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REVIEW OF THE BUCK 112 AND OPINEL #8
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I love both of these knives for different reasons. No pictures (ok, I lied - picture added). Just a long ramble. Maybe something here will help somebody. Thanks for looking.
Buck 112 & Opinel #8 by Pinnah, on Flickr
BOTTOM LINE - If you want one of the most beautiful American made knives ever made and if you want a knife that's easy to use and if you can deal with a bit of heft (or a belt holster), get the Buck 112. If you want one of the lightest but most rugged folders you'll ever use and are willing to put up with a significant amount of maintenance and tinkering, get the Opinel #8.
OUT OF THE BOX - The Buck 112 wins this easily. As you would expect, you can buy a new Buck and just start using it. No problem. The Opinel, on the other hand, is something like a starter kit for a knife. The joint is super stiff and the lock needs to be tuned. The handle is crudely finished and needs to be further waterproofed. All of things can be overcome easily enough, but they do need to addressed. Once done, the Opinel transforms in a great knife, but I find them almost unusable out of the box and in need of regular attention to stay well tuned.
EASE OF USE - The Buck 112 wins the ease of use question. The blade is Bucks 420HC (my old one is 440C) and the classic Opinel #8 is carbon steel (Opinel also has stainless versions). The 420HC sharpens reasonably easily and is rust resistant enough for day to day use. The Opinel's carbon sharpens amazingly well, but it requires some attention to keep rust free. The Buck's lock is super easy to deal with. Open the knife and it locks. Press the lock bar to release the lock.
The locking mechanism on the Opinel is easy to use but a bit more complicated. You first unlock the blade by twisting the lock ring, then you deploy the friction blade and then you twist the the lockring again to lock it open. Once I got used to this, it has become second nature for me. But, it takes longer and there are more steps.
On the other hand, a well tuned Opinel allows for easy and safe one hand opening and closing. To open it, you pinch the blade to open the knife a bit, hook the end of the handle against your leg to fully open it and then engage the lockring. Closing is just as easy and since it's a friction pivot, there's no springs to snap shut on your fingers.
The Buck's construction makes it (nearly) impervious to water and wet weather. If it gets dirty with food or junk, I run it under hot water and occasionally touch up the joint with some oil. The Opinel's handle is made out of beech which swells considerably when wet. When the Opinel's wood gets wet, the blade gets incredibly tight. One way to help fend this off is with copious and frequent applications of petroleum jelly. This is messy and overall, it's more of a pain to clean the Opinel and keep it working freely.
In the shop and in the woods, I prefer the Opinel for the one hand opening/closing ability. But for day in/day out use, the Buck 112 is easier to deal with.
IN THE HAND - There is no knife more beautiful than the 112 to my eyes. There's just something about the brass and wood. And as soon as I hold it in my hands, I get a feeling of perfection. A big part of it is how the curved front bolster hugs the index finger and the way the rear bolster provides great balance. The broad flat back gives a secure place for my thumb. Instantly the knife feels like a solid and predictable extension of my hand. No other knife I've ever used feels this good in my hand. The only possible exception is the lighter Paperstone Ecolite 112.
The Opinel #8 is better than many knifes in my hand. The round, fatter section at the front of the handle fills my hand nicely, giving easy control and comfort when whittling. The iconic flared butt end of the Opinel is functional and gives my pinkie finger a place to wrap around the handle well, adding to the control over the blade. But, the handle is not quite long enough for my big hands.
The blades are similar in that both are clip points. I keep telling myself I'm not a fan of clip points but these are 2 of my favorite knives. The 112 is a bit shorter but it has a lot of belly. The Opinel #8 has a bit less clip and is longer and a bit thinner, edge to spine. I like both of them well.
In the hand, I give a slight edge to the 112, but the Opinel #8 is no slouch.
IN A CROWD OF PEOPLE - The Opinel wins the "least likely to scare Timmy" contest. We all know people like Timmy. Timmy never went camping as a kid and never owned a BB gun. Timmy works in the office and he's perfectly happy to use an 18" serrated kitchen knife when asked to cut up the coffee cake. But he'll shriek with horror when you pull out a pocket knife to open up the box of copier paper for him. "Why are you carrying a *weapon*!?"
People like Timmy defeat me. Some days, I want to mess with Timmy because, well, I'm not always the nicest person I guess. Other days, I just don't want to have to deal with whining. I'll pick the 112 for the former and Opinel #8 for the latter.
The Buck 112 is a hunting knife and it looks like a hunting knife. It's not as scary looking as its big brother, the Buck 110, but the deep bellied and abrupt clip point combined with the broad appearance of weight afforded by the brass makes it a significant knife to behold. And like other Buck lockbacks, the locking mechanism engages with a loud, sharp "snap". When I deploy my 112, peoples' head turn and they take notice. Especially Timmy.
The Opinel #8 on the other hand has never once caused a peep out of anybody. Not even Timmy. It's a pretty knife. Charming actually. The most common reaction I get is, "That's a pretty knife. What is that?"
If you want a knife that is less likely to upset the Timmys in your world, the Opinel #8 is the better choice.
IN THE POCKET - The Opinel #8 wins this category. It is insanely light. Like, "I can't believe a knife this tough can be this light" type of light. The #8 is long enough to be noticed in the pocket. But I find this is minimized if I carry it with the lock ring at the bottom of the pocket. This allows the thinner slick wood of the butt end to move freely in the pocket as I move. It does imprint a bit when wearing slacks but the weight allows it to be very, very easy to carry. In jeans, I don't notice the Opinel at all.
The Buck 112 is, well...., it's a knife of real substance. It's not Buck 110 heavy, but it's definitely a heavy knife. Many people I talk to carry it in a holster. But I find with rounded bolsters, the 112 is still very pocketable. I'll notice the weight for the first 5 minutes or so, but then I don't notice after that. The older versions with squared off edges on the bolsters don't carry as well. If you dig the Buck 112 and want a lighter knife for better pocket carry, I find the Ecolite 112 carries like a dream.
But, the Opinel #8 carries better than either of the Buck 112s.
IN THE KITCHEN - This category is a tie. I use my knives for food quite often. In the morning, I'll use them to cut bagels and spread butter. At lunch, I cut up fruit. At dinner, it's vegetables. The Opinel's blade is a bit longer and easier to deal with when cutting things on a cutting board or dealing with things like cutting chicken. But the Buck is easier to deal with in terms of wash up. Both have enough belly to spread butter. The Opinel wins the "reach deep in the peanut butter jar" test. But really, both work fine in the kitchen.
IN THE WOODS AND YARD - The Opinel wins here. I may be stepping on some toes saying this, but the Opinel is a tougher knife than the Buck. I do a lot work around my property and frequently use my pocket knife to cut small limbs and saplings. I'll generally use a hard slicing sort of cut, often bending the limb to stretch the wood before I cut it. This takes a good amount of pressure. Sometimes, I'll get the knife stuck in the wood and I'll free it with a bit of twist and rocking motion.
I've found that Bucks can loosen up in two ways. Twisting the blade can cause laterally play. And super hard push cuts can eventually create some vertical play. But for all of the beating and pounding I've dished out on my Opinels, I can't get them to wobble in any way. A big part of this is the steel inner ring that binds the joint together. Another has to do with the nature of the lock ring, which has the effect of taking any slop out of the system when engaged.
Another factor here is the convex grind on the Opinel's blade. I goes through wood like nobody's business. When camping, we have campfires and we also have fires in our backyard fire place often. The Opinel is the knife I'll reach for when cutting shavings for tinder.
IN THE SAND AND MUD - Our family likes to spend time on a beach in the summer and I like to sit and whittle. One thing I've learned is that sand and lockbacks is a lousy combination. The Opinel wins this category. Sand in the Buck locking mechanism can bind up so badly that the lock bar will bind up. Working the knife when fouled with sand just grinds and wears the internals which can lead to play.
Sand effects the Opinel too, but not nearly as bad. The place that gets mucked up with sand is the lock ring. It becomes a lot harder to turn but this doesn't damage the knife nearly as much. It's not like the mechanism will get worn and the lock will be more likely to fail. There's no question. If I need to use a knife in sandy or muddy conditions, I reach for the Opinel.
ON THE TRAIL - Neither knife makes the grade for backpacking or other forms of backcountry travel. The Buck 112 classic is just plain too heavy. I prefer to keep my knife in my pocket when hiking and the for active things like hiking and cross-country skiing, the weight of the 112 is just too much. On the other hand, I live and hike in New England and it's wet here a lot. I've used Opinels on the trail and they're light enough to carry. But, when I've been hiking for several hours in the rain (it happens) I don't want to reach into my pocket to find a knife whose joint has swollen tight with water and whose blade has formed surface rust. I've had both of these things happen on trips with the Opinel.
For what it's worth, Opinel makes an outdoor version of the #8 with a stainless blade and plastic handle. And, Buck makes a lighter Ecolite 112 made of Paperstone and an even lighter Bucklite Max 482. I carry a Bucklite Max on my backcountry trips.
IN MY HEART - This is harder. No amount of technical facts is enough to decide which knife to carry. Knives are deeply emotional things and I've come to believe the point of carrying a knife is to be happy. My kin folk hunt and everybody carries a Buck knife. I've had a Buck 110 since the 70s and when I hold a Buck 112 in my hand, I think it is the most perfect knife ever.
But, the Opinel remains a stubborn favorite. It is just too stinkin' functional. It's light, pretty to look at, cuts incredibly well and is amazingly and surprisingly tough under hard use. I'm not sure what you should do with this information. I don't either, which is why I keep a bowl next to my keys. Both knives are there. I never know which I'll carry, one day till the next.
REVIEW OF THE BUCK 112 AND OPINEL #8
=====
I love both of these knives for different reasons. No pictures (ok, I lied - picture added). Just a long ramble. Maybe something here will help somebody. Thanks for looking.
Buck 112 & Opinel #8 by Pinnah, on Flickr
BOTTOM LINE - If you want one of the most beautiful American made knives ever made and if you want a knife that's easy to use and if you can deal with a bit of heft (or a belt holster), get the Buck 112. If you want one of the lightest but most rugged folders you'll ever use and are willing to put up with a significant amount of maintenance and tinkering, get the Opinel #8.
OUT OF THE BOX - The Buck 112 wins this easily. As you would expect, you can buy a new Buck and just start using it. No problem. The Opinel, on the other hand, is something like a starter kit for a knife. The joint is super stiff and the lock needs to be tuned. The handle is crudely finished and needs to be further waterproofed. All of things can be overcome easily enough, but they do need to addressed. Once done, the Opinel transforms in a great knife, but I find them almost unusable out of the box and in need of regular attention to stay well tuned.
EASE OF USE - The Buck 112 wins the ease of use question. The blade is Bucks 420HC (my old one is 440C) and the classic Opinel #8 is carbon steel (Opinel also has stainless versions). The 420HC sharpens reasonably easily and is rust resistant enough for day to day use. The Opinel's carbon sharpens amazingly well, but it requires some attention to keep rust free. The Buck's lock is super easy to deal with. Open the knife and it locks. Press the lock bar to release the lock.
The locking mechanism on the Opinel is easy to use but a bit more complicated. You first unlock the blade by twisting the lock ring, then you deploy the friction blade and then you twist the the lockring again to lock it open. Once I got used to this, it has become second nature for me. But, it takes longer and there are more steps.
On the other hand, a well tuned Opinel allows for easy and safe one hand opening and closing. To open it, you pinch the blade to open the knife a bit, hook the end of the handle against your leg to fully open it and then engage the lockring. Closing is just as easy and since it's a friction pivot, there's no springs to snap shut on your fingers.
The Buck's construction makes it (nearly) impervious to water and wet weather. If it gets dirty with food or junk, I run it under hot water and occasionally touch up the joint with some oil. The Opinel's handle is made out of beech which swells considerably when wet. When the Opinel's wood gets wet, the blade gets incredibly tight. One way to help fend this off is with copious and frequent applications of petroleum jelly. This is messy and overall, it's more of a pain to clean the Opinel and keep it working freely.
In the shop and in the woods, I prefer the Opinel for the one hand opening/closing ability. But for day in/day out use, the Buck 112 is easier to deal with.
IN THE HAND - There is no knife more beautiful than the 112 to my eyes. There's just something about the brass and wood. And as soon as I hold it in my hands, I get a feeling of perfection. A big part of it is how the curved front bolster hugs the index finger and the way the rear bolster provides great balance. The broad flat back gives a secure place for my thumb. Instantly the knife feels like a solid and predictable extension of my hand. No other knife I've ever used feels this good in my hand. The only possible exception is the lighter Paperstone Ecolite 112.
The Opinel #8 is better than many knifes in my hand. The round, fatter section at the front of the handle fills my hand nicely, giving easy control and comfort when whittling. The iconic flared butt end of the Opinel is functional and gives my pinkie finger a place to wrap around the handle well, adding to the control over the blade. But, the handle is not quite long enough for my big hands.
The blades are similar in that both are clip points. I keep telling myself I'm not a fan of clip points but these are 2 of my favorite knives. The 112 is a bit shorter but it has a lot of belly. The Opinel #8 has a bit less clip and is longer and a bit thinner, edge to spine. I like both of them well.
In the hand, I give a slight edge to the 112, but the Opinel #8 is no slouch.
IN A CROWD OF PEOPLE - The Opinel wins the "least likely to scare Timmy" contest. We all know people like Timmy. Timmy never went camping as a kid and never owned a BB gun. Timmy works in the office and he's perfectly happy to use an 18" serrated kitchen knife when asked to cut up the coffee cake. But he'll shriek with horror when you pull out a pocket knife to open up the box of copier paper for him. "Why are you carrying a *weapon*!?"
People like Timmy defeat me. Some days, I want to mess with Timmy because, well, I'm not always the nicest person I guess. Other days, I just don't want to have to deal with whining. I'll pick the 112 for the former and Opinel #8 for the latter.
The Buck 112 is a hunting knife and it looks like a hunting knife. It's not as scary looking as its big brother, the Buck 110, but the deep bellied and abrupt clip point combined with the broad appearance of weight afforded by the brass makes it a significant knife to behold. And like other Buck lockbacks, the locking mechanism engages with a loud, sharp "snap". When I deploy my 112, peoples' head turn and they take notice. Especially Timmy.
The Opinel #8 on the other hand has never once caused a peep out of anybody. Not even Timmy. It's a pretty knife. Charming actually. The most common reaction I get is, "That's a pretty knife. What is that?"
If you want a knife that is less likely to upset the Timmys in your world, the Opinel #8 is the better choice.
IN THE POCKET - The Opinel #8 wins this category. It is insanely light. Like, "I can't believe a knife this tough can be this light" type of light. The #8 is long enough to be noticed in the pocket. But I find this is minimized if I carry it with the lock ring at the bottom of the pocket. This allows the thinner slick wood of the butt end to move freely in the pocket as I move. It does imprint a bit when wearing slacks but the weight allows it to be very, very easy to carry. In jeans, I don't notice the Opinel at all.
The Buck 112 is, well...., it's a knife of real substance. It's not Buck 110 heavy, but it's definitely a heavy knife. Many people I talk to carry it in a holster. But I find with rounded bolsters, the 112 is still very pocketable. I'll notice the weight for the first 5 minutes or so, but then I don't notice after that. The older versions with squared off edges on the bolsters don't carry as well. If you dig the Buck 112 and want a lighter knife for better pocket carry, I find the Ecolite 112 carries like a dream.
But, the Opinel #8 carries better than either of the Buck 112s.
IN THE KITCHEN - This category is a tie. I use my knives for food quite often. In the morning, I'll use them to cut bagels and spread butter. At lunch, I cut up fruit. At dinner, it's vegetables. The Opinel's blade is a bit longer and easier to deal with when cutting things on a cutting board or dealing with things like cutting chicken. But the Buck is easier to deal with in terms of wash up. Both have enough belly to spread butter. The Opinel wins the "reach deep in the peanut butter jar" test. But really, both work fine in the kitchen.
IN THE WOODS AND YARD - The Opinel wins here. I may be stepping on some toes saying this, but the Opinel is a tougher knife than the Buck. I do a lot work around my property and frequently use my pocket knife to cut small limbs and saplings. I'll generally use a hard slicing sort of cut, often bending the limb to stretch the wood before I cut it. This takes a good amount of pressure. Sometimes, I'll get the knife stuck in the wood and I'll free it with a bit of twist and rocking motion.
I've found that Bucks can loosen up in two ways. Twisting the blade can cause laterally play. And super hard push cuts can eventually create some vertical play. But for all of the beating and pounding I've dished out on my Opinels, I can't get them to wobble in any way. A big part of this is the steel inner ring that binds the joint together. Another has to do with the nature of the lock ring, which has the effect of taking any slop out of the system when engaged.
Another factor here is the convex grind on the Opinel's blade. I goes through wood like nobody's business. When camping, we have campfires and we also have fires in our backyard fire place often. The Opinel is the knife I'll reach for when cutting shavings for tinder.
IN THE SAND AND MUD - Our family likes to spend time on a beach in the summer and I like to sit and whittle. One thing I've learned is that sand and lockbacks is a lousy combination. The Opinel wins this category. Sand in the Buck locking mechanism can bind up so badly that the lock bar will bind up. Working the knife when fouled with sand just grinds and wears the internals which can lead to play.
Sand effects the Opinel too, but not nearly as bad. The place that gets mucked up with sand is the lock ring. It becomes a lot harder to turn but this doesn't damage the knife nearly as much. It's not like the mechanism will get worn and the lock will be more likely to fail. There's no question. If I need to use a knife in sandy or muddy conditions, I reach for the Opinel.
ON THE TRAIL - Neither knife makes the grade for backpacking or other forms of backcountry travel. The Buck 112 classic is just plain too heavy. I prefer to keep my knife in my pocket when hiking and the for active things like hiking and cross-country skiing, the weight of the 112 is just too much. On the other hand, I live and hike in New England and it's wet here a lot. I've used Opinels on the trail and they're light enough to carry. But, when I've been hiking for several hours in the rain (it happens) I don't want to reach into my pocket to find a knife whose joint has swollen tight with water and whose blade has formed surface rust. I've had both of these things happen on trips with the Opinel.
For what it's worth, Opinel makes an outdoor version of the #8 with a stainless blade and plastic handle. And, Buck makes a lighter Ecolite 112 made of Paperstone and an even lighter Bucklite Max 482. I carry a Bucklite Max on my backcountry trips.
IN MY HEART - This is harder. No amount of technical facts is enough to decide which knife to carry. Knives are deeply emotional things and I've come to believe the point of carrying a knife is to be happy. My kin folk hunt and everybody carries a Buck knife. I've had a Buck 110 since the 70s and when I hold a Buck 112 in my hand, I think it is the most perfect knife ever.
But, the Opinel remains a stubborn favorite. It is just too stinkin' functional. It's light, pretty to look at, cuts incredibly well and is amazingly and surprisingly tough under hard use. I'm not sure what you should do with this information. I don't either, which is why I keep a bowl next to my keys. Both knives are there. I never know which I'll carry, one day till the next.
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