Opinel: why this French pocket knife became a worldwide cult classic
If there is one knife that both bushcrafters and dog walkers know, it is probably the Opinel. OUTDOOR Magazin tells the story of this classic from Savoy, and some of the figures in it surprised me.
In 1890 Joseph Opinel invented his pocket knife in his family's forge in the French Alps, and the company is still a family business today. By 1897 he was already offering twelve sizes, from N°01 to N°12. In 1989 the Opinel was even included in the Larousse dictionary. According to the article, one is sold somewhere in the world every seven seconds.
Originally the knife had only four parts: blade, fixed ferrule, rivet and handle. In 1955 Marcel Opinel invented the Virobloc system, in which a rotating ferrule locks the opened blade in place. Later came a variant that also locks the blade when it is folded, which makes carrying it in a rucksack safer.
Today around 15,000 knives are made per day, compared with 650 in 1987. The blade goes through a two-stage heat treatment of hardening and tempering, and the final grinding is done by hand. 95 percent of the wood for the handles comes from French forestry, usually beech, and hornbeam for coloured handles. The magazine also presents the new N°08 Horizon for outdoor adventures.
I like that such a simple tool has lost almost none of its appeal after more than 130 years.
Source: OUTDOOR Magazin
In 1890 Joseph Opinel invented his pocket knife in his family's forge in the French Alps, and the company is still a family business today. By 1897 he was already offering twelve sizes, from N°01 to N°12. In 1989 the Opinel was even included in the Larousse dictionary. According to the article, one is sold somewhere in the world every seven seconds.
Originally the knife had only four parts: blade, fixed ferrule, rivet and handle. In 1955 Marcel Opinel invented the Virobloc system, in which a rotating ferrule locks the opened blade in place. Later came a variant that also locks the blade when it is folded, which makes carrying it in a rucksack safer.
Today around 15,000 knives are made per day, compared with 650 in 1987. The blade goes through a two-stage heat treatment of hardening and tempering, and the final grinding is done by hand. 95 percent of the wood for the handles comes from French forestry, usually beech, and hornbeam for coloured handles. The magazine also presents the new N°08 Horizon for outdoor adventures.
I like that such a simple tool has lost almost none of its appeal after more than 130 years.
Source: OUTDOOR Magazin
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