No7 Carbon Steel Folding Pocket Knife with Beechwood Handle

Fantastic little knife. Sharp upon arrival, but not quite shaving sharp. That is easily forgiven and fixed. This is my first Opinel as i had always questioned the security of the locking mechanism, but now realize that my doubts had no basis in reality. Have not given this knife any use yet because after playing with it for a few hours, I tore it down to it's 5 elegant and well made parts. The ferule and locking ring are anicely crafted heavy gauge stainless steel. The blade took a nice even and dark charcoal colored patina after two rounds of being immersed in hot white vinegar for about 2-3 minutes each round. The beech handle is lightweight, but strong and the wood grain is tight and is responding well to being shaped with my Dremel tool and sandpaper. I am gradually adding finger grooves custom tailored to my hand for two different holding positions. The knife and handle are small so having a custom tailored grip should work out well. There is not much wood there to begin with, so I am being cautious about how much material I am removing. I can already tell that it has made a great improvement even though I am only about 80% done with the contouring. I have no doubt that even though this knife is small, that it will work both as a utility pocket knife and, in a pinch, as a filet/small game knife if used deliberately. After much research, I have settled on using a Danish oil applied slowly over multiple days to finish the handle with a final beeswax treatment once the Danish oil has fully dried. Will post pictures once my project is complete. Could not be any happier with this $9 purchase. I got a great knife and a rewarding simple project that is easy to get a good result with. Even if I did not have the time and desire to modify this knife, I would still give it 5 stars as it came from the factory. My next purchase will be the folding slim #15 filet knife with Bubinga wood handle. This is also a knife that is pretty much legal to carry concealed in a pocket almost everywhere in the U.S. I'm sure that there are a few jurisdictions or particular places where carrying this may not be legal for some or all persons, but this knife will be safe to carry for most people in most places and has a very non-threatening appearance. Update: added pic of my torn down knife with partially completed handle which has had factory finish sanded off, been partially re-contoured and given a light coat of Old English dark scratch cover/oil(as a test and to keep it from absorbing any moisture and swelling as I finish the project. I am also considering using some India ink I have on hand as opposed to spending more $ for Danish oil than I have on the knife itself...lol. I think a black "ebonized" handle separated from the now black blade by the stainless ferrule and lock ring will provide a striking finished appearance. I will likely do several "inkings" over several days, follow with whatever furniture oil I have on hand and a final touch of beeswax. Gonna keep this project a micro budget, low resource impact one. Update March 7 2016: Finished my simple knife mod project. I added a few more contours on the right and left sides and top of the wood handle to facilitate two different grips for different tasks. The knife now fits my hand perfectly. I applied and wiped off some generic black dye I had on hand and then treated with some Olde English Dark wood scratch cover stain and oil. After doing so the knife was quite dark, almost black. The Old English left a nicer finish and did not remove any of the dye. I recently purchased some Lavender essential oil and I was curious what effect that might have so I used an eyedropper and put about 10 drops on the handle and rubbed it in. To my surprise it removed a good deal of the black dye, but not all of it. I rubbed in a bit more and rubbed off all the remaining oil and dye that would come up. It left me with a beautiful dark brown stain with black grain highlights. I left dry overnight and then did 2 light treatments with ordinary mineral oil and let that dry overnight. I the heated the handle gently with a hair dryer and rubbed on some Sno-Seal beeswax which quickly melted. I buffed it hard with a cloth and paper towel until not stain or finish or beeswax wood come off. Great knife to experiment with. I cannot wait to get my next Opinel. I probably will not be doing any mods on the already slim handled #15 filet knife but I might look at a #7 or a #8 as well as the smaller non locking blades. Just buy these knives and enjoy them and give them as gifts. You CANNOT go wrong for the money. Added more pics!

HOLY SMOKES!! This knife is Awesome! Cheap, but HIGH quality! Its so sharp i can't actually believe i got it for only 17 dollars. The locking features are great, no worry about safety at all because its 100% locked in when you spin that collar. it feels light in the hand, but the blade is hardened carbon steel and holds an edge like no other. This is the PERFECT knife for tool work or whittling

A very good knife for the price.For starters. A very simple lock. Sharp blade. Ergonomic handle. Under twenty bucks. A great utility knife. I bought it because of it’s simplicity and price and am not disappointed.

I adore this pocket knife! I had heard a lot of good things about Opinel for some years past, and I finally decided to get one, and I am so bloody glad that I did! It's just the right size for pocket carry, it's of a size that is big enough to be useful but so large as to look aggressive or antagonistic, it's beautiful in it's simplicity, and despite the fact it's light as a feather, it does not feel cheap or flimsy! It's wood and metal, but it's lighter than some most poor quality plastic-furniture knives I've handled in the past! This company's reputation, is well deserved indeed! This can appeal to anybody who wants a pocket knife and can fit any EDC loadout, from labourer to aristocrat, and everyone in between.

When I was a Boy Scout I purchased and Opinel No10 because it was big, impressive looking, and inexpensive. I lost that knife years ago in a move and I've been keeping my eyes open for one ever since. The other week I remembered the manufacturer's name and was very pleased to find these wonderful, simple knives on Amazon. The No10 is too big for EDC, so upon finding the smaller sizes I decided to go with the 7. I can see why the No8 is the most popular size. The 7 is just a bit small in my hand for prolonged use, but what I wanted was an easy to carry, unobtrusive knife and for that the 7 works out just fine. I like that the design has evolved so that you can easily lock it closed as well as open. That is a major improvement, in my opinion. The entire knife is 5 pieces, and only 2 of those move which makes it one of the most sturdy designs possible in a folding knife. Straight out of the packaging, this knife was razor sharp, and with the simple flat sided high carbon blade, it's easy to keep that way. When I'm at the office I literally hone this knife on the unfinished bottom of a ceramic coffee mug. To every materials design decision made there is an upside and a downside. The upside to the carbon steel includes low cost and easy sharpening/edge maintenance. The downside is that carbon steel rusts easily if it's not taken care of. Keep the blade dry after use, oil it from time to time, and/or speed up the development of a natural patina to make it more rust resistant. There are lots of ways to do induce a patina, and Google will reveal them to you. On the upside, I spent an hour cutting down corrugated cardboard boxes with this knife and had it razor sharp again in 45 seconds! You cannot do that with stainless, and it held up to the task better than purpose-designed utility knife blades. :-) These knives are very popular for modding because they are so inexpensive. Tonight I am going to age the handle by coating it in olive oil and baking it in the oven for 90 minutes and after that I will put a patina on it by stabbing an onion and letting the blade sit in the onion overnight. The very first "mod" I did though was to intentionally blunt the back corner of the blade. Remember how sharp I said my Opinel is? It's very easy to cut your index finger on that back corner if you hold the knife just slightly too far forward. I will try to post a picture, but all I did was run a sharpening rod against the corner to grind off the very edge a bit. Now that my son is in Scouts we are camping a LOT. I just ordered the No10 (stainless version) to keep with our gear for campsite food prep. I plan on teaching my daughter about proper knife safety on our next camp out. If she pays attention, her reward will be an Opinel of her own, maybe in plum or pink. I spend more than the cost of these knives on lunch and for that kind of money you really can't get a better value, in my opinion. If I (or the kids) lose them I'll pack a lunch for a few days and right there I've saved enough to cover replacement. I will be buying several to keep on hand for knife safety lessons with the new scouts - and at this price, I'll let them keep them. Why 4 stars instead of 5? I really feel that these are excellent first knives and "learner" knives for youth, but that back edge is a little risky, especially for first-timers. For the money, and given that it's a stamped blade, I wouldn't expect any different but I will blunt that corner on every one I buy as soon as it comes out of the package.

Obviously some people (myself included) love this knife party for its old-fashioned design. But let's face it: These knives would never be as popular as they are if it weren't for the price. Modern features, such as automatic blade locking, blades that open with a positive "snap," etc., make this knife's design seem decidedly outdated in comparison. However, those modern added features come at a cost. If you're after a quality, VERY sharp blade for low cost, this is simply the best deal you'll get (or at least the best I could find). Here's what I love about the knife: * The blade is extremely sharp. It wouldn't shave hair off my arm like my Mora Companion did out of the box, but somehow it actually seems sharper when it comes to actually cutting. It sliced a tomato with just the slightest (less than a 1/16th of an inch) sawing motion to cut the skin. Pruning small branches is like cutting butter. It sharpened a stick with unbelievable ease and smoothness. The blade feels and acts thinner than it actually is (meaning it is stronger than it looks), probably because the entire width of the blade is beveled at apparently the same angle, from the spine right down to the edge. * The whole knife is very lightweight and sleek in the pocket. I don't even know it's there. * The locking mechanism works better and easier than I expected from the photos. It locks the blade both open and closed, and although it has to be done manually, it's easy to twist the collar. It holds the blade open or closed plenty effectively for anything such a knife ought to be used for. * The look and feel is cool. The wood handle has a nice feel and is comfortable to use. The blade is nicely machined and looks well-finished. * Did I mention it's SHARP? With all that said, there are some things I find less appealing: * The all-wood handle makes me hesitant to use the knife for some tougher things that I assume the blade could handle. Maybe it's just me, but I don't have enough confidence in how the blade attaches to the handle to use it for mcuh more than "normal" slicing tasks. * The blade has absolutely no "snap" to it when opening or closing - not even equivalent to an old penknife. It's just a blade on a swivel, and therefore lacks any tactile positivity when opening or closing the knife. * Although the locking mechanism surprised me at its effectiveness, it's only effective if you remember to do it. Although it will doubtlessly become habit with time, I still prefer an automatic lock. It should go without saying that those nitpicks completely disappear when one considers the cost of this knife. Sure, I could (and hopefully someday will) get a $45 Buck pocketknife that will have the modern features I like with a quality blade. But until then, I'm confident that this knife will excel at anything a non-tactical pocketknife should ever be asked to do. Bottom line: If you're after a sharp, quality blade on a budget, this is your buy.

I’ll start by saying that I am a knife collector, but not of fancy, super-expensive knives that simply sit around and are never used so they maintain their appearance and “value.” A valuable knife is one that is usable and high quality. Every knife I have is used, although some are used far more than others because of how good they are. I purchased this No. 10 Opinel carbon steel knife with certain expectations, and almost all of them were met. I gave this knife a 5-star rating because it is an excellent quality knife blade that will see quite a lot of use from me, but not **heavy duty** use some of my other knives are used for. First, some design facts about this blade: --The wood handle is comfortable, but is one of the points that make this a **moderate duty** knife. I will not be applying a lot of force on this handle. --The ring supporting the blade is right at 3/32”. There is no side-to-side play in the blade, so the ring seems to support the blade very well. With the locking ring (which is much thinner) is closed, that extra support gives the knife an even more solid feel. --The knife blade is made from xc90 carbon steel, which is pretty comparable to 1086 steel. That means it will wear a little easier some other common carbon steels like 1095, but are very easy to sharpen/maintain. More on sharpness and sharpening later. --The blade is 1/8” thick on the spine before the clip of the blade. The blade grind is NOT FLAT, but a slight convex grind (think magnifying glass lens shape). That’s actually just fine with me, because that helps add supporting strength to the edge and take away some of the edge-retention disadvantage the xc90 steel has. Still pretty thin, though. --The locking ring, while manually-operated, allows you to lock the blade in both the open and the closed position. Its design looks and feels very secure. --This is a CARBON steel, not STAINLESS. You’ll have to keep it dry, maintain it, or it’ll be rusty trash. If that’s not your thing, get the stainless version. 12C27 Sandvik is a good comparable quality steel. So, now the pros and cons: Pros: --The fit of everything on this knife is tight. While I don’t know if it will loosen over time, there is resistance when you open and close the blade, which is nice. --Once properly sharpened (more about this later), this blade is hair-whittling sharp...for those that don’t understand the significance, that is far beyond hair-shaving sharp. Far beyond. I barely touched the edge after putting a proper edge on this knife and cut a couple layers of skin. Feather-touched. Didn’t even feel it; noticed it when I touched my thumb with my finger. ----This level of sharpness is what makes this knife really usable. With its sharpness and convex grind going all the way to the edge, it’ll slice through things easily...which will help with retaining that edge longer. Cutting into wood for detail carving or for whittling...will probably be like cutting warm butter. --The xc90 may not retain edges as well as higher carbon steels, but it’s tough. Unless you abuse it on purpose or for things knives AREN’T designed for (like as a screwdriver or pry bar) --The COST. For the quality of this blade, and its tight fit and finish, it is a tremendous value. The Cons are not enough to detract from my rating. Cons: --The factory edge sucks. Saw someone comment here it didn’t feel sharp but still cut a tomato with ease...that’s because whatever sharpening method they use leaves a bur...which means you literally SAWED through that tomato. Also, the edge was ALMOST one-sided like a chisel. I had to reshape the edge bevel. Once I did, though, and properly sharpened it and stropped it, I can almost let it sink through a tomato with its own weight. Annoying I had to do that. Morakniv I’ve ever only had to strop to refine...their factory edges are better than anyone else. --The blade thickness and handle keep this from being a heavy duty knife. That’s actually OK, as with this being a pocket folder I’m not going to be carrying it while needing to do something heavy.

This is possibly the best pocket knife ive ever bought. The blade is well made and holds a edge quite well. Its VERY sharp, so much so you have to be careful cutting things with it. The handle is a nice wood and is very ergonomic, soft and comfortable to hold. It fits well in the pocket of pants that I forget its even in my pocket. The locking mechanism is tight and secures the blade well, always remember to activate it. I wish Opinel made holsters for it, however. Its a very elegant pocket knife.

Personnellement le meilleur couteau du monde qui va durer plus de 20 ans ...........c'est inusable et ça coupe à la perfection . Vu son prix il reste mon fabuleux compagnon .

Muy buen producto quedé satisfecho con su calidad y función... Filo bien preciso.

Perfection

Justo lo que buscaba, una navaja para todo uso. La puedes emplear en la cocina para pelar patatas como el mejor cuchillo patatero o llevarla al campo para cualquier uso no muy exigente. El tamaño es justito pero ¿para qué más? vas a poder hacer bocadillos sin problemas o cortar fiambre, pelar fruta,etc. El filo y ajustes vienen muy bien, y pasándola de vez en cuando la chaira mantiene el filo perfecto. Al ser carbono hay que cuidar de secar bien antes de guardarla. Puede quedar algo de agua en la madera y dejar macha de óxido si no se tiene cuidado, pero es fácil volverla a poner a tono si nos descuidamos. Un poco de aceite de máquina de coser o específico de navajas en el eje previene que se atasque (me pasó ya que aunque la seques algo de óxido puede producirse, le he puesto el aceite...y como nueva).

Die Opinel Winzermesser aus nicht rostfreiem Stahl lassen sich mit Schleifstein extrem scharf schleifen. Das 113120 wirkt etwas unförmig, aber sonst alles OK.