The Gun Counter

Anybody have experience with them? I ordered a #8 garden knife from Amazon, we'll see what it's like. I gather they're made in France, have a locking blade, some people like them rather like Swedish Moras. The basic knives with (beech) wooden handles are not expensive. Here's their USA website:

http://www.opinel-usa.com/

Here's something interesting--they sell knives with raw handles as well, so people can carve them:

http://michel.montlahuc.free.fr/lgerdil.htm

I know we have a few aficionados here. Based on the low price, and their recommendations, I bought three. I have the #10, #8, and #6. Excellent knives, but in my opinion, better suited for kitchen or picnic duty than EDC.

You might find this useful…

Link

And this…

Why You Should Own An Opinel

I have one...somewhere.

For the price, it's a really good knife. The steel holds an edge well, the locking ring works, and it cuts stuff.

It's not as tough as a full tang fixed blade, but, they're good knifes for the price.

skb12172 wrote:Excellent knives, but in my opinion, better suited for kitchen or picnic duty than EDC.

That pretty much sums it up. I have had one, but lost it. For me, it's not a competitor to a Mora, they're totally different kind of knifes.

The Mora is an all around work horse. It can be used for pretty much anything you want to use a knife for, and you can abuse it and still depend on it. (I've cleared brush with Moras several times) It's kind of a reflection of the Scandinavian mindset of utility, where things are meant to be used, and used a lot.

The Opinel is more of a finesse knife. It doesn't really feel very strong (even for a folder), and I wouldn't even think about abusing it. But as a small knife to keep in your pocket and cut things with that doesn't require too much force, I think it's great. Open letters and boxes, cut string, and other things like that is what the Opinel does well. If that's what you need a knife for I don't see any reason not to buy one.

They are picnic knives, not working (let alone survival) knives: great if you're cutting cheese and apples, and peeling back the foil on a bottle of the grape.
They beat a knapped slab of flint wrapped in deer antler and anchored with dried sinew and hoof paste, but they're not a Mora, and certainly not a KaBar, SRK, or Becker Companion.
Which, given the price, is about what you'd expect, and they fold up to fit in your pocket.

Aesop wrote:They are picnic knives, not working (let alone survival) knives: great if you're cutting cheese and apples, and peeling back the foil on a bottle of the grape.
They beat a knapped slab of flint wrapped in deer antler and anchored with dried sinew and hoof paste, but they're not a Mora, and certainly not a KaBar, SRK, or Becker Companion.
Which, given the price, is about what you'd expect, and they fold up to fit in your pocket.

Pretty much. They're cute little fairly light-duty utility knives. The steel is thin, but that just means it cuts better. I have three of them, and carry them occasionally. They're cheap and readily customized. They're also very light-weight, so it's a good knife to stick in your pocket if you're not planning on carrying a knife - you won't notice it.

They have always impressed me with their edge holding to price ratio, but as noted they are only for very light duty use.

My son, who is a knife guy and hobbyist blacksmith tells me that his favorite knife for whittling is an Opinel. He claims that they hold an edge really well, and that the edge is easy to touch-up.

I like them a lot - cheap, cheerful and sharp. Did I mention cheap? They're commodities, and I regularly throw another one into the shopping basket when I see them at the supermarket or garden centre. The carbon steel ones come with and take a great edge and are easily resharpened, the stainless ones somewhat less so, but those are much better for food use, as they don't tarnish.

The varnished round wooden handles are not very "grippy", so not very suitable for use in the wet, or for slippery jobs like gutting fish or animals. I didn't know it was possible to get them with blank handles - those could probaly be improved somewhat in the grip department by careful carving and stippling...

Since Erik made the comparison, an Opinel can be brought places a sheathed Morakniv can't - such as for use in knife-averse company, on picnics, at work, etc. On the other hand, the Moras have a better grip and are much stronger general-purpose knives.

My suggestion - buy a few of each!