Opinel Knives

[Notredame11211]

Well, I am interested in purchasing an Opinel #8. I have a few questions about the knives though; Is the carbon or the stainless steel version better, and how do you guys sharpen your Opinels. Thanks For The Help

[Matt]

Hey bud, I personally would vote for the carbon blade, I have always sharpened mine using a Japanese wetstone but there are many other methods, Opinels' are reasonably easy to get a keen edge on.

I would add that I no longer carry one because I discovered the Svord Peasant http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Svord-Knives/c-1-92-695/ and after a bit of work with some sandpaper and teak oil I ended up with an EDC that's hard to match.

Regards, Matt.

[Notredame11211]

Thanks for the reply. The Svord looks nice, but how easy is it to sharpen?

[Ashley Cawley]

Thanks for the reply. The Svord looks nice, but how easy is it to sharpen?

I would say it's easy to sharpen (much like an Opinel) it has a convex bevel to it's edge, so you can use something simple like wet'n'dry paper on a mouse-mat/board or work the very edge like Matt said with a wetstone. You could also use a ceramic-rod or the top of your car window etc.

If you don't abuse it, it won't take much maintaining; I strop mine regularly and barely ever need to sharpen it.

[Bambii]

I own an opinel no.8 highly recommend it.

Easy to sharpen, fine wet and dry paper and a piece of roll mat or a mouse pad. Easy peasy.

[Ashley Cawley]

Well, I am interested in purchasing an Opinel #8. I have a few questions about the knives though; Is the carbon or the stainless steel version better, and how do you guys sharpen your Opinels. Thanks For The Help

Just incase your interested I forced a patina on my Opinel No.8 and wrote an article about it here: http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/ki...ft-knives.html

[Notredame11211]

How fine should the wet and dry paper be?

[Shawn]

I've had an Opinel for years and it has cut great.

[Martin]

How fine should the wet and dry paper be?

Depends on how dull the edge is. To be honest, I've not used this method on my Opinel, I prefer to use a wet stone and get a great result.

Martin

[leon-1]

You don't really need to go much finer than 1000 grit on wet n dry. It'll put a serviceable working edge on the knife. I have over the years had a number of opinels and I rate them highly. They're simple and reasonably priced and aesthetically they're quite a pleasant knife to look at if you're into that kind of thing.