Opinel Knives Review

Among lovers and collectors of edged weapons, the French brand of knives Opinel is quite popular. Simple appearance, good performance, tradition and history of old France - all these are united in the products of this brand.

Opinel is a French knife brand that is known all over the world. Similar knives existed throughout France in the 19th century on the farm of peasants and workers. The year of the creation of the first sample of a folding pocket knife with a wooden handle was 1890. Then the young and enterprising Joseph Opinel thought about creating a new knife model, suitable for the local population and easy to carry in a pocket.

A few years later, Joseph can no longer cope with the flow of orders on his own and hires three assistants, his still unnamed production continues to grow. By 1901, Opinel opened a small factory, which already employs 15 people.

In those days, it was believed that every artisan who was engaged in the production of cold steel should have his own stamp - a personal trade mark. Therefore, on the Opinel products, on each issued knife, a name stamp was affixed, depicting a hand with the index and middle fingers raised and a crown over it.

At that time, there were 10 dimensional types: from the smallest (key chains) to giant 22-centimeter blades.Much later, in 1955, a unique patented lock - "viroblock" was installed on large models (starting from the sixth issue), which prevented unexpected opening or closing of the knife (it is used to this day).

At the moment, knife blades are made using carbon steel or stainless steel. For the production of handles, tree species growing in France are used: elm, beech, wild cherry, boxwood, ash, oak, olive, bubinga and ebony.

The models are simple in design: the handle with a saw cut for the blade, the blade and the retaining ring are convenient to use and easy to clean. In addition to traditional knives that have proven themselves in the market, today's production includes the following models.

• For tourism... There are several models that can be used for hiking, fishing and hunting. But the common thread is that each piece has a glass-fiber-reinforced nylon handle and a Sandvik stainless steel blade in varying lengths. Some models are equipped with a rescue whistle, flint, hook, cutter. All models are provided with a "viroblock" lock.

• Sirloin... The company presents knives with horn, beech, olive, bubing and ebony handles and specially sharpened blades made of sandvik stainless steel. The length of the blade ranges from 8 cm to 15 cm. Each model is equipped with patented "viroblock" locks, which ensures the safety of use in the open or closed position. This model can be purchased in a wooden box with an included knife sheath.

• Gardening... The company presents folding knives with a beech handle and a stainless or carbon steel blade with straight, curved, serrated blades ranging from 8 cm (mushroom picker knife) to 18 cm (saws). The knives are additionally treated with anti-corrosion compounds. All models are equipped with a "viroblock" lock, a lanyard hole, and the mushroom picker's knife is supplemented with a special brush to remove dirt.

• Outdoor. The handles, as in the tourism models, are made of fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, the 8.5 cm long stainless steel blades are additionally equipped with a serrator. Each piece has a "viroblock" lock, a rescue whistle and a key for the shackles.

• Miniature key rings. These are knives with a blade length of 2 cm, equipped with a chain with a key ring.

• Baby My first Opinel. Folding knives suitable for teaching a child to safely and correctly handle cutting objects. They represent a beech handle and a steel blade with a rounded end 8 cm long. Equipped with a "viroblock" lock. Suitable for cooking, woodworking and handicraft making.

• Kitchen. The company presents various models of knives for cooking, cutting meat, serving.

As a rule, all kitchen knives and cutlery from this manufacturer are presented with blade fixation. The blades are made of stainless steel, and the handles are made of beech, impregnated with acetal resin (protects against moisture, acids, grease and alkali). This line includes vegetable peelers, butter knives, universal models with a serrated edge, multifunctional models with a smooth cutting edge, with a curved blade for peeling vegetables and fruits, sirloin models, cutlery.

The entire range is manufactured according to the manufacturer's standards - a wooden handle, stainless steel blades and blades of various lengths and sharpenings. You can purchase either a separate model or a set of several knives in a gift box.

Cutlery is available in the Bon Appetit and Chic series. Knives from the Chic collection are of a fillet type with a handle made of beech, ebony or other precious woods and a Trailing Point Inox blade (springy stainless steel) that does not require special maintenance. The blade is 10 centimeters long.You can purchase a set of 4 knives packed in a box.

The design consists of a handle made of polymerized formaldehyde, which provides high wear resistance and protection against moisture and corrosion, and an Inox blade with a blade length of 11 cm and a special sharpening (does not require frequent sharpening, leaving the blade sharp even with constant use).

Also in the assortment of the company there are models Opinel "Gourmet" with 10cm blade, corkscrew and 9cm oyster and shellfish blade.

In this series you can purchase Opinel Nomad Cooking Kit for outdoor use and travel, consisting of folding knives for peeling vegetables and fruits, classic with a corkscrew, with serrated sharpening and a beech cutting board. Everything is packed in microfiber cloth. From the above review of the Opinel knife range, it follows that absolutely every buyer can choose a unique copy for himself or make a wonderful gift for a connoisseur and collector of limited edition knives.

Numerous reviews of the owners of Opinel products can be divided into 2 camps. Some are ardent fans of the brand with a history and consider it a must to have at least one Opinel in their collection. They are not confused by the simple and rude appearance of the products, and affordable prices only add those who want to buy the famous Opinel to their piggy bank.

Many owners of the "classic" are ready to carry out time-consuming manipulations to improve the working properties of the models. So, they impregnate wood handles with linseed oil to impart moisture resistance and create an anti-corrosion coating for carbon steel blades (by immersion in Coca-Cola). And modern Opinel models already have all the protective properties, the blades are sharper (and remain so for a long time), and the handles are more durable and ergonomic.

But there are those who consider the models obsolete, and the lack of an automatic system for opening and closing the blade is attributed to disadvantages. The presence in some models of sufficiently thin blades made of flexible metals leads to a rapid curvature of the blades, which is also attributed to shortcomings. But thanks to the centuries-old traditions of metal processing, which the manufacturer adheres to to this day, the simplicity of the design and the multifunctional use of knives, as well as low prices, the popularity of Opinel products is growing every day.

See below for an overview of Opinel knives.