oil previously), re-soak the handle in oil, then re-attach the collar? I know the lock is a recent addition, but my wife doesn't trust herself with a friction-folder or slip-joint in the garden and I've stopped using such for cutting up boxes, too many accidental closures.

Slipjoints can get so fouled with sand that it's hard for me to open or close them. Lockbacks can suffer similar fates and worse, the lockbar can jam making lock up iffy.

With the Opinel, the lockring might get sticky. I've never had one jam on me, but I did a pass around last year and one guy working the trades got the ring jammed when using it with concrete mix. So, it's certainly possible. In that case, the knife becomes a friction folder. It's still useable and still safe.

I'll toss out this challenge if you give this #10 a try. Bury it and your favorite knife in dirt or sand, jump on them and then dig them out and use them. The Opinel will be useable. I'm not sure any of my lockbacks would be (Bucks, old USA Schrades mostly).

Where i live, a fine sand passes for "soil" I'll have no trouble running the test. I too have had issue with slip-joints and lock-backs in such conditions, though the Triad-lock (Recon 1) has been more reliable with it's proper stop-pin and oversized lock-bar. Lately I've been partial to the axis-lock (benchmade) and button-lock (gerber). The only other lock-back i still have is a Spyderco Caly3 that I won't subject to such use

The #6 is crazy thin, as you've noted.

If spine thickness is the same, Opinel's convex grind is stronger than both hollow grind and flat ground. There's more steel further down towards the edge. Buck made waves in the early 2000's with their Edge 2000 profile which is a very thin ground hollow grind. Case also have a thin hollow grind. And of course SAKs have a thin flat grind. The knives I've had the worst luck with in terms of edge stability are my Case (420HC at 56 Rc) and SAKs (55Rc). I've owned a bunch of Bucks in 420HC and have stupid things like cutting metal with them and honestly, I can't tell the difference between Opinel's Inox and the Buck 420HC. Actually, I think the Opinel takes a finer edge but they last about the same for me.

I'm wondering if you're just having problems because of the small angle you used on that very thin blade.

It could be that i took it too thin at 15-dps. BTW, Buck's Edge 2000 profile was simply lowering the bevel angle from 25-DPS to 15-DPS at the edge. That's it, all, had nothing to do with hollow/convex/flat primary grind:

Most common reaction by citizens is "that's charming".

Wow, nice folk! We had a small conference here with pizza served but no plates, i took out my Wenger traveler to cut up the box-lids into plates for all, got frightened & dirty looks and a bunch of, "Why do you have a weapon at work?!" sheesh. One guy thanked me for the plates.

I'm not seeing how "cheap" has anything to do with this. Plenty of very expensive knives out there that don't have pocket clips

Not like that, a clip is an added cost in materials and construction, un-clipped is cheaper to make, that's all. I've seen folk add clips to SAKs and Opinels - it's added cost/time/effort, makes the knife more expensive.

I've found that hard cutting of brush and wood loosens lockbacks up over time. This is regardless of brand that I've tried. I've also found that peened and finished pivots can loosen up laterally. Less of a problem perhaps with modern screwed joints.

Yup, no blade-stop-pin and peened vs bolted. I haven't used the #6 hard enough to cause any such damage.

I find the convexed Opinels to go through wood much better than either. Hollow grinds bind at the shoulder of the grind and flat grinds simply bind period. For me.

In my experience, thinner blades bind in wood, regardless of bevel profile. My chisels are mostly flat-grind and never bind (being so stout)

Hard to see how a FFG or HG of similar thickness would put more steel behind the edge.

Simple, different primary bevel angle. I did a review comparing some small knives a bit back, including one by Tim Johnson that is ~1/8" at the spine and ~0.005" behind the edge, 1" wide. Compare that to an ESEE Izula ~1/8" at the spine and 0.030" behind the edge. Obvious once you think about it, right?


Anyway, if you find this post buried in this thread, I am interested in doing the test, but not just now. Thank you for the offer. :thumbup:

 

[pinnah]

Dr. Grolim, we're in very close agreement on nearly everything. Congratulations on the new child.

Sounds like what i should do then is pop off the collar lock to clean out the grit, dry it out a bit (we've had some humid weather here, and my wife may also have gotten the knife wet, though I'd treated it with mineral oil previously), re-soak the handle in oil, then re-attach the collar?

Regarding the lock ring grinding, I wouldn't do anything with it other just working the lockring back and forth a few times. The grit just works itself out and, while noticeable, it isn't annoying to me. It's not annoying to me because I know it's not hurting the locking in any way. Sand in a lock back worries for the exact opposite reason. The grinding is telling me that the grinding may be wrecking the close tolerances the locckback design relies on. The locking collar doesn't rely on tolerances. If it becomes entirely stuck, sure, remove it. Otherwise, I would just ignore it.

Here's my theory on Opinel tuning. Tightness of the inner collar/pivot pin determines the average. Lubrication determines the variance. A totally unlubed Opinel can essentially be bi-modal; too tight to open in wet weather and too loose when dry.

My suggestion... first lube the joint either by soaking in mineral oil or using Jacknife's Vaseline & heat gun trick. This will reduce the variance considerably. Second, set the average tension. If it's too tight either wait a few months after which it will open on it's own or, to move things along, pry apart the mouth of the inner collar with a flat head while being careful not to muck up the wood. This will leave marks on the metal. So it goes.

You mentioned that "time is money". Been mulling that around. I see time spent mucking around with knives (or old bikes or other such things) as therapy. Cheaper than my shrink. It's a gumption thing, borrowing from Pirsig. I can totally understand people reading what I just wrote and saying, "It's just not worth the effort." Like I've said repeatedly, the Opinel is high maintenance, crude and finicky. It's my favorite knife, but there you have it.

BTW, Buck's Edge 2000 profile was simply lowering the bevel angle from 25-DPS to 15-DPS at the edge. That's it, all, had nothing to do with hollow/convex/flat primary grind:

View attachment 460478

This is the nearly bit...

My understanding is that Buck also thinned out the hollow grind above the cutting edge. Knarfang's (Frank's) post summarizes a longer article that I've read and can't find on the development of the Edge 2000 profile, which was developed in conjunction with CARTA testing. As you know, CARTA testing puts an emphasis on pure slicing and really favors thinner geometries.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...on-Edge-2000-and-440C?p=10810810#post10810810

IMO, it makes sense for Buck to do this on 2 counts. First, the vast majority of their hollow ground 420HC knives are sold as hunting knives. So the thin hollow grind makes great sense just as it makes sense for them to test against CARTA and makes sense to use a 15-dps edge. Cutting flesh doesn't stress the edge laterally (unless you hit bone).

Second, a 15-dps is SHARP and SHARP! out of the box sells knives. That is, I think a 15-dps angle on 420HC (even Bucks) is just asking for edge rolling when working hard in wood. [As an aside, I think Buck's hollow grind and hollow grinds in general suck for wood working.]

In any event, I'll close by saying that for me, the #9 hits the sweet spot. It fits my XL hands best, is stiff enough to have some umph and the blade profile is my favorite. Really a different beast than the 8, just as the 8 is a definite step up from the 6.

Just shoot me a VM if you want to try that bedraggled 10.

 

[dewildeman]

I've seen a lot of negative comments about the Opinel being a disposable knife and almost as many comments the people have had theirs for decades.

 

[neeman]

In 81, I bicycled from London to Brittany France

I met a couple and stayed with them renovating their 14th C farmhouse
This put me directly in rural Brittany with all sorts of workers and farm hands
All these folk had an Opinel in their pocket for work and eating
The same knife was cutting cordage, and cheese and bread
The knives were the larger size, I suppose a #12 or #10
I did not see the smaller #8s

I worked there for about a month
As a going away present and a token of thanks, I was gifted a #12.

It immediately replaced my Gerber Sportsman as my backpacking knife
And I carried it backpacking for many years

I still have it .....decades later

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

@ Pinnah:

Pirsig & Gumption :thumbup:
(Read the two books many many times since college, which is more than 25 years ago! Still very relevant.)

Maybe one day I'll check Opinel. My closest one is a Portugal Icel farmer knife (slipjoint). Easy to sharpen.

 

[neeman]

..........
I can't remember what Danny did, it was over 25 years ago. But his came right apart at the same point, but broke clean off. His blade with the bolster and locking ring were a whole separate piece than the handle that was still in his hand, but nothing attached to it. It had sheared right off even with the shoulder of the wood where it was turned down for the bolster.
...

You have described this situation in the past, that you needed staves for a stretcher to carry an injured party out of a hike
That Danny was a big guy and leaned hard on the knife to cut some boughs
And it broke