Taking a look at the Opinel Folding Knife as a Camping Kitchen Knife, some thing I get asked about in every video, why you should consider getting one for your camp trips.
Hi Andy, in the early 80s i spent a long time in belgium/france camping on my Norton. I purchased an Opinel9 with carbon blade, i still have it in my tank bag, ive re sharpened it 100s of times on stones, rocks..even curb stones, i have processed wood, cooked and even repaired the wiring on the bike with it!! The things are fantastic, no nonsence stunningly simple knives. Great vid as always...Dusty.
I'm a huge fan of the Opinel knives but the exposed end-grain wood which can soak up water, harbor bacteria, and swell locking the knife either open or shut surely precludes it from being the best camp kitchen knife.
Winner winner chicken dinner, first comment, I use the carbon for loads of things but mainly skinning rabbits etc and I don't think I've had a knife that stays so sharp for so long, for the cost they are outstanding .
I always have one in my pocket at sea, for cutting rope, I use it every day and the blade keeps a good edge. Tried and tested on 4 months trips. I 100% recommend!!
I've had one for many years, No.9 is with me most of the time I am out in the truck bush bashing. Great for skinning rabbits, chopping onions, carving bread, gutting fish on and on and on. Cheap as chips and bloody well made. Great review Andy. Nice one mate.
Great knives - I've never found anything better than a No 9 for fishing. Arguably, these are not locking knives; they are lockable knives, which is a different thing and so far untested in the courts. However, as any Opinel larger than a No 6 has a cutting edge of more than 3 inches it's largely irrelevant as far as UK Carry is concerned. The other plus about Opinels is their lightness, which is important if you're a lightweight backpacker - I generally pack a No 6 in Walnut which is a paltry 28g or a No 7 Trekking which is 35g. You can strike a good spark from a firesteel with the backspine too. The walnut wood swells less when wet than the standard Opinel beech, and the Trekking has a painted layer for the same purpose. I also have a No 12 which I use as a travelling chef's knife. Great knives Opinels - it's the thin slicey blades which work so well with food prep in particular. It's no accident that a French do-it-all peasant knife is food orientated!
First bought one as a teenager sailing old wooden boats in the eighties, every old salty sea dog had one. That first knife was lost overboard but since then I've lost some more and worn one out. I'm expecting a number six to be delivered in two days time. They are so bloody good for the price that, whilst not disposable, I don't feel the existential grief as I did when I lost my stupid bloody iPhone! Technically illegal to carry in the UK because of the locking collar, but if an overzealous copper took me (a fifty four year old chap) to court for chopping veg on Dartmoor with an Opinel, I'm pretty sure the judge would not be impressed!
One of the major attributes of the Opinel is that they all are ground with a full convex grind from edge to spine. That's what makes them such great food prep tools. Most people think they are flat-ground, but just hold them so the light reflects off the side of the blade and the very subtle convex surface becomes readily apparent.
The blade thickness definitely makes a difference. As a test a few years back I chopped up some bell pepper with a Cold Steel recon tanto and it was not a great experience due to the thick blade and the steep edge grind. An Opinel is on my camp gear list as I build up my kit.
I use the Opinel 12 slim. Love it. Great for slicing, dicing, cutting and filleting. Great knife and razor sharp. Cuts through hard veggies like sweet potato very easily. It's my go to knife. As far as a saw I use the Agawa Boreal 15" and 21".
The Opinel is a great all round utility knife, not just in the kitchen In the early 80s I worked a summer in Brittany All, that is all the workers, farm hands and anyone else carried Opinels
This is great! I'd already been thinking about getting an Opinel as a general utility knife, but hearing about their great usefulness for camp cooking has really sold me on getting one!
Yes, Flat vs Scandi blades. The grind type makes all the difference. But each has their merits and uses. Flat for slicing, scandi for bushcraft. Hollow I've never found useful. I used to have an Opinel many years ago but gave it away. The locking ring loosened. It wasn't till I was walking past a kitchen cutlery store in Paris that saw all the range Opinel produce. Very impressive. I'll have to get another handy folding Opinel someday. I do like the #9. Thanks for this review. ATB.
Great video.... I have 4 Opinels... No. 3 (perfect little pocket knife), two No. 8 (1 carbon for general bushcraft, 1 SS for cooking), and I just recently bought a No. 12. The No. 12 is huge lol, but great for big kitchen duties (cutting big potatoes, peppers, etc). Can’t beat them for rustic kitchen use.
Finally got one after some other knives were better suited to other tasks - the Opinel turned out to be the best kitchen knife in the camping/outdoor settings I went through over the decades. The wooden handle also goes well at themed events where a plastic handle wouldn't fit in.
I have an Opinel 8 to use in camp. But I use it most often in my kitchen. The stainless steel takes a keen edge but I have to work on it more often than I expected to. With the pearwood handle and its handle and blade geometry, Opinel offers a timeless classic range. Fine for slicing, the junction of blade and wood at the handle does not allow for much support for stressing the blade side to side. (And I am NOT talking about PRYING with it.)
You're on fire!! Thirth video in one week. The Opinel brand is fantastic. I have the 'camping set'. With 3 different knives (bread knive, vegetable peeler and combination of knife and corkscrew) and a chopping board.
@@sosteve9113 No, you can still buy locking ones perfectly legally. But they're not legal to carry without good reason. You're probably/possibly going to be ok if clearly going camping/fishing etc., but not so much at a football match or whatever.
👍I've been using a 12f inbox for about 4 years with my tangia cook set up it's great when I'm bike packing and I want to keep weight down blades is, about 123mm long and in a slim line profile the handle curves down at the end which allows it to sit nicely in my parm with wet hands when preparing food.
in my 50's.... when I was at sea as a 14 year old we always had Opinel knives... great for cutting rope if you get dragged overboard. also used to nik crabs with them... (Nik= piercing the claw to stop it clamping on you.).... I still have 3........ only thing to watch is the lock can spring off if over forced...... Glad I just found this sub channel of yours.... been following on the smart TV for a few months
Another honest, informative and practical demo. Keep them coming. Would be really interested in your sleeping bag preferences as looking to invest in a few bits of camping gear this year. 👍🏻
I've used an opinion mild steel No7 for rabbiting for many years. It like a razor and quick to sharpen. Downside is that it looses it's edge very quickly and the wood swells when wet/damp making it extremely difficult to open. I've noticed that they now do a nylon handle which would be much better
Nice review. I maintain the carbon steel blade by smearing cooking oil over it, and open the knife by holding by the ring lock and knocking the butt onto something hard so that the blade comes out a few milimetres, useful when the wood swells. I find that the 9cm is the best all rounder and fits nicely in the hand; go up a size and you only get the extra 1cm for a noticable difference in bulk and weight when hiking.
Brilliant bit of kitchen kit, I use the fine 9cm in my kitchen set up as it can gut and fillet fish exceptionally well as that’s wat it was designed for so two functions in one, great vid 👍
They are fantastic camp knives as well as EDC knives. I often several. Sharp as a straight razor, featherweight, foolproof lock, and cheap to replace if you lose it. Just be sure to get the stainless versions. The carbon blades rust when you look at them.
What a great review Andy taking on that giant grizzly bear with such a little knife .Really showed what the the knife is capable of.Hopefully get to see more of the larger knife perhaps you could take on a giant squid or something that would be interesting. Anyway chow for now take care .ps I really like your chopping board 👍👍👍
I've taken just my No#8 and an SAK out with me hiking/walking lots of times. The biggest woodworking you're doing is turning the odd stick into a tent peg. It's light and keeps an edge long enough. My dad used them before me so they've just always been there.
I carry mine as a neck knife when camping, it pairs nicely with my old hickory butcher knife, edc pocket carry otherwise. They know what they're doing, holds it's edge, great design.
Thanks for the video. Excellent review. Great knives. Retain an excellent edge plus easy to sharpen. Love my no. 7, no. 8 & no. 10. Use them in the kitchen and out in the forest.
Yep, agreed. As a camp kitchen knife they are the best. The high carbon steel blades are magnificent but need lots of looking after. The stainless steel ones are a no brainer and both types arrive sharp as anything. I use a 7 stainless steel and a 12 high carbon steel.
Very nice excellent looking knives. I have and use the # 8. I have 3 Birch, oak and walnut handles. Perfect for prepping food just as you shown. Thanks for the video, right up there DBK video of this Grench brand knife.
A very useful folding knife. The only problem I've had is that when I was cycle touring for a couple of weeks the knife became difficult to fold and unfold due to the damp September weather.
Nice review video Andy 👍. I think I got the 7ich blade, had it for about 6 years 😀. Stashed In my fishing bag, always razor sharp, fantastic for gutting & fileting trout 😋😋
I've used the No8 carbone in my my kitchen for many years, II have a stainless steel (Inox) one, nut the carbon steel one seems to work better and the blade takes on a nice patina. think the No6 and below don't lock. The older knives don't have the ability to lock closed, which was introduced around 2000. The thing that I love about these knives is their simplicity compared to the Laguiole which is another fine knife. The back of the blade is usually sharp enough to work a fire steel
Also very safe, you can lock them closed. The only downside is the scales swell when they get wet, making the knife almost impossible to either open or close. They are also fantastic for wood carving.
Great thanks. I have own many of these. I find the carbon steel better as they are much easier to sharpen. The problem with them is that they are very sharp and potentially quite dangerous for a camp knife. For a camp knife I also use a European (Italian) style all round butter knife with a slight serration that can cut and spread anything quickly with a round ended blade. I have often given the Opinels as gifts. You can easily burn a name into the handle. A very unique gift. I am in Australia and buy them on eBay from Germany of all places. Best prices. Thanks
I have been thinking the same this weekend. I have loads of bushcraft/survival type knives but not many thin flat grinds. I do have a Mora flex that is good for food though and as it’s stainless and plastic easy to keep clean. Can’t make my mind up if a wooden handle folder would be hygienic but I do fancy one of the bigger Opinel’s as a bread knife when camping maybe the 12 or 13 size.
Bought a #8 on the early '70s still carry it on outings. My son asked to borrow it so often that I gave him a #8 & #6 (cute) for Christmas. I don't carry a fixed blade.
Love this knife. Have a size 8. Also worth checking out the Antonini old bear in Large size. Similar to the opinel but more interesting mechanism in my opinion. Love your videos bro!
Thank you :) I think id get a whole lot of trolling haha, im quick and dirty with a whetstone and old belt for stropping, there are far more knowledgable people out there than me for that
I have had my Opinel No8 (carbon) since 2004. It was and is my go to all purpose knife. I used it daily in the Sahara for cooking/slaughtering goats/repairing camel tack.
There's a lot of mods on Opinels here on RU-vid - I recommend at least to míll out the handle just a little at the point, where the blade is to be opened with the nail... makes the use a lot more convenient! Also a nice advice could be to "blue" the carbon blade. With adequate tools, it is easy to get out the blade and then dunk it into the bluing solution to get a fairly nice even bluing - makes the maintenance easy and protects nicely even when cutting lime or likewise
I've had one (#8) for about a year now. My only complaint is that the when the handle at the hinge gets wet, the wood will swell and the knife will be difficult to open and close till it dries and shrinks back to normal. Keep it dry and it is a very good camp kitchen knife. I chose the carbon steel since I've had carbon steel butcher knives for three plus decades and know how to care for them.
I love their carbon for pocket carry, but if you are going to store this in a pot (that is where I store all my small kitchen bits) then I'd suggest sticking with stainless.
