Best & WORST French Knives 

2024 Best and Worst French Knives ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2BKI-j6Mos8.htmlsi=OVOB2qTvjUY1et0p

I went with the Forge de Lagouile and it did not have any of the flaws or issues that my Lagouile en Aubrac had. I saw a big difference in the quality between the two.

I rather like the Laguiole knives. Mine are all from Forge de Laguiole and have none of these issues. Fit and finish are both very good. Other than that I recommend Otter although those are a vey different design and Herbertz knife/fork split knives.

I have owned a few Laguiole knives and have had none of the issues you mentioned. Also, I purchased them on line for less than the amounts you quoted.

The Opinel is one of my favorite knives. I've probably owned as many of them as I have TL-29s and they are the perfect knife for picnics or a camp kitchen. On the other hand, I've owned one Lagouile knife made by the same company as the one in this video. I didn't buy it, it was instead given to me by a friend who knew I was into traditional pocket knives and gave me one for some bizzare reason. While I dont hate it, I don't love it either as there isn't really any good way to carry it. Its skinny yet weighs quite a bit so it just sinks to the bottom of your pocket. It's not like the Opinel where the fat handle makes it easy to retrieve in the pocket should you decide to carry it. It's just a pretty knife that sits in my collection and is rarely used

I recommend the Nontron knives, one of the oldest in France with original shapes

Have a Opinel and sits very nicely in the hand , timber handle and simple . However now have three ' Pradel ' specifically their multi tool versions beautifully made with brass fittings from Orly , Calais and Vendome. Fact they are vintage from 50s , 60s appeals as the history is a big part of it . Two have ' Swiss Army ' emblem on them so obviously that needs looking into , yes will be buying more from different areas.

Laguiole en Aubrac is a good company. I recently purchased 3 knives from them at the price point of $190.00. Which I will point out is entry level for a 12cm knife. I did not have any of the issues that you experienced, and was quite pleased with the craftsmanship. And like you I have great attention to detail. Having said that I would like to point out that you are comparing knives that cost under $200.00 to a knife that cost $350.00. 🧐 Lol, Laguiole en Aubrac also has knives in this price range, if you would like to make a fair comparison.

I know for Opinel knives; A lot of craftsmen like to customize their opinels. When my dad gifted me one many years ago; I ended up honoring this tradition (maybe by going a little overboard) and made a custom metal liner and custom scales for it. I personally wasn't too keen on the wood swelling as well, thus why I did what I did. Adds more heft to the knife (so may not be ideal to some), but it was a fun project and turned out really well. I can share a link to it if anyone's genuinely interested in seeing the processes, but I don't want to blatantly advertise my hobby work here, as I more just wanted to share my experience with my opinel.

Have to be honest, I got mine for about $125. Gorgeous horn handle scales, nice scroll work on the back of the spine, and the rear portion of the blade spine. Rather stuff to open. Mine is marked "LAGUIOLE LE FIDELE" with an engraving of a dog on one side of the blade. Quality wise, no issues. Made in France. Definite heirloom quality. Maybe I just got lucky.

Agree on all your points. The opinel is definitely the best as far as just being a cutting tool. I'd be pissed about the 2 in the middle also. That one on the end is beautiful though. Good vid man

About the wood swelling, of course that happens, therefore Opinel is shaped like it is. When the wood swelling makes it hard for the blade to get out tap the butt end on a hard surface and the blade comes out easily.

Laguiole is a city , in the 1930s they had many couteliers but they dissapeared and came back in the mid fifties , the parts for their knives were made in Thier known has the capital of french couteliers , since the beginning of the 1900 Thiers couteliers made kitchen and restaurant coutelry the oldest still open shop 1923 to 2022 and still in operation is Fontenile Pataud , and now sellers of knife parts to other coutlers in the region and Laguiole . The shape of the laguiole dates back to early 1900 that lookslike yours but did not have the shepards cross nor guillochage , the mouche was at that time round or oval , no bee style at all

I own three Laguiole, bought in the fifties and sixties. All of them have "flaws". They were never high end knives. But were you see flaws, I see character, and slight differences that make each knife unique. And I also noticed that the ones you have are all stainless steel blades. Those are not the ones to get. Carbon steel blades are much better, and are easier to sharpen. Mine are 50 years old and never had a spot of rust on them. But as a working knife, you're better off with the Opinel ( carbon ). I have 2, one in my tool box and one in the kitchen.

You need a trusted dealer to get the real thing. I recommend Knives&Tools.

Good

Thank you very much for this video, I was thinking about getting one of these knives, from a manufacturer called Robert David,.. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'll give them a miss I think, based on your recommendations,, Thanks again,, all the best from across the pond,, John..

Ich empfehle Fontenille Pataud. FP fertigt auf höchsten Niveau, immer Messer in etwa derselben Preisklasse verglichen. En Aubrac sind etwas rustikaler gefertigt, jedenfalls in der Einstiegsklasse. Leicht zu erkennen an der eher etwas rudimentären Guilloche. FP bietet zudem verschiedene Modelle welche man selbst modifizieren kann.

I can recommend two high quality manufacturers for traditionnal fench knives : Perceval and Fontenille-Pataud. All of there products are just perfect. I'm french, so quite disapointed you've note been satisfied.

I have a few Opinels carbon steel, i wont use anything else, functionality over features.

Besides there is a big differents between Forge de Laguile and Fontenille Pataud. Fontenille Pataud

Go to the Spanish knife city Albacete , you will like all collectors freak out.

OOPS thecdompany is Fontenille Pataud , they use to make restaurant coutellerie

Of course then there is the Laguile en Aubrac Classic Laguiole en Aubrac

Too bad I didn't watch this video before making my purchase of a Laguiole en Aubrac knife. It was a 12cm, stainless steel 12c27 blade, handle in snakewood, carved double plates, and it costed me 269 euros + shipping. I never spent that much money for just a knife before, so I expected a lot (maybe too much). It looked beautiful from afar, but when I looked at it closely, it didn't meet my expectations. From a functional stand point it seemed great and solid. But I'm someone quite attentive to details, and from an aesthetic stand point the finishing wasn't that great to my eyes. Mine had a slightly unleveled bottom mitre, and symmetry on the bee and the plates/spring carving was quite off (not just slightly off but to the point I wondered if it was the work of an intern). When I asked about it on a facebook group, many people (mostly artisan knifemakers and some enthusiasts) told me that I was just nitpicking too much, that these "imperfections" only proved that these details were indeed handcrafted by human, not an industrial CNC work, so my knife was unique and I should cherish these flaws (I even got mocked by some of them, saying that if I want something so perfect and "souless" I should just buy a chinese or pakistanese industrial "garbage"). Same answer from Laguiole en Aubrac customer support. I'm not that much of a knife enthusiast, so I couldn't see what "soul" they were talking about. I didn't expect perfection and ultimate symmetry from something made by hands, but to me the flaws on mine were too obvious for me to unsee, and at that price point it would bother me and reduce my pleasure when using the knife. I even wondered to which extent an artisan could use the words "handmade", "handcrafted", etc. to justify his products' aesthetic flaws. So I ended up returning it. I still want to buy a Laguiole knife in the future, because to me it is one of the best looking pocket knives. But the lessons here are : - Don't expect too much to avoid being dissapointed. - If you want something handcrafted AND the most "perfect" to you, DON'T buy online, unless you can pay thousands of euros (and even so, that's not always a given), or know the artisan very well so you're sure that his works are good enough to you (or you're willing to accept his flaws). You must go personally to his shop/workshop and pick the one that works best for you.

Any idea on how to identify the maker to the signature? I recently purchased a Laguiole en Aubrac and am curious as to who made the knife. My knife has the same signature as the first (black) en Aubrac you bring out

Look up Thier the Gilles Steinberg knives they have been making those knives since the early 1900

Thanks.

Not appreciating real Languiole folders is cultural, In US, the expectation for a folder is so different , you prefer function to form, that is why you like the opinel.

If you get a knife from them in this shitty quality, its a fake.

I have a bad experience with Laguiole en Aubrac. (model from buffalo horn with corkscrew) A crooked blade that hits the edge when closing. I don't understand how they can get on sale without control. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not respond to my request for a replacement blade. So the wrong knife and the wrong attitude of the manufacturer. :(

You are just picky! It's just a steak knife for the guy who like to take one to his favourite grill.

Too bad about your Laguioles. I'd be kind of upset about such sloppiness. I have a high-end Forge de Laguiole model and it exhibits none of the problems you ran across with your Laguiole en Aubracs. The fit and finish on it is perfect....But I think comparing Opinels and Laguioles is kinda apples and oranges......Opinel and Douk-Douks would make for a more apt comparison- or, if you really want to talk about Laguioles, compare a wooden-handled Robert David model which would probably more likely to be used by the average person as an EDC knife than a presentation-grade model.....they're common in hardware stores in France.

I think you are unfair and beating up on Laguiole en Aubrac. I don't own any french knives. But now I would would buy a Laguiole en Aubrac and throw it on my wall.

Your 2 laguiole look strange, are you sure they are not copy ?

The "g" is pronounced in laguiole.

Lagiole is straight up just over priced. Easily the most over hyped “high end” knife. I’ve bought case knives with better finish work than that for only 30 bucks. And you are right. That “crack” as you called it on the butt of the blade is a mark from how they stamp these blades out from flat stock during mass production. For the price they charge, it’s just flat out lazy that they don’t polish out the stamp marks. They just push the idea that it is hand made individuality and people who don’t understand just mistake it for hand forged blade quirks. It’s a total rip. Something to think about when you look at your opinel that was 20 bucks and it doesn’t have a single mark or line from when they stamped the blade out.

Opinel, can't be bettered for the price it's the only knife that's as sharp as a scalpel in carbon steel , don't bother with stainless no stainless steel will ever hold an edge,

I HAVE A SMALL LACOSTE KEYRING PENKNIFE IN BRASS AND STAINLESS STEEL WITH LACOSTE LOGO ON BOTH SIDES SET IN ENAMEL.....ANY INFO ABOUT THIS...PLEASE CANT FIND 1 ANYWHERE.....THANKS

Those Lagolas knives are nothing special,overpriced and on top of that you have to be gentle when closing??? I don't need that kind of knife,if you want good knife,get yourself good old Buck 110...

Messer, die den atemberaubenden Preis nicht senken. Bankrott

Laguioles are junk. Compare them to Case or Robert Klaas or Otter. Way better.

oh boy... millennials... non-stop whining.