Beat the Icon: Opinel vs. Alternatives

Today, the Opinel folding knife is made in several sizes. Some include a locking ring that debuted in the 1950’s, but they all boast insanely comfortable handles and a complete dedication to slicing prowess. Here we take a look at other “primitive” knives as well as the best the modern production world has to offer to see if any of the competitors can do what an Opinel does, but better.

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[kostoulis]

ah the good old Opinel: you buy them, use them without raising eyebrows, lose them without losing too much money, use them on you firesteel without regrets, sculpt them without powertools (since you can use another opinel to do th job) and gift them with a lot smiles in return. Great pieces

[kenzofrm]

As a French I’m really proud to see our national product being loved all over the world
Very good video like always

[GoodForYou]

I love my No. 8. Had it for 40 years and it still does everything it should. I drilled a hole for a paracord loop and give it a coat of oil every year. Use it for hunting, camping, fishing and never wanted to change. Classic design that just works.

[trider]

I went on pilgrimage in 2013, walking the Camino De Santiago. At the end of the journey, there washes guy holding out a box of Opinel knives. It was a box quantity of 10 knives and there were about 2-3 left. I thought he was selling them, but found out he was giving them away, so I took one for myself. A simple yet awesome knife.

[fallingfeathers]

I love how this essentially turned into a traditional/folk pocket knives run through!

[IMSwimmer]

I got my first Opinel while taking a French course in Savoie when a local student saw my Victorinox, and have had several Opinels since. It's become my standard EDC knife because other than cutting fruit for lunches and the occasional jerk chicken (those plastic utensils are totally useless), I don't need anything fancy. It's sharp, it's comfortable, and it's safe. Very low maintenance compared to larger multitools and the design is unintimidating in comparison with other single-blade folding knives. An opinel will rarely be mistaken for a weapon instead of the amazing useful tool that it is!

Absolutely love it and recommend wholeheartedly.

[Saltpork]

I didn't discover Opinel until a couple of years ago. The stainless Number 8 has a permanent place in my camping gear, specifically when it comes to cooking and firestarting. The locked collar works perfectly with the spine dragging along a firesteel and the blade is thin and works great for cutting up onions or as your eating knife. It's truly an ingenious design and will be there the rest of my life.

[olivierbatiste]

French citizen viewer :))

Opinel is such a popular tool here.
It's super cheap, it has many iterations, it's reliable, and it cuts well. My favourite one is the number 9, carbon or inox without real preference.

In my mind alternatives are Douk-Douk, Mercator K55K, MAM, Pallares, Higonokami (Japanese ones), Svord, Cold Steel Kudu light, L'Alpin by Au Sabot, some models by Salamandra, Case/Rough Rider/Schrade, Kiana by Florinox, and an unknown model named L'Astro (also le Bélier) by La Fourmi.

Deejo makes knives that I really don't like : crap steel, fragile mechanism, exaggerated prices. I made a mistake buying one, blade centering is horrible, and the blade is a 3cr almost impossible to sharpen correctly.
Old Bear is quite ok, but their 420 steel is not really good (I find the 1.4034 on Mercator even a bit better).
Victorinox is great brand, but I don't know why I can't allow myself to compare them to Opinel...

Blessings

[Thraxounet]

I had a dozen of n8 in the 90s they were gifts for filling your tank at the gas station in France 😂

[rottenanimal]

I'm 66 years old and had my Opinel knife since I was about 8 or 10 years old. It was old when I got it.

[oldstogey]

I bought my No.9 Opinel in about 1979. It was heavily used hiking and climbing for about 20 years. It's excellent! It's light; cuts fruit or rope well; spreads things on bread; has served as a piton on a few occasions; the round handle is very comfortable and makes a good toilet-roll holder; and it's narrow enough to push a cork into a wine-bottle if you need to open it. The only downsides are that it doesn't have a lanyard hole; the handles swells when (even slightly) wet and jams the knife completely; and you can't open it one-handed. I made a lanyard hole with a friend's drill, but the other two I couldn't solve. I therefore set out to replace it. 24 years on, and my Opinel is still in my backpack, and I have drawers full of other knives I've tried, including a few you've shown here. Nothing else combines the light weight, comfortable handle, and blade long enough to cover a slice of bread in one swipe. Maybe I should try the synthetic Opinel, and get someone to put thumbstuds on the blade, and a knob onto the locking collar for one-hand opening. I'll think about it.

[Ewyndall]

I own way too many Opinel knives at this point and I got to say one thing I appreciate about them a lot is how easy it is to modify or repair them due to their extreme simplicity, without special tools or much experience. Easy to take apart, easy to fix or modify, easy to adjust the tightness of the Virobloc. I would even go as far as saying it encourages experimentation (there are many videos online about Opinel customization) because even if you mess up it doesn't break the bank to get another one.

[gubx]

I remember eating in the countryside in France. People brought their own knife to the table, lots of Opinels (I had mine too), and a few Laguioles too, both excellent choices for cutting saucisson and cheese. Also many Laguiole knives have a built-in corkscrew, an important accessory in France.

[Tiz]

Some say you never truly own an opinel pocket knife, it only stays with you until it feels you no longer need it, then it disappears to serve the next needy

[sturusk]

I have several Opinels but my first was free. There was an advert in the Beano offering a free knife for the price of a first class stamp -6d (2 1/2p) in 1965. A few weeks later I got a package containing a no. 10 which in my 8 year old hand looked like a carving knife. Brilliant. I kept it right up to the second my mum saw it. ;0)

[leemasters]

i was in the French Foreign Legion in 1980's and this Opinel number 8 was issued as part of our kit from day 1 ! and i still have mine, with a 13dble carved into the handle !

[silverido]

The Opinel #8 Jardin (Garden) with a spear point is highly underated and lives in my pocket. It can even be opened with one hand if required.

[NSPIREGuru]

It's amazing to see someone in the knife trade honoring the inexpensive classics. I've got knives from the very cheapest production knives to custom knives of $1000 and more, but the cheap ones are the ones that get used and loved every day. I was interested to see you include a Deejo - I was given one and it's better than I would have imagined.

[karlshook]

I have a number 6, I have had it for 45 years, still in great, nearly perfect condition and I have used it hard.

[Oldmanofthewood]

I’ve had my Opinel No8 for 25 years absolute perfection and rarely need to hone it! Vive la Opinel 🇫🇷🇬🇧