A few weeks ago my brother, who lives in the bustling Welsh port of Aberystwyth, sent me an Opinel No. 8 knife. What a good gift, sharp as you like carbon steel, simple, reliable, aesthetically Old Skool pleasing and just a great knife. I used to carry one in the British Army, back in the mists of time when there was such a thing, so you can add a nostalgia bonus to boot.
Nostalgia aside, these little knives actually work. Created in 1890 by Joseph Opinel, the knives were a hit and went through a couple of upgrades. Here's the marketing:
In 1890, Joseph Opinel turned 18 and worked in the family workshop. With a passion for new machines and innovative technologies, he built his own camera and soon became the photographer for weddings and special events in his area. Led by his passion for machinery and the manufacturing process, he decided to invent an object which he could manufacture using modern technology. Against his father's wishes, he spent most of his free time refining the shape and manufacturing of a small pocket knife: the Opinel No.08 was born!...
Originally, the Opinel knife had four components: the blade, the fixed ferrule, the rivet and the haft. The fixed ferrule was needed to firmly rivet the blade to the haft. In 1955, Marcel Opinel, who had been working on improving the safety of the knife, invented the Virobloc®system. He added a rotating ferrule which slid onto the fixed ferrule, closing the groove and thus locking the blade in the open position. The idea was simple enough but hard to achieve. In the 90’s, the Virobloc®system was modified to lock the blade in the closed position. This feature was added to all models in the early 2000's.
Well that's good to know and not wrong, the trademark rotating ferrule does do the business, no doubt about it, and the blades are keen. That in mind, Opinel knives were recognized by the UK's Victoria & Albert museum as "one of the most successful designs of all time," along with Rolex watches and the Porsche. 911. So now we know. Quite the classic, and the product lives up to its marketing, for a change.
Sharp, I say again, handy, functional, no BS knives. For example: Maybe you carry a Spyderco, and they're great, I love them, but what happens when all those little screws fall out? Amazon Prime nightmare. You don't have that kind of issue with an Opinel and that's a plus, they're cheap, too, at 17 bucks for a No. 8. I liked mine so much that I bought a #9 and a #10.
Do women like them? Of course they do, we all do. Get one if you like or better yet, get a couple. Not pricey and they're the real deal.
Cheers,
LSP
