Opinel Classic Original No. 6 - Carbon Steel Folding Knife 18

Opinal knives are by tradition a French peasants knife ? These were made cheap for the every day pocket of you guessed it the French! I had one of these given to me about fourty years ago for out door activities, I really wanted a swiss army knife! Anyway this opinal grew on me fast it was a no 6 I believe? This was as then carbon steel ,it was razor sharp an amazing knife that soon became a treasured piece of kit for me ! That one wore out so I went straight out and got a no7 then a no9 I found the 9 a little big for edc type use so got the 8 and have had about five of them both carbon and stainless inox I am using no8 carbon now and it takes a lethal edge ,superb performance for anything you throw at it The beauty is they are in expensive, I don't use the word cheap as I have to much respect for this knife ! This knife always reminds me of a small table leg that looks like it was modded? If you are on the fence here , take the plunge the best tenner you will spend on a knife ! Ps these knives come in sizes tiny to massive no8 is about half way but it locks ! I think no5 is the biggest non locking model but you can take the locking ring off all of them ! Service from HH was again ace

Lovely knife , simple, well made and stylish, perfect for all those little jobs that don't require a survival blade.

As per most of the reviews on here, the Opinels are cheap, functional and good fun to modify. Couple of lessons learnt: 1) Don't leave them anywhere at all damp, they rust easily, even from new - I had two new blades start to rust even when stored in a tool box in the garage 2) If you want to make them EDC-legal (dependant upon length) the easiest way to remove the lock is from the top with circlip pliers - pops straight off. 3) As well as the handles being easy to shape, the blades themselves can be cut and worked. I've previously shortened a blade just with an angle grinder and a steady hand.

An Opinel No 6, without the locking ring, complies with the current requirements to be UK friendly. Mine has come in very handy over the years. Recently it was the most appropriate tool I had with me to cut through floor boards to replace a couple of rotten areas. Using a hammer and the little No 6 to cut through sound wood, on the joists, the old rotten sections were removed and new pieces were then easily nailed in place. Despite this fairly abusive treatment the trusty No 6 still works just fine. But if a larger version had been present, it would have been a better choice. So, a No 7, modified to be UK friendly, seemed like a good idea. Off came the locking ring, and out came wood rasp, files, and sandpaper. The closed dimensions of a No 7 always seem a bit big in the pocket to me, even though the fit in my hand was better than the No 6. So the handle was slimmed down to a more oval profile, and the typical Opinel fishtail shape was removed. Now the butt of this No 7 is much slimmer, and profile of the handle resembles a Sodbuster Jr with very good ergonomic shape and no real change to the Opinel's inherently excellent balance when opened. Since the limit for EDC blade length is 3 inches, a couple of minutes with a file brought the length down to 75mm, a comfortable margin below 76.2mm (3). A few minutes on a stone to re-profile the tip, and the No 7 was ready for finishing. An oil finish gives a nice tactile feel to a wooden handled pocket knife. This one turned out beautifully. Now my faithful old No 6 can have a rest while the slim and trim modified No 7 steps up to its new role as an EDC pocket knife, fully UK friendly, and tipping the scales an a mere 30 grams. The shaping process and shortening, profiling, and sharpening the blade took just part of an evening. After finishing and stropping this looks and feels great. For the price, the end result and superb Opinel performance make this a stellar bargain. If you have ever wanted to modify or customise your Opinel, just go for it. Cheers!

Had a burr along one side of the blade. A few draws along a whetstone and has taken a very good edge. Highly recommended.

Got 2 these knives a no 7 and 8 in carbon steel for the price you can't go wrong not sharp out of box but soon solved that I like sharpening knives.Thinking about getting more to customize thought about sanding the handles and staining different shades.There a good old fashioned pocket knife one sold every 10 seconds around the world watch the YouTube factory Video

I had one of these back in the 70s. Great knife which developed fantastic patina. Lost it. Bought a replacement which disappeared ... somewhere. Got nostalgic, bought this. Nicely made classic, but not sharp out of the ... bag, not box. Don't get the impression of the quality of the original, but can't compare it. Hope I don't lose this one. Carbon steel so should sharpen OK but would have liked a better factory edge.

As a Frenchman living in UK I had to order an Opinel N°8 to have a piece of French DNA in my pocket. This knife brought back a lot of memories from my childhood hiking in the mountains of sunny Provence in summer. Just looking at this knife make me feel the mixed flavours of lavender, Pastis 51, pine trees and lemmons. I guess my hands were smaller when I was 13 y/o and adventuring in the woods with my old beaten up Opinel N°8 in my back pocket. So here it is (top notch delivery service from Heinnie again)) in my hand and I find it a bit... SMALL. I didn't realise that 30 years later my hands would be the ones of a grown up man. I do a lot of gardening as a living and spend a lot of time in the forests of North Yorkshire... under the rain..!! :-( I think I will order a N°9 or 10 sometimes that would be more adapted to my physiology. However, the Opinel is still the same knife. Solid, sturdy, handy ECT... It came razor sharp straight out of the envelope. I love it and feel like I'm a young teenager again and couldn't resist to mess around a bit with it trying to carve a piece of wood. The handling is as good as it always have been and the knife has a lot of character and personality. Just like a French Douk-Douk knife you either love it or hate it. I love it and recommend it to anyone who wants a simple, solid and reliable knife in their pocket. No wonder 1 Opinel is sold every 10 second in the world. Thanks Heinnie Haynes.

Most Impressed. Had it for years and it shows no signs of giving up yet. I know nothing about knives and got this one from a 'corner shop' when I just wanted something to cut cheese at my picnic! I sharpen and clean it after every use, which these days is mainly gutting fish at the waterside and whacking small branches. Technically not a 'UK Legal Carry' I suggest they lock me up and throw away the key if they've nothing else worth doing. As far as I'm concerned, 'reasonable excuse' includes not wanting a blade which unwittingly folds back and slices my finger.