Opinel N*08 - 15/20 - It might work for you.

Opinel N*08 – Inox

Score: 15/20 – It might work for you.

BLUF: It’s not a bad knife – and for what it was made, it should do well (fishing and some hunting activities).  It is not a survival knife.

Made in France and created by Joseph Opinel, the oldest son of a peddler turned blacksmith – the Opinel[1] brand of pocketknives has been in existence since 1897.  Made of only five pieces, the original design started out as a riveted free moving blade attached to a wooden handle.  The introduction of the “virobloc” in 1955 helped to ensure a safe locking mechanism for the blade – and this seems to be the only real change made to the design in 121 years.

The numerical system designates the size of the knife (inclusive of the blade and handle) from N*02 to N*12.  The smallest currently offered – N*02 – offers a 1.3in/3.5cm blade, while the largest – N*12 – boasts a 4.7in/12cm blade.  The N*08[2] is right in the middle ground and fits my hands well – with a blade at 3.34in/8.5cm and a handle at 4.37in/11cm.

1.              Functionality (6/10):

a.     Blade (2/2): The blade is made from stainless steel Sandvik[3] 12c27[4] - it is widely known for being a fantastic mix (similar to 440A) of edge retention, corrosive resistance, and sharpenability.  It has a soft clip point, with what appears to be a flat grind and no protective coating of any type.  The blade width is just under .04in/.1cm – which is very thin.

b.     Handle (2/2): The handle is made from beach, a hardwood– which by comparison with other woods is very strong (compressive strength at 7,300psi, bending strength 14,900psi, stiffness 1.72Mpsi, and hardness 1,300lbs[5]).  A single solid piece, with grain direction in line with the blade, it would take a significant amount of force to shatter the handle.  The N*08 feels light, and its shape fits well in a closed fist.

c.      Lock or Tang (0/2): As this is a folding knife, there is no tang.  The lock – called the “virobloc” is made from stainless steel and has two parts, one covers the riveted connection of the wood handle and blade; the other has the capability to rotate around the internal portion and enables the secure deployment and retention of the blade.  While the “virobloc” does a fine job at both of those duties, it is not substantial enough to bear significant stress.  Without substantial force one can bend the knife left and right – when leveraged to pry or force objects, noticeable stress is seen on the lock.

d.     Emergency uses (1/2): The lock is the downfall of this knife for emergency purposes.  In a situation where you might want to affix this blade for other uses, you would have to destroy the handle and lock to do it, as it is riveted together.  The lock and rivet design are not substantial enough that the knife could be used to jimmy or leverage anything.  It could be used to clean fish or small game, could help in preparing fire, and could possibly be used for defense – but it is not best suited to those tasks.  Simply having a knife for emergency purposes will help – but if I had a choice, this is not the knife that I would want to have on me if I were in a situation where my life depended on it.

e.     Concealability (1/1): As this is a folding knife, it’s easy to stow! The N*08 slides into a pocket and disappears.  It’s not large enough or defined enough to print radically.  There are also plenty of pouch options from the Opinel[6] web site or from Amazon[7] to holster this knife on your belt.

f.      Ease of deployment (0/1): Again, the lock hurts the knife in this category.  The outer band of the “virobloc” rotates, but requires a bit of force to do so.  In an emergency situation, it would take a bit of concentration to deploy and lock this knife for use – if well-practiced, fine muscle movement like this might not be an issue.

2.              Durability (4/5):

a.     Construction (0/1): Overall construction of the N*08 is good, using high quality materials on all of it’s five parts to create a polished product – but its mechanical design is not made to handle any kind of stress.  It’s single riveted connection point under the locking mechanism would fail if used for anything other than basic cutting, as the beach wood handle is not reinforced to match the strength of the steel blade.

b.     Edge (2/2): Heat-treated and clean, Sandvik 12c27 holds an edge.  Widely used for knives and respected for it’s edge, 12c27s composition makes the diference: Carbon .60%, Chromium 13.5%, Manganese .40%, Phosphorous .025%, Silicon .40% and Sulfur .010%[8].

c.      Hardness (2/2): The Sandvik 12c27 has a Rockwell hardness (HRc) scale rating of 54-61, hard but not hard enough to be easily susceptible to chipping or cracking.  This blade shouldn’t fall apart on you when used against wood, or some other metals.

3.              Price (5/5): Straight from their own website[9], or from Amazon[10], you’re getting a hell of a deal for $15.00.  While it’s not perfect – most especially due to it’s locking mechanism, and it wouldn’t be my first choice knife in an emergency – it’s got a lot to offer.

Steel1Actual, 20180311

[1]https://www.opinel.com/en

[2]https://www.opinel.com/en/pocket-knives-and-tools/tradition/stainless-steel/n8-stainless-steel

[3]https://www.materials.sandvik/en/about-us/

[4]https://www.materials.sandvik/en/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/sandvik-knife-steels/sandvik-12c27/

[5]http://workshopcompanion.com/KnowHow/Design/Nature_of_Wood/3_Wood_Strength/3_Wood_Strength.htm

[6]https://www.opinel.com/couteaux-et-outils-de-poche/articles-complementaires

[7]https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=opinel+pouch

[8]https://www.tactical-life.com/tactical-knives/super-clean-sandvik-12c27/

[9]https://www.opinel-usa.com/pocket-knives/classic-pocket-knives/classic-stainless-steel/n8-stainless-steel

[10]https://www.amazon.com/Opinel-Carbon-Blade-Folding-Knife/dp/B002SCUO04/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1520772990&sr=1-2&keywords=opinel+08&dpID=21%252BIiYVEZwL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Open and locked.

A closer look at the locking mechanism.  The bottom portion locks it when the blade is retracted, and the top portion forces it into a locked position when open.