When I ran across Opinel I was intrigued. French, designed in the 1890's and the design hasn't changed. I had to have one! I saw the Bubinga wood special edition and bought it. Even though it cost twice as much, these knives are ridiculously inexpensive. This worried me, until I received mine in the mail!

First impression: This is a really nice knife. It is light. The wood is finished fairly well and the Bubinga is a beautiful wood. The blade is stainless steel and is fully polished, quite thin, fairly sharp out of the box. The blade is tight and I am looking into ways to loosen it up, there are lots of improvements on YouTube. The locking mechanism is of inspired design and well put together and it works. It is a simple design and I love that. I have large hands and this No. 8 is barely big enough to fit my hand, but it does. The handle just sort of fits. Overall I could see why Opinel hasn't changed in 120 years, it was a simple and inspired design.

A closer Look: For a knife in the $20 range this is a great deal and there is no down side. But there is room to improve in the finish of the wood, my personal opinion is that the factory finish is just fine, for a knife in this price range. But I sanded it down with 220, 320 and 600 grit sand paper and put several coats of Tung Oil on it and it really brought out the depth of the wood. WOW! The depth of the Bubinga came out and the knife looks 100% better. A quick and simple upgrade for those that like a high quality finish on wood.

Sharpening and edge holding: I used my Lansky and put a 20 degree edge on it and stropped to a mirror finish. It sharpened quickly and took a very good edge. It reminded me more than anything else of a Victorinox Swiss Army knife in how it sharpened and the edge it took. Haven't had a chance to use it much yet but looks like it should keep an edge well.

In Summation: I really like this knife! It is a beauty! I am buying more. I would recommend it highly.

UPDATE: It has been about a month since I purchased this knife and I liked it so much I have now bought 5 more of various wood types, sizes and designs! As I said, they are all really nice knives. I have refinished all the handles, and in one case stained the standard wood handle a darker more pleasing shade. They all look great and my love of Opinel knives has only increased with my familiarity!

A decent pocketknife is an essential tool and the Opinel 8 is a classic. My first impressions. The blade is sharp out of the box. This a light duty knife only, standard day to day. The blade locking system works well but a tiny drop of light lubricant helps. It is light, has a good feel and well balanced. For heavier duty use, turn to a Buck or a more contemporary knife. It isn't the best but it feels good, gets the job done, is classic cool and, at $20, is a gotta have tool.

I bought my first Opinel No.8 pocketknife while traveling in France as a teenager.
This is a pocketknife of long history in France, just the thing to use to cut one's baguette, cheese, sausage, and apple at lunchtime.
I very often have a No.8 with me, anytime I expect to be somewhere to cut up an apple or orange, or coffee cake. My Opinel is kept clean, and used strictly for food. Friends seeing this simple, easy to use, excellent slicer often ask to see it, many times wanting one for themselves. The most common Opinel size is the No.8 (the size-number roughly referring to the blade length in centimeters). The 3-1/4" blade of the No.8 is long enough and thin enough to be an excellent knife for slicing. The common beechwood handle Opinel knives are sold in stainless ("Inox") and carbon steel ("carbone"). The stainless is a variant of 12C27, a Scandinavian stainless that takes a very good edge and holds it quite well; the carbon is a variant of C75, a steel that will take an even better edge, but may require more frequent sharpening. Use mineral oil to preserve the steel and lubricate the pivot.
Now other premium woods are available in Inox steel: Oak, Walnut, and Olive Wood. THIS knife in Bubinga is one of the Luxury series, and the lowest cost of the much harder to find Luxury models, which include Ebony and Buffalo Horn handled knives. For the Luxury models the blade is highly polished Inox, and a velveteen slip pouch is included with the knife. Bubinga is a very hard, very durable wood, often used by Scandinavian and other knife makers for these important handle characteristics. In this Opinel model the Bubinga has good character and is well polished.
While I'll not be carrying this Opinel to cut up my lunch, it will occasionally make special appearances to honor the history and utility of the Opinel pocketknife.

This is my first one. A No. 8 with Olive wood handle. The knife arrived and the first thing that I noticed was how sharp it was. Mine shaved hair. The Olive wood handle looks great.
I have known about Openel for years. I just didn't understand the hype. Mine is light. Sharp, Locks closed, Locks open. I am so happy with this knife. fits perfectly in my hand. Now I'm looking into other sizes.
If i lost this knife, I would replace it in a heart beat. It's that tool. I use it mainly as a camp kitchen knife. but it goes to work wherever I need it. Just cleaned a Bass scales and all.
I got suckered into the the whole must have Military style knives for camping in the past. Nope, this is all I need. The rest are laying in a drawer.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Opinel is now using overseas craftsmen to build their products, yet are maintaining decent quality. Hopefully Opinel will find suitable craftsmen for their sheaths and holsters line of products. Ain't nothing worse than plastic scabbards, holsters, and sheaths. They look cheap, feel cheap, and don't mold to items like knives, axes, and working tools.

One other note if Opinel is reading this. I've bought of the very small knives that don't have the locking collars. Not good products. The best thing about carrying an Opinel knife is that you can carry it anywhere and not have to worry about accidental opening.

Nuff Said