#OMG - I've turned into that weird Opinel guy....what the heck!!!

[zippofan]

I don't often buy the same knife over and over again with different handles...

This number 8, now a lot more used, lives in my Scout pack:

I gave out one during our Troop Christmas party last year, and the boy who has it carries it all the time to our events. There will be another one as a gift at the party this year, a couple of the boys already asked me so I have to figure out a way to wrap it up that it isn't easily detected.

 

[Kisatchie]

I have never owned an opinel .why I do not know , because it looks like the kinda knife I would use .
and I really like the way the handle can be modified , like Pinnah has done with his!

 

[Grateful]

I am loving my number 7. I often wonder if more real world work and adventure isn't accomplished with simple common knives than with the new and improved models. Doesn't really matter either way I guess, just a thought. I like to carry what works, as a cutting tool my Opinel works very well.

Jim

 

[Gary W. Graley]

#13 a folding sword and man is it sharp
An older copy I picked up from my 'want to buy' post

G2

 

[Galeocerdoshark]

I hear you OP. The Opinels in my collection get a lot of use, maybe even the most... So versatile, so useful.

had it only been a slipjoint that didn't get stuck when moist...

Well, that's if you don't want to hear about the easiest, cheapest fix there is out there: a few drops of mineral oil in the joint.

 

[herisson]

The Opinel can't be beat in this price range, IMO : quality materials, nicely finished, fully ready to use (unlike the Svord Peasant) and it even has a lock (a real lock, not a flimsy liner lock). Worry about the pivot getting tight when moist ? Dip the whole knife in oil for a day or two, let it drain, sweep it dry. Solved. Don't like the round fish tailed handle (I don't, either) ? Go nuts on it and create your ideal shape, no worries. Don't like the yatagan blade (although you should, it's classy as hell) ? File or sand it down to your liking, no worries. I see no knife giving so much for so little money.

 

[Galeocerdoshark]

^I can totally relate to herisson's post.

 

[gr8dismal]

I carried one for years, easy to sharpen, and people would be taken aback seeing the blade in use on rope, burlap sacks, etc.

One can get kind of lax in turning the the lock in place As mentioned below with the Mora, you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal for cost/effectiveness. Both are handsome items, also.

 

[Chris Larrikin]

cchu518 - thank you so much. This thread has made me laugh. It's too true. Also, I'm completely with the guys who mentioned Svord Peasants and Mora's too; as much as we may not want to admit it, it's all true!

 

[Stich2442]

Opinel knives have been in my pocket since the mid 90's at first as a young Chef mostly because because as a boy I saw Jacques Pépin forage for wild mushrooms in my folks backyard with one. My #8 was my kitchen utility knife used for things I would not want to use my good kitchen knives for, It accompanied me on many camping trips, for food prep, fire building, camp craft, etc. Then when I decided on a career change the Opinel followed me, my # 8 was soon retired and replaced with a #9 which has trimmed a little off baseboards here and there, scored sheetrock, cement board, cut shims, notched strapping, scraped off dried mortar from bricks, cut miles of fiberglass insulation and closed cell insulation, it had scraped PVC, used as a scribe, helped me seat duct work, and has even made penetration holes in 26g and 30g sheet metal fittings to get tin snips in and many other mundane task. It has been sharpened on rocks, cinder blocks, foundations, car windows, files, sandpaper, whatever was around to help keep it sharp during the work day. I would be hard pressed to find another knife that has stayed in perfect working condition after all the work and use, borderline abuse I've put this knife through. I've tried #8-#10, I find the #8 a little small for what I was doing, the #10 is a great camp knife, a little big for day to day pocket carry, I found the #9 to be my sweet spot. My original #8 is a sliver of what it once was, my #9 is not that far behind, a few years ago my wife bought me a new #9 with my initial engraved, it's what I call my "nice" Opinel, but I have not bonded with it like my other #9.

My original #8

My #9 not a mod, more of a evolution, the blade is almost completely obscured by the handle so I had to make a easy open so I could get to the blade.

Two #9 side by side old & newer

The engraved #9

Group shoot top to bottom carbon #10, engraved #9, my workhorse #9, my original #8, and a Inox #8

Pete

 

[cchu518]

What I like about this particular knife is that its qualities reveal themselves to oneself slowly. To be honest, if I didn't slightly overpay for a knife in the eyes of an ebayer, who threw in the Opinel as a token, I'm not really sure if I would have ever bought one. It doesn't look like all that on a screen to be honest. Upon receiving it, the handle fit nice in the hand, was lightweight, but the joint was really stiff. In addition it had this quaint collar on it used to lock the blade in place that was kinda oaf-ish in the beginning. Then the joint loosened up only after 50 or so opening and closes.

I find that when I am being absent minded and in a hurry, in need of a cutting tool fast, the Opinel is what I will grab for, despite having a few other knives next to it. There's lots of cutting edge on the blade yet not a lot of volume to it and it is sharp with not a lot of maintenance and most of all dependable. I have a Spyderco or two with that same FFG blade and I don't reach for them for really general usage, its always the Opinel most often. The Spydercos cut just as well in most instances, maybe better in others. But the Opis are just so quick to deploy, cheap and useful that I find that I use it because I don't care if something happens to it. And that's when everything switched, I ended up using it for everything. While I still wouldn't cry over breaking an Opinel, its definitely become a sentimental favorite and a must keep on hand no matter what fad of knife that I happen to be into for fun. This is based on its pure utility as a cutting instrument alone. Says a lot about a particular knife, especially on a forum about knives I think!

 

[pinnah]

You sir have been Pinnah-ized.

No!

People might get "Opineled". But not Pinnah-ized.

I'm "that guy". A classic internet blow-hard killing time between meetings at work. Blow-hards don't convince anybody about anything.

I'm actually somewhat serious about this. All I can do is testify; bear witness. After that, people make up their own minds.

Still, I observe that an open mind leads to open hands and once in the hand, the Opinel is quite capable of defending its utility just like deskil describes here.

The first time anyone has one in hand, they suddenly understand, in a new and clear way, why the Opinel is legend. After using one for a while, the impression is reinforced and expanded. And it's always unexpected and surprising to find an object of legend justified.

Deskil is right about another thing. The Opinel isn't for everybody.

It's not the best knife in the world and you have to keep it in good condition with regular maintenance, but if you take care of it, it'll do whatever you ask of it. If you ask too much and it fails, you can always just get another and start over.

There's a lot going on with a knife purchase that goes way beyond and deeper that sheer cutting performance. There are scratches that a $15 knife just can't itch for some people. Holes that need to be filled with bigger price tags. We all find our own way through this.

 

[Bloefield]

Yes I have been Opineled too largely thanks to Pinnah's posts.
And I'm gratefull.

In the last few months I've purchased a #8, a #6 both in carbone and a Blue #8 Inox Trekker.
I have plenty of slipjoints, SAK's, and modern folders but I find myself throwing the Opinels in my pocket more than any others.
They are really light and easy to carry for me at work without anyone noticing I'm even carrying a knife.
They are fun to play around with too.
I love them.

 

[pinnah]

Hello Pinnah, would a total klutz be able to do that to his Opinel? I know they cheap but I can't bring myself to risk disfiguring one of mine

Q,

Speaking as a klutz to a klutz, I've found that the willingness to fail repeatedly can, in time, compensate. Tom Watson, then President of IBM (back in the "THINK" days) said that success is a matter of failing faster than the competition. My approach to this has been to gift my "failures" to friends (or to send them out on internet pass arounds).

I'm a bike mechanic. I would put the complexity of the mods on my Opinels on par with changing a rear tire on a bike. Tools are required and you'll get your hands dirty.

Those knives have 4 mods: the lock ring has been tuned, the blade tip has been filed to a drop point, the butt end has been rounded off and the wood stained. I give some more details on how I do it here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28597626/tuning-opinels.txt

I don't bother rounding the handle on 8s and smaller. For the 9 and 10, I like the end rounded a bit. I clamp 80 grit sand paper to my work bench (a tip suggested by Sitflyer) and rub the handled on that to get the basic shape. First pass along the top back to bring it flat and in line with the rest of the back of the handle. Second pass is angled forward of vertical along the very end of the knife so that I get that slope. Third pass is to split the difference between the first and second pass. From the side, it looks something like 3 edges of a stop sign (flat, 45 degrees, just forward of vertical).

After this I round off the angles with sweeping rounded strokes on the sand paper. This gives the round profile from the side.

Lastly, I use 80 grit on a sanding block to round off and blend the rather squared off "cut" with the rest of the handle.

I stick with 80 grit for sanding. Minwax stain for color (I like English Chestnut). Formby's Tung Oil Finish for top coat. Many layers of Formby's. Sand with 800 and 2000 grit on the final coats.

 

[W.M.B.]

ok, I would now be complaining that reading this thread has caused me to go and buy another knife I don't really need, as I have more than I have uses for as it is, but they are so inexpensive to begin with, that when I went to a certain un-named online retailer and bought one with a pocket sheath, with their promo credit deal, the knife and sheath were free plus about 3 bucks shipping. plus, I did not even have to use their credit card (I swore off credit years ago.) I figure, for 3 bucks, I will have to see what the Opinel lovers out there may know that I don't know. No. 8 in carbon. I will be glad to relate my experiences when I have some.

 

[SAK Guy]

I've bought 4 of them since discovering Opinels last year. A #8 Garden, a couple of #8's (in carbon and stainless) and a carbon #12.

Their thin, razor sharp blades are also perfect for dressing the end of your cigar. I used one for this yesterday.

I have a Coghlans/Opinel #8 Camp Knife coming the mail as I type. :thumbup:

 

[cchu518]

I'm really amazed at some of the Company some folks keep. Pepin and Childs are culinary and personal heroes of mine! Giants among men! I really love that he stayed true to where he is from and used Opinels as well!

 

[Brew-Jitsu]

Love this thread. I have a #8 in my pocket right now. Gets more use than everything except my SAK Tinker.

 

[Bigfattyt]

I'm another convert. I picked up two Colagens #7 with slim handles. One for my son who has a hard time with slip joints, due to soft fingernails. It was so cheap I tossed another in the cart. It became a favorite. I have 5 now. They are my most carried and used knives. Tough to find a better fishing knife, camping, gardening, food knife. They are just simple, strong, light knives. Expensive knife and a few Opinel and I am good to go. I frequently just carry 2 or 3 Opinel and there is minimal risk of an expensive loss.


I can tell you, they castrate cows with amazing ease.

 

[SAK Guy]

Hey! My NOS Coghlans Camp Knife just arrived in the mail and it's a # 9! I thought it was a # 8. :thumbup: