Opinel No6 Stainless Steel Folding Pocket Knife – Premium Wood Handles

This is by no means a classic work knife of any kind. I bought mine for whittling and carving wood when I have spare time on my hands, like waiting on vet, store help, my wife, doctors, dentists, etc. It comes with a very nice sleeve to protect you and the knife from accidental opening. I chose Bubinga for my handle, which looks very classy. It was coated with a finish that left nubs, so I carved them off with another knife, light buffing with 1200 grit and some BLO and it was perfect. I have small hands and it fit me like a glove as I use it like a Sloyd knife instead of aa chip knife. Someone said they didn't like it because the blade doesn't lock, but it does. At the base of the blade where it meets the handle, there is a slip collar. You give it a quarter turn and the blade locks in solid. Another reason I say it's not a general purpose knife is the blade is wispy thin. Apply much side pressure and it will snap I L ke a twig, but for carving, it,'s perfect for undercut. The blade is also highly polished, which isn't bad for any kind of knife, but who but a wood carver is going to strop it every day or two just to cut rope or open boxes? However, the safety issue cannot escape without mention as I'm typing with my bloody finger (poetic license, it's just a scratch). The knife was designed so the end of the blade closest to the handle just terminates in a point, a razor sharp point, right where your index finger goes if you are carving away from you or your thumb goes if you are carving towards you. The end souls have ended by being sloped below the handle, then been rounded, and finally dulled so it couldn't cut. I wear a glove on my left hand and a finger and thumb cover on my right, but this spot on the knife is lower than the protection and, ironically, exactly the place you're taught to put your finger or thumb to protect it from getting cut by the blade. It's easily fixed by grinding, shaping and sanding, but you shouldn't have to, and, if you gave one to a child as a starter, they would surely injure themselves before discovering the flaw

Who'da thought my favorite gentleman's knife would also be my least expensive? Every pocket knife enthusiast should have an Opinel. You probably already know about this knife's history, but if not you should read up on it. For about $15 you can own a piece of that history. I splurged ($25 lol) and got the Bubinga wood handle, which is a knock out. Obviously this isn't a heavy duty workhorse but it will open packages and letters, cut string, and slice through plastic ties and bubble wrap, which covers about 95% of the tasks you'll ask of any pocket knife. And nothing looks as cool on a fruit and cheese board than an Opinel. It's quite literally a work of art, and was featured in New York's Museum of Modern Art. It's an old-fashioned nail nick two hander with that ingeniously simple locking ring, but again - this is a classy gent's knife so you don't mind taking your time with it. That's part of it's charm. Honestly, even if you never use this knife you'll enjoy having an Opinel in your collection, and simply holding or admiring it from time to time. This is an elegant, super cool, inexpensive no-brainer. Just get one.

It is a cheap and light classic knife. I bought a No. 6 for a cheapy hiking knife, and it is good for that purpose, but not a heavy duty blade whatsoever. The blade is very, very thin, and the locking mechanism is not perfect. The blade can still wiggle a bit when "locked." I have not had it fail ever, but it doesn't inspire confidence for harder tasks, so I haven't really tried to do something it might potentially fail at. I have small hands, so the No. 6 worked ok for length, but I modified the end of it to be more gradual than the factory nub end. Overall, it does the job, but not necessarily the greatest knife in the world. Great if you want a light-weight option though. My walnut handle No. 6 was less than .9 oz after modifying the handle. This is way lighter than other similar sized backpacking knives. For comparison, my Gerber LST is 1.2 oz, and has a smaller (though thicker) blade. I have found that I like the Opinel better overall for the light weight and the handle shape and the type of tasks I do while backpacking (it's a really good slicer because of the thin blade and flat grind) even though the lock is better on the Gerber. For this purpose, it fills a niche, but it is definitely not the best knife I own. If I was not carrying everything on my back for long miles, I would definitely take something different, such as a full tang fixed blade like an Izula, my Enzo Necker, or my Bark River ULB. (all great knives!!!!!) If I was car camping, I would probably just take a Mora instead.At 15 bucks, it is what it is.

I added pictures to show this walnut stainless version next to my higo no kami and my opinel #6 carbone. The regular stainless opinels use beech wood with the lightest color, carbon models also use beech but get a darker finish and this walnut is the darkest and looks amazing. Opinel has become my favorite every day pocket knife. I like it more than my Japanese knife even though it is also quite good. Overall I'm a fan of traditional and simple knives. This dark walnut just makes a great functioning knife look amazing. As for the stainless and the carbon steel, they are more similar than they are different in regards to performance. They are equal hardness and while the edge retention is slightly better on the stainless it is moot because the carbon sharpens more easily. Both take a very keen edge without chipping or getting that rough edge feel. Very fine steels. I just wish the carbon came in walnut as well.

A very nicely made knife, as you would expect from Opinel.Unfortunately, it's mis-described as a No 7, when actually it's a number 6 (see photo)With a bit more research. I would have known that Opinel only make a 6 or 8 with the olive handle. This is confirmed by a closer look at the pictures that accompany the desription.

The No6 Opinel is a little small in my big paws but as the blade is under 3" it (sort of) complies with UK laws. I say sort of as strictly speaking it has a lock mechanism.The only downside of the Opinel is the handle is rather light in weight.Stainless steel version holds a remarkably good edge and comes fairly sharp. A couple of wipes on a ceramic rod and it's popping hairs off my arm with no effort.The carbon steel versions take an even better and longer lasting edge but you do need to look after them with an oily rag.

Classic design French wooden Handel folding knife.I removed the locking ring, very easily done without damage as lock knifes are not UK legal.Makes it perfect for picnics and garden stuff.The blades are super sharp and ultra thin so very easy to resharpen. Have many Opinel knifes and never disappointed.

Smart looking knife that's not as intimidating looking as some other pocket folding knives. Comes with a razor sharp edge and holds it quite well.

This knife is pretty amazing for the price. It looks gorgeous — simple and classic. I bought it for sharpening pencils and to have around on my art desk; it does that job really well. Then I had this old paint in the porch peeling off in strips from the plaster. It wasn’t possible to get off with a scraper or to sand off, so I used this knife. Most of it peeled of fine and quickly, but some of it I had to scrape off bit by bit — really stubborn brittle bits that took a lot of hacking and levering off. This knife stayed sharp through all of that, and still sharpens pencils perfectly and looks new.