Opinel knives

Ned · #101

Got a #8 INOX with walnut handle and a #9 Carbone on the way!

xceptnl · #102

Ned wrote:Got a #8 INOX with walnut handle and a #9 Carbone on the way!

You are going to need to make a separate list in your signature line for your opinels! Congrats on your new purchases.

Ned · #103

I'm a bit of a sharpening junkie! These Opinel's are just fun to sharpen and cost so little...

xceptnl · #104

Ned wrote:I'm a bit of a sharpening junkie! These Opinel's are just fun to sharpen and cost so little...

This statement sums up my thoughts about Opinel. Functional, cost effective, almost disposable, reliable, easily available, folding knife with a history of doing what it does best. I love being able to experiment with edges on my opinels.

Ned · #105

So I had the opportunity to accompany some of the boys in our local Scout Troop up to BSA Camp Buffalo Bill just outside of Yellowstone NP; I took my Opinel #8 INOX w/ Walnut handle and my Opinel #9 Carbone (as well as my Salt 1). Everyone in the camp was very impressed with how well I was able to carve and process kindling for fires, strike fire-steel, etc. They were even more impressed when I told them I only paid 22.00 for both knives shipped. Opinel knives are a terrific value!

Officer Gigglez · #106

Hmmm. Design is pretty simple, but their appearance doesn't impress me. Not sure what it is, since I am a big fan of wood grips/handles, and simple designs. Not too sure about the durability of them though... Can't argue with the price on those things either. I'm kind of interested in them... not sure if I want to pull the trigger on one, but at that price, it seems it wouldn't hurt to do so.

3rdGenRigger · #107

They're made out of such thin stock that they're superb slicers. My Carbone No.09 was essentially a full zero grind when I bought it (If there was a microbevel it was so small I didn't notice). I put a 15 DPS microbevel on it with my Sharpmaker and it's scary sharp and VERY thin behind the edge. I've only bought the one though as I find my Spydercos are a lot nicer to carry every day due to the ergonomics, one handed opening, easier to disengage (And automatically engaging) lock, and pocket clip, but it cost me about $20 locally and I'm glad I bought it. I don't use it often because I have so many Spydercos that are awesome, but it was fun to experimentally put a mustard patina on it without much concern for the knife itself due to the low purchase price.

ginsuwarrior · #108

They were designed in the 1890's with peasants in mind. So I would say that your being not impressed is not surprising.

I personally own one, I believe a no.8 or 9 carbone, and it is nice to have such a thin stocked knife for when such a time arises....cheese and fruit slicing on a countryside picnic I imagine. Wearing red horizontally striped shirts and berets is advised.

Officer Gigglez wrote:Hmmm. Design is pretty simple, but their appearance doesn't impress me. Not sure what it is, since I am a big fan of wood grips/handles, and simple designs. Not too sure about the durability of them though... Can't argue with the price on those things either. I'm kind of interested in them... not sure if I want to pull the trigger on one, but at that price, it seems it wouldn't hurt to do so.

.357 mag · #109

Officer Gigglez wrote:Hmmm. Design is pretty simple, but their appearance doesn't impress me. Not sure what it is, since I am a big fan of wood grips/handles, and simple designs. Not too sure about the durability of them though... Can't argue with the price on those things either. I'm kind of interested in them... not sure if I want to pull the trigger on one, but at that price, it seems it wouldn't hurt to do so.

I've been carrying my #7 for about 3 weeks and love it. 3 3/16 blade weighting in at 1 oz. on hot spots when making feather sticks. Great knife. Paid $10 shipped for it.

jackknifeh · #110

Officer Gigglez wrote:Hmmm. Design is pretty simple, but their appearance doesn't impress me. Not sure what it is, since I am a big fan of wood grips/handles, and simple designs. Not too sure about the durability of them though... Can't argue with the price on those things either. I'm kind of interested in them... not sure if I want to pull the trigger on one, but at that price, it seems it wouldn't hurt to do so.

The thing that made me want one was the recommendation from a forum member concerning the blade steel of the carbone steel. There isn't anything aboutthe appearance of the plainer ones that impresses me either. I do like some of the "fancier" models though. Their simplicity is brilliant IMO. I think if we don't ask too much from them in the way of harder use one could last a lifetime.

I got my Shapton glass 16k stone in the mail today. YAY!!! The Opinel is the first knife I used the stone for. The edge came off the stone super razor sharp. I really do like the steel. I could hold the handle at the very end, pivoting between my thumb and index finger and just the weight of the blade was all it took for the edge to "fall" into the top of a piece of phone book paper. That steel really gets sharp. Plus the blade being very thin and I have a very low edge angle on the blade.

So like you I wasn't impressed by the Opinel knives other than high praises from everyone who has one or more. I think I paid $13 for my #6. And another plus to go into the "pro" column is they make good loaner knives because of the price in case someone "accidentally" puts it in their pocket. :) Or if they break it trying to remove a hub cap or something.

Side note about lubricating the pivot. I always worried about this because of the bare wood. A couple of weeks ago I applied a couple of drops of Ballistol to the pivot. I used Ballistol becuase it is good for wood as well as other stuff. I have to say the pivot is smoother than it ever has been.

Jack

kbuzbee · #111

I use my Opinel paring knives every single day. I have much fancier/way more expensive paring knives but the Opinels just work better. I don't tend to carry my O folders because I don't like knives loose in my pocket but I just ordered a Skinth pocket organizer so that might change.

Ken

Johnnie1801 · #112

Here's an old Opinel nr.8 I bought at a DIY store counter back in the summer of 1999, I liked the color :D

As far as the knife is concerned, I would say for the price it is good value however it is not perfect. If you are only doing light edc tasks once in a while then its ok but as a daily edc I don't find it very useful. The tip is very delicate, I don't even remember how mine broke, I never did anything crazy with it. Also when you apply strong pressure to the knife the rotation lock can come undone and you might get cut. The wood under the lock can also swell and make the knife difficult to deploy however if you whack it on a table or something it may come back to normal. The lack of a pocket clip is also annoying if you have deep pockets.

The Opinels are cheap, fun and functional but for me it will never replace the Delica in my pocket.

araneae · #113

A little tip- if you find the knife is stiff in the pivot,put it in the oven on warm or the lowest setting available for about 10-15 minutes. Being wood it absorbs some moisture and swells a bit. A little heat will remedy this and get the pivot moving.

ChrisinHove · #114

Officer Gigglez wrote:Hmmm. Design is pretty simple, but their appearance doesn't impress me. Not sure what it is, since I am a big fan of wood grips/handles, and simple designs. Not too sure about the durability of them though... Can't argue with the price on those things either. I'm kind of interested in them... not sure if I want to pull the trigger on one, but at that price, it seems it wouldn't hurt to do so.

I've had the same (carbon 10) one in my camping cook-set since about 1990. Broken tip, worn, blackened and battered. Sharpens up well, year after year. Just needs to be dried and oiled after use.

ChrisinHove · #115

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This thread shamed me into digging it out and attending to it. I reprofiled the broken tip, sharpened it on my Sharpmaker and polished the blade. Unfortunately the latter just showed up some old pitting, so I forced a new patina. The reprofile left the blade too deep in the handle to see the thumbnail nick, so a small scoop sorted that. It's now an Opinel 9.4!

Officer Gigglez · #116

I may grab one of their specialty knives with the custom wood handle from the French Wood maker. Seems it would be a suitable gift knife for my good friend and chief of police. He is a gentleman type, unless you piss him off. He is old school 5-O, and thoroughly likes his old billy club. Anyway, that blade would fit his tastes perfectly. I'd get his initials engraved into the handle as well.

jackknifeh · #117

ChrisinHove wrote:This thread shamed me into digging it out and attending to it. I reprofiled the broken tip, sharpened it on my Sharpmaker and polished the blade. Unfortunately the latter just showed up some old pitting, so I forced a new patina. The reprofile left the blade too deep in the handle to see the thumbnail nick, so a small scoop sorted that.

Don't know what you mean by a small "scoop" but this is how I made it easier for me to get to the nail nick.

Can you show us pics of your knife now that is it in better shape? You know the rule. If you don't provide pics the knife will revert back to it's original condition like Cinderella at midnight. :D

Jack

remnar · #118

This thread got me curious about these Opinel's, so I picked one up when I saw it at a sporting goods store today.

It was not very sharp out of the package. It didn't take long to get a nice edge on the straight part of the blade, but it took a little time to get the tip to an acceptable level of sharpness. I am not all that skilled at sharpening, so that could have been part of the problem. This will be a good blade to practice my sharpening skills with. :)

jackknifeh · #119

remnar wrote:This thread got me curious about these Opinel's, so I picked one up when I saw it at a sporting goods store today.

It was not very sharp out of the package. It didn't take long to get a nice edge on the straight part of the blade, but it took a little time to get the tip to an acceptable level of sharpness. I am not all that skilled at sharpening, so that could have been part of the problem. This will be a good blade to practice my sharpening skills with. :)

They are great knives to use to learn to sharpen I think. The steel gets very sharp when sharpened correctly or accurately. And the belly, being a bit more drastic makes that a good knife for learning also. Maintaining a consistent angle around the belly is more difficult I think than on a straight section of the edge.

I like the way the handle is shaped on yours. It looks far more comfortable to use than the Opinel I got. Let us know how you like it after using it for a while. :)

Jack

araneae · #120

Jack those curved handle are sold under the Coghlan's brand name and can be found on ebay or amazon or some brick and mortar sporting goods shops. There is also an Opinel No 8 garden knife that has a spear point blade and that same handle with a lanyard hole. It is one of my favorites.

jackknifeh wrote:They are great knives to use to learn to sharpen I think. The steel gets very sharp when sharpened correctly or accurately. And the belly, being a bit more drastic makes that a good knife for learning also. Maintaining a consistent angle around the belly is more difficult I think than on a straight section of the edge.

I like the way the handle is shaped on yours. It looks far more comfortable to use than the Opinel I got. Let us know how you like it after using it for a while. :)

Jack