This free, private museum exploring opinel s history was successfully renovated and enlarged in 20 and then again in 2018 by the opinel company, jacques opinel and his son maxime. If there are two brands most responsible for making pocket knives what they are today, they are victorinox and opinel. The iconic n08 pocket knife is available with a stainless steel blade for excellent corrosion resistance. Meet emeline ducrocq, the team leader for wood craftsmanship in the opinel artisan wood workshop. The opinel knife was invented by joseph opinel in 1890 in savoie as a simple working mans or peasants knife. The opinel knife is the result of a family saga that took place in the heart of the. This knife is small enough to be used as a pocket knife and its 3 14 blade prevents it from being considered a weapon in most states please check with your state before considering this knife. A great place to buy computers, computer parts, electronics, software, accessories, and dvds online. It sharpens easily and locks in open position with a simple turn of the metal base.
The opinel museum is located in saintjeandemaurienne and rapidly became one of the top visitor destinations in savoie. In 1897, a series of twelve sizes, numbered 1 to 12, was developed. If you were to search my closet you would find an opinel no. Something thats ideal for edc but possesses a touch of class. There is just the slightest perceptible secondary bevel. Over 120 years later, its design is still considered one of the most important in history.
With great prices, fast shipping, and toprated customer service newegg shopping upgraded. It sharpens easily and locks in open position with a. Keep the knife in your pocket, purse or toolbox and we are certain youll love it for years to come. In any case, i view opinels as the folding equivalent to the mora knife from sweden. The knife measures 7 12 inches long with the blade open and 4 12 inches long with it closed. Finding the largest pocket knife around maybe a difficult thing to do but if you are looking for a knife with all the tools then the wenger giant is. The opinel company has manufactured and marketed a line of eponymous woodenhandled.
An exhibition of the 100 bestdesigned objects in the world, held at londons victoria and albert museum in 1985, placed the opinel no 8 knife right up there with a rolex and a porsche. Its beech wood handle makes it feels secure and comfortable in the hand. As all the blades of the opinel, this opinel no 8 has a beautiful look with a clip point and a full flat grind blades also a nail point near to the tip of the blade, the logo of the opinel is carved into the blade near the pivot. No wonder so many through the years, including pablo picasso, have made it their knife of choice. Opinel no8 stainless steel blade folding knife pocket. Bahco farmers file is what i used here, but the 10 one. Opinel has had a long history of stylish minimalist knives, but the opinel no. That isnt bad for an item which only consists of five separate parts, costs less than a midrange bottle of wine and except for the addition of a blade lock in 1955 has remained pretty much.
This free, private museum exploring opinels history was successfully. After slicing a bale of cardboard and plastic strapping, the no. If you need a serious work knife, consider something else, or try one of the larger opinel sizes. I have an openel knife that was handed down to me from my father. Moore in his book, penknives and other folding knives, the slipjoint a. It was made in france and around the blade lock reads no. I was surprised how recently the locking ring was added to the design 1955. I wear a size large mens glove, and you can see in the second photo that the handle is longer than my hand is wide. In 1985, the victoria and albert museum named the opinel knife one of the 100 best designed objects in the world. Joseph opinel began making knives in 1890 in savoie, france as a simple working mans or peasants knife.
Opinel knife academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. The stainless steel blade is highly anticorrosive so it will hold up to harsh environments and is easy to sharpen. The survival knife still carries the classic silhouette of an opinel, meaning the iconic handle shape, opening mechanism and locking ring have been preserved, but. Im a huge fan of opinels, as you can read in my previous opinel no. Shop for knives at rei free shipping on all orders. Historically opinels only came in the form of friction folders. The blade is carbon steel although they do offer stainless blades and has all. Of opinels and cheese glue, essential modifications for.
Opinel knives are made of both high carbon and stainless steel, the latter being the highest. Opinel worked on a folding knife design in his spare time and by 1897, the standard opinel knife line including the opinel no. Posted in ropinel by ugh234ghz 10 points and 5 comments. It should be noted that the newer locking opinels have only been around for 60 years give or take. Im having some difficulty deciding on my next purchase. Opinel usa official website retail wholesale corporate. The complete history of the pocket knife gallantry. I have personally purchased all of my opinel knives, including this no 6 up to this point. The shape and size that started it all back in 1890, the no. Closed opinel stainless steel locking folding my first. Designed in the shadow of the french alps by joseph opinel in 1890, the opinel no. These opinel knives share most of their distinguishing features with each other aside from their size. Started in savoie, france in the 1800s as a family owned and operated working mans knife making brand, opinel popularized the peasants knife.
Top quality, great selection and expert advice you can trust. Raw material and colors may vary from one collection to another, but its style remains deeply steeped in history and tradition. A seemingly modern invention, the pocket knife dates back to before the rise. Opinel knives 11030 2 18 n3 carbon steel folding knife with beechwood handle multicolored opinel knives 01425 opinel vri7 with bright green beech wood handle multicolored opinel knives 23080 4 38 folding knife with beechwood handle multicolored opinel no.
The classic carbon steel blade holds its edge and is easy to sharpen, and the varnished beech. It proved popular with the local farmers, herdsmen, and paysansvignerons peasant winemakers of the area. The blade is marked opinel with a hand and crown hallmark. The 12 most iconic pocket knives of all time hiconsumption. Ideally id like a quality, lowcost blade from a manufacturer with a long and storied history. I guess that wasnt a problem for the normal users in france. Opinel and victorinox are by no means the alpha and the omega of the. Not only does opinel make some incredibly reliable, unique, and inexpensive folding knives, but theyve been doing it for over a century. Opinel tells you the fabulous destiny of a small knife from savoie, invented by joseph. Opinel has been producing knives much longer than the majority of presentday knife manufacturers. Love this knife, kind of fell in love with the opinel knife by reading about it, the history, tradition, the simple design, kind of a throwback to a simpler time, and the slim bubinga version with mirror finish blade is just out of this world, i immediately fell in love and ordered a no 12 slim bubinga as well. For a practical,sharp,and inexpensive knife an opinel is hard to beat. There are no sharp edges in the handle as that of the opinel fishtail handle design which can blister your hand. For most of the history of the design, they were simple, no springs, nonlocking penny knives in all of their sizes.
What makes this a fantastic pocket knife is its simplicity. This multipurpose tool is a real musthave to carry with you daytoday. The n08 is the most popular knife in the collection. Theres no assisted open, no thumb stud, nothing cool to write about. A while back i bought a book on the history of the company published by opinel. No hightech, futuristic, openassist, pocket clipping, combo straightserrated edge, seat beltcutting notch, tactical blade here. And opinel, in particular, has one of the longestreaching histories in the entirety of the present knifemaking community. Like a great family recipe, opinels knives are the.
Joseph opinel, a thirdgeneration metalworker, designed his first pocket knife in 1890. Opinel has not previously proofread or influenced this article in any way. I find myself going to my opinel more and more often. You wont even notice it in your pocket, and it will stand up to most typical tasks you will encounter. Opinel offers plenty of limited edition models, kids versions, engraving and accessories, as well as an expanding line of other woodhandled kitchen cutlery. Colorama no 6 womens folding knife by opinel boundary. He has written a book on appalachian culture and lifestyle called our souther highlander and a short history book cherokee. It is a number 8 standard opinel knife, but after reading the wiki article i noticed something strange. First opinel pocketknife manufacturer by joseph opinel in albiezlevieux, savoie region in the heart of the french alps.
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