Borg warner Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Opinal Knives have been my daily carry knives for the past 20 years. Before that I carried a Spyderco Endura as a combination utility knife/self defense knife but once I reached a certain age and no longer thought I was king of the jungle in terms of hand-to-hand combat, I decided to carry a gun for defensive purposes and only carrya knife for utility purposes. I had seen an Opinel knife many years ago when a friend's grandfather had died and an Opinel knife was among his possessions. It made sense to me because of it's simple lightweight beech-wood handle and stamped steel locking ring you could carry a fairly large knife that would be very lightweight and easy to carry in the pocket. They also have relatively thin blades and though it's not a strong as a heavier knife, I learned that the blades are easy to sharpen and because of their thinness are capable of taking a razor edge. So for years I carried a number 10 Opinel which has a 4 inch blade and is about 5 inches when folded and easy to carry in the pocket of a pair of jeans. But for formal wear I like to have a knife that is a little more "Dressy" than an Opinel and Opinel actually has the perfect "Gentleman's Knife" and that is the number 8 "Slimline" which is meant to be a folding fillet knife and comes with an optional exotic wood handle and high polished stainless blade. The plain beech wood handle and brushed stainless blade is about 22 dollars and the deluxe model with olive wood handle is about $35.00. thery even have super deluxe ebony that is over $100.00 My biggest problem with knives is I'm always losing them. back when I carried Spyderco Enduras they were only $35.00 and that's one of the reasons I carried them so much. So a couple of year ago when I lost both my number 8 Gentleman's knife AND my number 10 EDC knife I decided to go with a combination Gentleman's knife/ utility knife and get a number Ten deluxe fillet knife (with a 4 inch blade, 5 inches folded) with the olive-wood handle and the high polished stainless blade. But now I've lost THAT knife! And it may turn up again but now I'm without an EDC knife although I've been carrying a butterfly knife that I have. so this time I've ordered a number 9 regular non slim, Non deluxe pocketknife which has a 3.5 inch blade and is a little smaller an lighter than the number ten. And here's another thing about Opinel knives that I REALLY like. You van order directly from Opinel and choose from their entire selection of knives. I've done this before and shipping is fast and only $3.95 and they ship USPS which is usually pretty good in my part of the country and you can get shipping updates. Sometimes I order things from amazon so I compared the cost of ordering the same knife from Amazon and Opinel and here's what I got: Cost of ordering from Opinel: $19.00 + 3.95 Shipping Cost of ordering from Amazon: $18.80 + $8.95 Shipping and the best part: Oct 30 order placed. Nov 1 order shipped. Nov 4 order received. And as some of you may know Amazon has been very bad this year about orders arriving late. There have been many shipping and transportation problems during the Biden economy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuteTheMall Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Ideal for dissecting frogs' legs. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batesmotel Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Their carbon steel blades take an incredible edge. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borg warner Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 8 minutes ago, Batesmotel said: Their carbon steel blades take an incredible edge. The stainless blades are good too. It's the same 12c27 Sandvik Swedish steel used in the Rapala filet knives 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 How does the locking ring system work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwalchmai Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 9 hours ago, ChuteTheMall said: Ideal for dissecting frogs' legs. Or for slicing surrender monkey's cheese... j/k - If you see an old ex-FL named Marco eating apple slices off his Opinel, chances are he knows what he's doing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuteTheMall Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 After decades of carrying Delica and/or Endura, I switched to this 4 inch blade Cold Steel Range Boss. Made in Taiwan (hurry, before China invades) it weighs only 3.4 oz and is made of 4034 stainless steel. Prices if you shop around range from $30 to $40, or you can pay MSRP of about $50. (1/3 to 1/2 the price of a 3.6 oz Endura) Unbelievably thin and easy to carry, secure with the Tri-Ad lock, opens or closes fast with one hand and arrives very sharp. Unlike the Opinel, it doesn't look like you are carrying a clothespin in your pocket. ,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borg warner Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 5 hours ago, railfancwb said: How does the locking ring system work? The drawing doesn't show this, but the locking ring isw best gripped right at the slot. Otherwise the polished stainless ring is too slippery to get a grip on. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borg warner Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 1 hour ago, ChuteTheMall said: After decades of carrying Delica and/or Endura, I switched to this 4 inch blade Cold Steel Range Boss. Made in Taiwan (hurry, before China invades) it weighs only 3.4 oz and is made of 4034 stainless steel. Prices if you shop around range from $30 to $40, or you can pay MSRP of about $50. (1/3 to 1/2 the price of a 3.6 oz Endura) Unbelievably thin and easy to carry, secure with the Tri-Ad lock, opens or closes fast with one hand and arrives very sharp. Unlike the Opinel, it doesn't look like you are carrying a clothespin in your pocket. ,, Cold steel makes good stuff and their carbon steel is especially good. But I've never had a problem with even the largest Opinel "Printing" and looking like a clothespin in my pocket, But as I've mentioned before, the beauty of the Opinel is it's light weight. you can carry a pretty big knife but it doesn't weigh much for it's size and it won't wear a hole in your pocket. The other advantage to the Opinel is the price. I had a Cold Steel Tanto folding knife once and it cost about $100 bucks and it almost made me cry when I lost it. The range boss is only about 45 dollars but a number ten Opinel with a 4 inch blade (5 inches closed) is only about 25 dollars with $3.95 shipping. My Grandfather gave me my first pocketknife when I was 7 years old and I've been carrying one ever since. And in teh 50's and 60's every young man carried a "Jackknife" and you wouldn't ge tkicked out of school for carrying one. I've owned many hundreds of pocket knives and fixed blade knives. I carried a Case Sodbuster Jr for a while and the blade was an excellent steel and took a good sharp edge. I carried buck knife for a while and had a couple of fixed blade Bucks and while Buck knives may be famous for holding an edge, the steel is too hard to take a good edge or at leasst it was back then in the 70's. I'd rather have a softer steel that needs too be sharpened more often than one that's hared to get sharp. Victornox, who makes the Swiss army knives has a very good steel but I've never liked the multi function knives that much. Two blades is enough for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 I’ve been carrying knives about as long as Borg Warner - at least calendar years. Don’t remember my age when I started, but remember playing mumbly peg during elementary school recess. Mostly my knives have been relatively inexpensive and serviceable. Currently carrying a Chinese made Kershaw Walmart special - about $10. Tend to lose things thus bought several of these after deciding I liked it. Most recent loss a few weeks ago to TSA :-(( 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostinTexas Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 I've always read and heard good things about Opinal knives. The round handle just seems like carrying a roll of nickels around though. It may be more ergonomic than I think, but I have a FS Trapper that I don't use because of the same feeling. No matter when or where in my life, or what I had access to or was even carrying for a purpose, there has always been a Stockman in my pocket. Had to upsize not too long ago from the small to the medium, and just that has made for some adjustments on my part. Much bigger in the pocket. Seems like you have it taken care of though. Enjoy the new knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmohme Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 On 11/4/2022 at 9:29 PM, Borg warner said: The stainless blades are good too. It's the same 12c27 Sandvik Swedish steel used in the Rapala filet knives I wondered about that. I have one and it is scary sharp! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borg warner Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 11 hours ago, LostinTexas said: I've always read and heard good things about Opinal knives. The round handle just seems like carrying a roll of nickels around though. It may be more ergonomic than I think, but I have a FS Trapper that I don't use because of the same feeling. No matter when or where in my life, or what I had access to or was even carrying for a purpose, there has always been a Stockman in my pocket. Had to upsize not too long ago from the small to the medium, and just that has made for some adjustments on my part. Much bigger in the pocket. Seems like you have it taken care of though. Enjoy the new knife. Quote: I've always read and heard good things about Opinel knives. The round handle just seems like carrying a roll of nickels around though. It may be more ergonomic than I think, but I have a FS Trapper that I don't use because of the same feeling. No matter when or where in my life, or what I had access to or was even carrying for a purpose, there has always been a Stockman in my pocket. Had to upsize not too long ago from the small to the medium, and just that has made for some adjustments on my part. Much bigger in the pocket. Seems like you have it taken care of it though. Enjoy the new knife. I've had a few stockman knives and other 2 and 3 bladed knives and I liked the Case brand best because the steel takes the best edge As far as the Opinel feeling like a roll of nickles, when I carried the the larger number ten knife, I removed the locking ring and sanded the sides flat on a table mounted belt sander. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borg warner Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 On 11/4/2022 at 7:00 PM, Borg warner said: Opinal Knives have been my daily carry knives for the past 20 years. Before that I carried a Spyderco Endura as a combination utility knife/self defense knife but once I reached a certain age and no longer thought I was king of the jungle in terms of hand-to-hand combat, I decided to carry a gun for defensive purposes and only carrya knife for utility purposes. I had seen an Opinel knife many years ago when a friend's grandfather had died and an Opinel knife was among his possessions. It made sense to me because of it's simple lightweight beech-wood handle and stamped steel locking ring you could carry a fairly large knife that would be very lightweight and easy to carry in the pocket. They also have relatively thin blades and though it's not a strong as a heavier knife, I learned that the blades are easy to sharpen and because of their thinness are capable of taking a razor edge. So for years I carried a number 10 Opinel which has a 4 inch blade and is about 5 inches when folded and easy to carry in the pocket of a pair of jeans. But for formal wear I like to have a knife that is a little more "Dressy" than an Opinel and Opinel actually has the perfect "Gentleman's Knife" and that is the number 8 "Slimline" which is meant to be a folding fillet knife and comes with an optional exotic wood handle and high polished stainless blade. The plain beech wood handle and brushed stainless blade is about 22 dollars and the deluxe model with olive wood handle is about $35.00. thery even have super deluxe ebony that is over $100.00 My biggest problem with knives is I'm always losing them. back when I carried Spyderco Enduras they were only $35.00 and that's one of the reasons I carried them so much. So a couple of year ago when I lost both my number 8 Gentleman's knife AND my number 10 EDC knife I decided to go with a combination Gentleman's knife/ utility knife and get a number Ten deluxe fillet knife (with a 4 inch blade, 5 inches folded) with the olive-wood handle and the high polished stainless blade. But now I've lost THAT knife! And it may turn up again but now I'm without an EDC knife although I've been carrying a butterfly knife that I have. so this time I've ordered a number 9 regular non slim, Non deluxe pocketknife which has a 3.5 inch blade and is a little smaller an lighter than the number ten. And here's another thing about Opinel knives that I REALLY like. You van order directly from Opinel and choose from their entire selection of knives. I've done this before and shipping is fast and only $3.95 and they ship USPS which is usually pretty good in my part of the country and you can get shipping updates. Sometimes I order things from amazon so I compared the cost of ordering the same knife from Amazon and Opinel and here's what I got: Cost of ordering from Opinel: $19.00 + 3.95 Shipping Cost of ordering from Amazon: $18.80 + $8.95 Shipping and the best part: Oct 30 order placed. Nov 1 order shipped. Nov 4 order received. And as some of you may know Amazon has been very bad this year about orders arriving late. There have been many shipping and transportation problems during the Biden economy. Update! Quote: "My biggest problem with knives is I'm always losing them. back when I carried Spyderco Enduras they were only $35.00 and that's one of the reasons I carried them so much. So a couple of year ago when I lost both my number 8 Gentleman's knife AND my number 10 EDC knife I decided to go with a combination Gentleman's knife/ utility knife and get a number Ten deluxe fillet knife (with a 4 inch blade, 5 inches folded) with the olive-wood handle and the high polished stainless blade. But now I've lost THAT knife! And it may turn up again but now I'm without an EDC knife although I've been carrying a butterfly knife that I have. so this time I've ordered a number 9 regular non slim, Non deluxe pocketknife which has a 3.5 inch blade and is a little smaller an lighter than the number ten." I love my new new knife but it's Sunday night and I just took my clothes out of the washer and went to put them in the dryer and there was my lost knife! Going through the washing machine swelled the wood a littl bit but a generous application of M-Pro-7 followd by a hosing of WD-40 to displace water and ensure penetration into thewood seems to be working. Now I have an every day carry knife and a 'dress" knife! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuteTheMall Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Specs on the box say 4 1/4 " blade. 5Cr15Mov steel, 2.7 oz weight, and 2 mm blade thickness. Currently on sale for $6.39 at Midway. Slipjoint. There's also a locking version on sale for $7.19 for the high rollers who don't mind the ratchet ring rattling. This is the easiest way to unlock and close it one-handed: Index finger thru the ring, knuckles brace the handle, thumb pushes back of blade down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuteTheMall Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 http://themartialist.net/old-knife-new-life-the-kudu-as-fighting-knife/ Recommended reading by Sharp Phil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_(knife) Very brief, not much to say. It's a modern German 1902 design intended for colonies in Africa, not as old as the 1890 Opinel which was before my time. Tactical modifications are possible: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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