Opinel No. 7 pocket knife

[RTM]

Wish the Buck 110 wasn't 110€ here. Really want one just for the iconic style, though probably a bit beefy to carry all the time. Maybe should wait for if I ever visit the USA...

Buy them used at a garage sale, much cheaper. I got mine for $5, with sheath. Much too big for EDC, so only comes out for camping type adventures.

Find someone visiting the UK to bring you one in their luggage? Drop it in Post once they arrive. I've done that to Germany once, and had a few things carried back from London.

 

[Dave455]

Wish the Buck 110 wasn't 110€ here. Really want one just for the iconic style, though probably a bit beefy to carry all the time. Maybe should wait for if I ever visit the USA...

I've used a Buck 112 (shorter version) for some years. Very solid knife. The 110 is probably the most copied design ever.

The rationale behind the design seems to have been to design a knife that's as rugged as a fixed blade, but still 100% safe if you fall off a horse.

That was the philosophy behind the Sheffield made "Horsemans" knives of a century and a half ago, and it's still valid.

My only gripe with the Buck is that the blade grind, even on my older knife, is a bit weird. Seems designed to "look" sharp, rather than actually be sharp, and the newer ones are worse.

 

[slowtwitch73]

^^^ Maybe find a Puma cheaper over there? Game Warden, etc....

 

[Dave455]

^^^ Maybe find a Puma cheaper over there? Game Warden, etc....

Puma's were exquisite 40 years ago, up there with the best, sadly not now. The fit, finish, blade grind, overall quality are nothing like they used to be.

Maybe if you've never owned a really decent folding knife, you might not think them too bad, but they're nothing like they were.

Ditto Boker, who were always second grade to Puma, and still are. Only knife I've returned in recent years was a Boker. The fit was so bad the cutting edge was resting on the backspring when closed! Awful.

Of the German makers, Hubertus are still good, a few other firms too, but best to buy in person so you can check what you are getting.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Mine is from the '70's..

Don't know how it is over there, but there are so many knives here for sale, finding a 'real' Puma would be no trick.

 

[rick carpenter]

Then and now. After sanding off the finish I shaped the top of the fishtail. Several dunks in thinned BLO especially the blade attachment nub. A few light coats of cherry stain biased with it darker towards the heel, then 100% BLO, then my wax blend just 30 mins ago. East Texas humidity sure delays the drying time a lot! It's back out in the sun again drying.

 

[rick carpenter]

After using it for a while, I've decided my Opinel is cooler to have/carry/use as a 'gentleman's' knife than it is to use at work. It's too lightweight for what I need there, where I use Olfas (not great sized for pants carry, but they sit well enough in a shirt pocket) and a fixed-blade Canary box cutter (my favorite work 'knife'). I've got a couple of small-ish cheap bang-around folders that I abuse and aren't devastated *when* I break/lose them. I'd not be pleased if I lost one of the Olfas, the Canary, or the Opinel.

 

[CS454]

Congrats on buying and actually enjoying the most practical EDC knife out of the gate, genuinely happy to see it.

Carried a No. 10 for a long time as my primary knife before getting tired of the heft and buying a decent 3" (closed) slipjoint.

 

[Beerhippie]

I've used a Buck 112 (shorter version) for some years. Very solid knife. The 110 is probably the most copied design ever.

The rationale behind the design seems to have been to design a knife that's as rugged as a fixed blade, but still 100% safe if you fall off a horse.

That was the philosophy behind the Sheffield made "Horsemans" knives of a century and a half ago, and it's still valid.

My only gripe with the Buck is that the blade grind, even on my older knife, is a bit weird. Seems designed to "look" sharp, rather than actually be sharp, and the newer ones are worse.

That blade grind--double-hollow-grind, with the first being more of a fuller--is something to watch out for when buying used. If the blade has been sharpened past the first grind and the "backbone", it's shot. Wish I had an XC picture of that odd grind to show, but look at one and you'll see what I mean.

Bucks were also one of the hardest knives to sharpen before the advent of affordable diamond stones. Now that diamonds can be had cheap, many more of those blades have been sharpened to death.

 

[Dave455]

That blade grind--double-hollow-grind, with the first being more of a fuller--is something to watch out for when buying used. If the blade has been sharpened past the first grind and the "backbone", it's shot. Wish I had an XC picture of that odd grind to show, but look at one and you'll see what I mean.

Bucks were also one of the hardest knives to sharpen before the advent of affordable diamond stones. Now that diamonds can be had cheap, many more of those blades have been sharpened to death.

If I recall, Buck used to call it a “semi hollow” grind.

The effect was to present a huge “whetted“ portion, which was impossible to sharpen unless you could duplicate the exact angle, or re sharpen it to something you could.

Buck are by no means the only offender…

I assume that a lot of knife customers never sharpen their knives, hence the obsession with exotic steels that hold an edge longer.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's Buck's own history: https://www.buckknives.com/blog/the-history-of-buck-knives-chapters-8-and-9/

Second picture gives a good idea of that strange grind. The blade is fullered with a deep hollow grind behind the edge. The blade in that section is very thin--almost straight-razor thin. Then there's a raised rib where the secondary bevel is ground. Sharpening through that "rib" leaves you with a blade a little too thick for a razor, but too thin for a knife. I don't think Buck actually intended these knives to be user-sharpened. But, you could cut a steel bolt by driving the knife with a hammer. I never tried that.

 

[Dave455]

Here’s a relatively modern Buck hunter. The huge “whetted” (sharpened) portion is clearly visible. This is as the knife came from the factory. It hasn’t been sharpened.


My older (late 80’s ) Buck ranger. Although the grind is similar, the whetted portion is much smaller, suggesting a much better grind. This knife has been used, and sharpened.

The steel Buck use does take a decent edge.


Despite the above, I still basically like Buck knives. Here’s an Executive, also from the late 80’s.

The quality of the blade grind, and also the overall fit and finish, are on a par with much more costly European knives, which were pretty much the best at the time.

 

[Etchase]

I believe Opinel celebrated shipping 300,000,000 Opinels a few years ago. They ship over 6 million annually. There is no better foraging knife.

 

[AreBeeBee]

The first Opinel I bought was a #6 in carbon steel. I got it roughly 30 years ago on a trip to Paris, from a tabac on the Rue Mouffetard. It's the smallest size that has a locking collar; it's at the bottom in the photo.

Later, back in the States, I got a #8 inox garden knife with a spear point blade and a curved handle (middle), and the most recent buy is a #9 carbon in the usual design (top).

With each I've had fun sanding the handles to down to bare wood, then using RIT clothing dye as wood stain, followed by urethane varnish. (Chocolate brown worked well.)

Do a Goog image search on carved opinel knife handles and you'll see lots of them. In fact the company sells a #8 inox with an oversize rectangular wood handle just to give your carving abilities lots of scope.

For carved handles in wood, explore some pages at this link — http://michel.montlahuc.free.fr/opinel4.htm

Recently the company added a sloping taper on the collar's bottom edge that lets you lock the blade closed — an obvious safety improvement they should have included, oh, half a century ago or more. I filed a lock-closed taper on the collar for my #6, which lacked it. Like all locking knives, regardless of age and maker, never treat the lock as unbreakable. You or someone else will do themselves a terrible injury if you do.

I view Opies as fun things that are also useful for certain activities, but they're not a Way of Life for me.

 

[Cruzan80]

Here’s a relatively modern Buck hunter. The huge “whetted” (sharpened) portion is clearly visible. This is as the knife came from the factory. It hasn’t been sharpened.


My older (late 80’s ) Buck ranger. Although the grind is similar, the whetted portion is much smaller, suggesting a much better grind. This knife has been used, and sharpened.

The steel Buck use does take a decent edge.


Despite the above, I still basically like Buck knives. Here’s an Executive, also from the late 80’s.

The quality of the blade grind, and also the overall fit and finish, are on a par with much more costly European knives, which were pretty much the best at the time.

My knife used to look like the first photo. Was worse after I got it sharpened at a show by an "expert"...

Sent it in to Buck over the summer to get cleaned up, and had them put a new blade on it (whole $10 charge, including "spa treatment", vs the $6 "spa treatment" only). Now the edge looks like this, and is sharp as hell from the factory. Not sure when they made the change, have had this knife for probably 20+ years.

 

[JradM]

Here’s a relatively modern Buck hunter. The huge “whetted” (sharpened) portion is clearly visible. This is as the knife came from the factory. It hasn’t been sharpened.

My older (late 80’s ) Buck ranger. Although the grind is similar, the whetted portion is much smaller, suggesting a much better grind. This knife has been used, and sharpened.

To get a wider primary bevel, do you think Buck is leaving the hollow grind thicker behind the edge, or are they sharpening at a more acute angle? It has to be one or the other right?

If it's thicker behind the edge, that would shorten the useful life of the blade because the more you sharpen, the wider the blade gets. Geometry cuts.

If it's just the angle, obviously you could fix that over time and, if it's not chipping, it would actually cut better.

Buck has an excellent heat treat reputation. Their 420HC is actually decent - I wouldn't bother with that steel from any other brand. They've got some exotic options now too - S30v and even Magnacut if you order from the custom shop.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's a crude and hastily-scrawled approximation of the XC of the grind of an old Buck:



Like I wrote above, the fuller is a wide hollow grind, then there's that raised part near the edge, then the edge bevel. Indeed, once you sharpen through that raised part, the blade is pretty much useless.

I have Buck Gentleman--given me for being best man in a friend's wedding--that I've done that to.

 

[AreBeeBee]

Here's a crude and hastily-scrawled approximation of the XC of the grind of an old Buck:



Like I wrote above, the fuller is a wide hollow grind, then there's that raised part near the edge, then the edge bevel. Indeed, once you sharpen through that raised part, the blade is pretty much useless.

I have Buck Gentleman--given me for being best man in a friend's wedding--that I've done that to.

I have read (Blade Forums) that Buck chose the concave grind to allow meat (deer meat, for example) to separate from the blade more easily when cutting than a straight or a scandi grind would produce. It's a hunter's knife after all and a version of the standard fixed-blade hunting knife's grind.

But I haven't studied the Zen of Edges, so take that into account.

 

[flippin]

Growing up in Quebec, Opinel knives were part of our culture too. Inexpensive but punched way above its weight class when it came to holding an edge. Though I would be frightfully surprised if made from the same steel, the original carbons were made from old sawmill blades. Repurposing, provided a thrifty method to offer quality and value.