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Been to France many times but I've never bought one previously as I have a Leatherman / Gerber / Victorinox / stolen from work Stanley knives etc
However its our 20th wedding anniversary so whilst here in France I bought a stainless/beech #8.
I'm not materialistic - my most prized possessions are humble functional objects with stories/memories attached to them. After MrsRNP and I cut our lunchtime bread and made a picnic on our journey home today I think this cheap little knife is going to join that list of objects!
It's an arme blanche de catégorie D so if you use it on a picnic in the courtyside it's OK to carry but leave it in your pocket in a town center and it's illegal unless you can dream up a plausible justification (you'll fail).
My #8 never leaves the cutlery drawer, if I need to take a knife for anything it's a non-locking Vitorinox.
Sadly it's our last day tomorrow so no more picnics - just nice memories.(currently in Verizon- been just up the coast from Perpignan for the last few weeks)
The #8 will be on light workshop/home/mail opening duties when home.
It always seems annoying to me that an excellent whittling, carving and general craft knife like an Opinel can be regarded as anything other than a boon to society @Edukator but it does seem to.
I have one in my study, two in my workshop, and one in the bike tool wrap in the car boot (with the chain whip and zip ties).
The knife sharpener Global recommend works a treat with them too.
Every posh boy done a winter season in Val d’Isere trustafarian I’ve ever encountered has wanged on endlessly about how uh may zing Opinel knives are literally they literally are.
They look cool but the above puts me off so I’ve never bought one.
I've been lusting after this since I saw them in a shop window in the Auvergne a few years ago.
https://www.opinel.com/en/nomad-cooking/picnic-plus-complete-set
Such a lovely thing.
My first one was left in my Morris Marina by some raver or dealer in Coventry. I’d left it open for a girl who wasn’t getting in to the club for some reason. It was The Eclipse so open till six am.
In the morning the car was fine, but had had a few people in it I think. Anyway I ended up with my first Opinel, I think it was used for cutting up blocks of resin, not anything nasty.
Early 90’s I think.
I've (unintentionally) got a while collection from the tiny #2 all the way up to the #10 with the corkscrew. Had a #12 with the serrated blade, but prefer a straight blade even for cutting bread.
Really easy to sharpen, hold their edge and a little dab of olive oil helps prevent rust, although I quite like the rusty patina.
I’ve got a few. Three carbone blades, two inox, and a butter spreader and a breakfast knife.
The small inox (stainless steel) lives in my gravel bike seat pack for picnic duties. The large No10 inox with a plastic handle is in my work tool kit, well my pocket mostly, and gets used multiple times a day.
I really like them. Lovely tools.
* Someone will be along shortly to dismiss them as dangerous and/or useless.
I have a few of them, great knives. I bought them back when I use to shoot but as I no longer d that they spend their lives scattered about in a drawer. Never felt the need to carry one for a picnic or to butter a croissant mid ride.
Got a non-pointy one for my scouts attending kid. It’s great!
posh boy done a winter season in Val d’Isere
Guilty apart from the posh bit.
The classic for dealing with wine bottles is the Laguiole with the cork screw. I've got couple which don't get used much as I've given up drinking. The bone handles have suffered from washing and it's only the blade that is inox so they look a mess. One is 10cm so stays at home and a shorter one was for mountain top red and saucisson. Check how to pronounce Laguiole before talking about them.
Had loads of opinel’s as a kid as my dad always had them and handed them down (1980’s very isolated area of Argyll, was utterly wild n’ feral brilliant existence), easy to build a decent edge on even for a kid, but these days I settle for my opinel bread knife, which is very decent I may add.
If I was able to venture outside I’d be perfectly happy continuing to carry one of my opinel knives (no idea of sizes) here in very rural/quiet Galloway
https://www.opinel.com/en/no-116-parallele-olive-bread-knife
Got a non-pointy one for my scouts attending kid. It’s great!
Thats the No7 Junior, and probably if its for picnics etc then it would be a safer option.
I like this.
https://www.opinel.com/en/nomad-cooking/picnic-plus-complete-set
I bought my no.7 carbon opinel when I was working at a camping shop in my teen years. 20 odd years later it's still going strong, the blade is a bit misshapen due to uneven sharpening! But hey it's what makes it mine!
Enjoy your new toy! 🙂
I bought one of the new ones the other day
Opinel Neo6 Opiflex UK EDC Folding Knife - 2.75"
It's really nice, and although it doesn't lock so therefore doesn't fall into UK knife law problems it does click open. this means it doesn't have the same problem that some of the non-locking opinel's have in that if you slip the blade can come straight back across your fingers. For some strange reason it does have a blunt tip which is quite irritating if you want to pierce plastic packaging, it's a nice knife and we'll probably end up being in my pocket most days.
If you want something that doesn't look quite as nice but is a lot more practical then something from spyderco in the UK every day carry range is really nice. If you get the stainless steel one (think they call it salt) then it'll never corrod and they stay sharp for a very long time and have a good point. Due to the blade design your forefinger is actually on a knurlled out section on the blade so they're very unlikely to be able to close on your fingers even though they don't lock
me and her both have one in our tool pouches on the bikes.
this year we have been to Belgium, Holland and France via the ferry on our bikes.
wife was asked in Harwich if she was carrying a knife or weapons. she said no without thinking.
good for crispy bread, cheese and smoked sausage cutting whilst touring.
I got my first one on french exchange when i was 12 or 13, that lasted until my brother took it to a party when he was about 14 and used it for levering the tops off beer bottles, was never the same again, he eventually stole it permanently.
More recently picked up a Nr8 Carbon and a Nr12 Inox for myself after my partner asked for a mushroom knife... So i got her an Opinel mushroom knife... Not sure where the Nr8 is right now, but the 12 is in the car
I had never heard of an Opinel until today, thanks for the pictures!
Is it a class thing as the talk of people carrying one in their daily lives could be viewed quite differently if living in an area subject to stop and search?
I used to carry a locking knife for cutting up the bailer twine,while hanging signs on bike race routes.
Now and again I would think about a stop and search scenario,but always convinced myself(I know,I know) ,that an old bloke hanging signs was not high on any dangerous list.
The (metal) knitting needles that Mrs FH leaves in the car would (probably) make a far better weapon.
The classic for dealing with wine bottles is the Laguiole with the cork screw.
Yep, that's what I have as a picnic knife, I guess I associate Laguiole with food more than Opinel due to their steak knives. No locking mechanism so a bit more plod friendly.
If we're doing action shots here's one of the lunch production line with everyone using their new Opinels.
I knew nothing of Opinel until a few years ago, when I started spending more time in the Portes du Soleil. Then I bought one about 2 years ago, and it’s now genuinely one of my most treasured possessions. It’s so French. And so excellent. And so cheap. I hope to keep using mine until I die! I love them. Apparently they’re made by a family owned company based somewhere around Grenoble (I haven’t fact checked that statement).
Opinel is in Chambery and much of the other high quality French cutlery comes from around Thiers or Laguiole even. 😉 Thiers has some of the cheapest property in France but is a nice enough place. Some of the workshops/factories you can visit. It's an area worth making a stop over in if ever you're heading back up from the Med.
Is it a class thing as the talk of people carrying one in their daily lives could be viewed quite differently if living in an area subject to stop and search?
Class, race. Mostly race in my experience. I like opinels, but they are a locking knife so I won't carry one. Same for any locking knife. The standard victorinox camper can also slice up cured sausages just fine.
That laguiole looks good as an alternative if the blade is short enough?
Ummm, just checked the prices...not really the same sort of thing as an Opinels.
The knives made in Thiers go from a few euros to 1500e. The ones I like most at home are the basic steak knives which cost only about 50% more than the asian things, but have lovely wooden handles and put up with all sorts of abuse. Sorry if you're vegetarian, th ereamins of my evening meal:
Ummm, just checked the prices...not really the same sort of thing as an Opinels.
The one I stole a picture of is £32.90. Mine, not sure - but was bought in a French supermarket, maybe around €15?
https://www.walletking.co.uk/laguiole-folding-knife-with-corkscrew-olive-wood.html
Laguiole is a style of knife, as I understand it, rather than a manufacturer, so prices vary wildly.
I like opinels, but they are a locking knife so I won't carry one. Same for any locking knife.
I don’t “carry” any knife exactly but I do have knives in tool kits, in the workshop etc. There a locking knife makes absolute sense because, at the margins, it’s more stable and therefore safer in use.
I work in a hardware shop, we sell Opinel knives - models 2-5 are non-locking.
Ok, must have looked at a top end
Languiole. Yeah I know locking is safer in use, but one of my stop and searches was when I was on a bike, in the Peak District ffs, and the police officer searched my camelback pack carefully. I only had a basic multitool, no blades luckily.
Laguiole is a style of knife, as I understand it, rather than a manufacturer, so prices vary wildly.
Sadly true. As with many cheese names "Laguiole" is not a protected origin or name so anyone can use the name on a blade made anywhere. However if it has "vrais couteaux Laguiole" it's from Laguiole. What I look for is "Thiers France" stamped on the blade because that is protected and proves the knife comes from Thiers like the one in my photo.
There’s a great little shop in Oxford-
‘Objects of Use’
They have a great selection of more obscure Opinel stuff. One with a black blade, one with a fancier handle, the picnic one and so forth. Might pop in tomorrow.
Best vending machine ever. Top station of the Vallandry lift in Les Arcs has a local produce vending machine where you can buy cheese complete with an Opinel.
Bought mine at a shop in BsM last summer though.
One of these N°12 Saw | Opinel.com https://share.google/KNZ24iPzrEWzhGEYr lives in my Camelbak
I’ve had two Opinels for a number of years now, I don’t carry them all the time, but I have got my #6 in a pocket in my shorts at the moment, just as a change from the century old pocket knife I inherited from a family member, which has the type of slip joint that stops part way.
I’m just not paranoid about carrying a small innocuous pocket knife, but I’m not really blatant about it either, it’s just a very useful little tool. I’ve also never been stopped and questioned about carrying a knife of any sort in my 71 years. I even used to take a pen knife to school - I used to use it for sharpening my pencils in technical drawing, I could get a much better point than using the class pencil sharpener!
Mine are Carbone, a #6 and a #7, and I like the fact that they’re simple, cheap, and can be customised to an extent.
Both of them have now got brass lined lanyard holes in the handles, and I never liked the upswept tip of the blades, so mine are now a modified tanto tip.
2012 on top of Sasso Piatto (2958m) after a great via ferrata route. Looking over to Sciliar
Used it to cut up bread, cheese, salami and tomato.
Any idea why you were searched whilst riding a bike in the Peak District?
Any idea why you were searched whilst riding a bike in the Peak District?
A pub has been broken into and the cash stolen from the till. I was nearby and riding a bike with a small camelback pack. Police officer was in a 4x4 and saw me and stopped me. It wasn't that bad compared to another stop and search I had in a tube station in London. There I was clearly picked on as the only non-white person around and the officer was very aggressive, shouting and spitting in my face . He wanted me to confess that my water bottle was petrol. Only after quite a while of this did the other officer pull him off saying he'd done enough.
Anyway, in both cases, having a locking cheese and sausage knife wouldn't have helped my situation. This sort of policing exists so why would I give them any reason to detain or charge me?
Jeez - thanks Yak.
I don't carry an opinel or any other knife that locks if i am not specifically doing something that needs a knife.
A swiss army knife does everything that might be needed of a knife. Mainly for the scissors and the bottle opener. I am always curious about what people actually do with them to make them unsafe.
Just bought a tiny little keyring one, no.4 which doesn’t lock, looked so cute I couldn’t resist, cheap as chips like all Opinels. I already have 2 other sizes at home. The only criticism I have is they can be stiff to open if they get damp and the wood swells around the pivot, then you merely grab it by the lock ring and tap the raised heel on a firm surface and voila,the tip of the blade pops out-I think the French call it the paysan tap or something. Knife shops in France are ace!
There’s a great little shop in Oxford-
‘Objects of Use’
They have a great selection of more obscure Opinel stuff.
I live in Oxford, and know the shop well. We gave our son the Opinel N°07 Chestnuts, garlic and pitting knife for Christmas. We thought it was pretty much as Objects of Use as one can get, other than the Japanese jika-tabi wellies with a separated big toe...
@joshvegas what’s the difference between a camp chef knife and a chef knife?
How you hold it?
Camp as in it folds and goes in the camping box. For cookin'
“Camp chef knife”
Ooer, missus!
A swiss army knife does everything that might be needed of a knife. Mainly for the scissors and the bottle opener. I am always curious about what people actually do with them to make them unsafe.
Well, having had the main blade shut across my fingers several times while using it for starters.
I’ve still got my SAC, but after having the blade close on me a number of times in use, I got something less painful and dangerous to carry. Which was also less bulky and easier to carry.
Apart from that, the other tools are handy, but I’ve got better ones on my Gerber multitool, including pliers with a decent wirecutter.
My CRKT Pilar U.K. is my carry regular pocket knife, it’s non-locking, but it has a deep finger choil that completely prevents the blade closing in use, but the blade doesn’t have such a fine point as my Opinel, which is amazingly good for easing out splinters, and perfect for coring apples.
Lovely little cheap knives are Opinels. I have a carbon bladed number 8 which was my father's. God knows how old it is, the blade his been sharpened so many times it's probably half it's original size.
I bought the stainless steel number 8 to retire dad's, nowadays it has different locking ring I noticed .. and much softer steel. Managed to bend the tip quite easily.
Now and again I would think about a stop and search scenario,but always convinced myself(I know,I know) ,that an old bloke hanging signs was not high on any dangerous list.
Probably usually right but maybe not always...? https://singletrackmag.com/forum/off-topic/caution-for-carrying-gardening-trowel/
Anyway, back to Opinels.
`The only criticism I have is they can be stiff to open if they get damp and the wood swells around the pivot'
Doesnt everyone modify their Opinel handle? first thing i did was sand the varnish off, open up the cut in handle so blade not so tight, and make a groove near end to get good grip on blade to open if there is any swelling. I boiled some linseed oil (well put in microwave for 30 seconds or so) and soaked handle in it overnight. No more swelling handle.
Alternatively instead of all that faff. Hold the collar and with the blade pointing down rap the toe of the handle and the blade pops out.
Thats what the toe is for.
I’ve still got my SAC, but after having the blade close on me a number of times in use
How? Genuinely curious i can't think of a scenario where you should be applying force to the blade in such a way that it closes on you, other than maybe using the tip for something questionable.
I am not saying its perfect*, merely pointing out that its fine and totally legal to carry. And its a well recognised knife so its not like people see it and start thinking "knife attack"
*I am not even saying its that good. I keep losing scales from mine. But the tweezers and the toothpick are useful.
To cross the streams a bit, one of my past french holdiay purchases was Opinel style knife labelled Laguiole...
ANy reccs for a smallish sharpener that can rattle around my campervan cutlery drawer which will put a decent edge on my carbon No8 (and whatever other blades I have in there, think there's a leatherman and big Morakniv)?
one of my past french holdiay purchases was Opinel style knife labelled Laguiole...
More significantly:
https://www.jeandubost.fr/societe-jean-dubost
We used to go camping in France every single summer when I was a kid and everywhere sold Opinel knives. Such a timeless design.
I've got ten of them now including a couple of limited editions which never leave their boxes. A bog-standard No.9 is my go-to picnic knife, and I have a razor sharp No.8 Carbone in my tool bag.
The best things to come out of France are wine, cheese and Opinels. 🤣
Bought a wooden handled penknife in France this summer and they had a 3D printer frame with a laser instead of a filament print head. You could choose your design on the computer and the laser then burnt it into the wooden handle 🙂
One of my nerdy mates has one in his workshop...Bought a wooden handled penknife in France this summer and they had a 3D printer frame with a laser instead of a filament print head.
We used to go camping in France every single summer when I was a kid and everywhere sold Opinel knives. Such a timeless design.
I've got ten of them now including a couple of limited editions which never leave their boxes. A bog-standard No.9 is my go-to picnic knife, and I have a razor sharp No.8 Carbone in my tool bag.
The best things to come out of France are wine, cheese and Opinels. 🤣
Bangers, you forgot bangers.
A present from French friends. They organised French Singlespeed champs.
What if one wanted to be more patriotic in one's knife purchasing requirements?
It's absolutely criminal but in sure Yak is right. As a 52yo white male civil servant I've never been stopped and never really worried about being stopped. For 25 years (until a pervious stw knife thread) my edc multitool was an alien 2. Really good tool.... but didn't need a knife that locked. That tool lived in my back pack, commuting(by bike) everyday, pubs after work, it was there. Never a problem because i'm white.
These days I have swapped it for a multitool without a blade but both my car and my wife's car have a gerber at the bottom/ back of the globe box, with locking blades again.
I have a razor sharp No.8 Carbone
Not having bought a stainless version, I don’t know what the steel is like for edge retention, but the Carbone blades are outstanding for taking an edge, and I do like the fact that they stain and patinate.
My little apple tree has been producing lots of fairly small but juicy and tasty apples, so I’ve been slicing them in two and coring them, for maximum crunchy juiciness, and after just wiping the blade and putting the knife away, next day the blade has an almost ‘oil on water’ rainbow sheen to it.
Not sure it’ll stay like that though…
Found it, in my work bag. I have no idea how it got there, but probably not the best of ideas...Not sure where the Nr8 is right now, but the 12 is in the car
Bought a wooden handled penknife in France this summer and they had a 3D printer frame with a laser instead of a filament print head. You could choose your design on the computer and the laser then burnt it into the wooden handle
Yeah that's what Mrsstu and I got given on a recent biking trip.
Bangers, you forgot bangers.
As a 14yr old holidaying in France during July, those little red bangers were a highlight. I thought I was being canny buying strips of firecrackers on a linked fuse then separating them (cheaper per banger than buying the individually-fused ones) but didn't appreciate the fuse burned a LOT quicker until one went off much earlier than anticipated...
My Opinel lives in my bag for days out. Can't remember the model, it's within legal blade length but I'm aware the locking collar is an issue legally.
They sell Opinel knives in Porthmadog GoOutdoors…
Maybe one of these if you want to be more patriotic (what ever that means)
Well, yeah but how often do you need a marlin spike? Got some firmly stuck knots preventing access to the cheese and sausages 😉
I still think the standard Victorinox Camper is the ideal and legal tool for most purposes if you are out and about, (cheese/sausages/wine). But for more heavy duty use I do have a bigger locking EKA knife. Ideal for gardening/ home jobs. Son tends to borrow it when whittling wooden animals. The bigger thicker blade does the heavy work before he gets the lighter fixed blade whittling knife out for the fine shaping.
I cant remember the last time I needed a can opener either, and as for the corkscrew on my SAK, never been used
I needed a can opener when in Patterdale last year and I’d got a Fray Bentos pie and my conventional tin opener exploded into bits- exactly a year after I bought it - in Patterdale!
I bought a couple of Ganzo knives recenrly and really impressed with the quality. I’ve got a 759 and fh11-s. Both are uk carry length but not mechanism. I’d only carry them when I had a legit use so the legal carry thing is a bit moot. From Aliexpress official store they were £15 and £25 but Aliexpress doesn’t seem to have any on sale at all now - don’t know if they’ve banned. The knife category for some reason. They’re easily a match for the bird design the 759 copies (and better steel),
http://www.ganzoknife.shop/folding-knives-ganzo?