Gatewayknives.com Blog

Win a Free Opinel Mushroom Knife

Now through May 23 you have a chance to win a free Opinel mushroom knife from Gatewayknives.com. The mushroom knife measures 4 3/8" closed with a curved design blade with toothed back and natural varnished beech handles with wild boar silk brush to remove soil as well as safety ring for locking the blade. The knife is made in France.

Opinel no 6 Pocket Knife

One of the most popular Opinel pocket knives is the Opinel no 6.  This particular Opinel comes in various types of blades and handles.  The no 6 measures 3 5/8" closed and most feature a safety ring for locking the blade.  And of course all of these are made in France. One of the more common is the #6 beechwood handle with high carbon steel blade. Another is the walnut handle with stainless blade. 

Opinel no 8 Pocket Knife

  
One of the most popular Opinel pocket knives is the Opinel no 8.  This particular Opinel comes in various types of blades and handles.  The no 8 measures 4 3/8" closed and most feature a safety ring for locking the blade.  And of course all of these are made in France. One of the more common is the #8 beechwood handle with high carbon steel blade. Another is the oak handle with stainless blade. The oak also comes in a limited edition L' Hermione edition knife.

Opinels

Recent received a large shipment of Opinels.  They range from Opinel no 4 to Opinel no 8.  These Opinel knives will have stainless steel blades and carbon blades with handles from oak to walnut to beechwood.  Look for these to put for sale within the week. Read more about Opinel pocket knives.

Opinel Mushroom Knife

In a recent blog post we discussed the Opinel Limited Edition L' Hermione knife. Today we will be discussing the Opinel Mushroom knife. The mushroom knife measures 4 3/8" closed with a curved design blade with a toothed back which makes it possible to remove the cuticle easily.  It has natural varnished beech handles with a wild boar silk brush to remove soil.  It has a safety ring for locking the blade.  The knife is made in France as are all Opinel knives.  There is also an Opinel mushroom knife version with leather lace.

Opinel No. 8 Hermione Limited Edition Oak Knife

This limited edition Opinel L' Hermione knife is made from wood salvaged from the current construction of La Fayette's Frigate "L' Hermione" in Rochefort, France.  The Hermione was the ship that La Fayette got from the French government.  The Hermione-La Fayette Association has been reconstructing the frigate since 1997.  You can visit hermione.com for more information.  The knife is made of oak and measures 4 3/8" closed and 7 5/8" open.  It has a stainless steel blade.  Additionally, it has a safety ring which locks the blade either in open or closed position.  Opinel knives are made in France. 

Opinel Knife

Opinel Knife

One of the most recognized knives in the world is the Opinel Knife. It is a quintessentially simple, sturdy, practical, low cost pocket knife with a wooden handle. The knife has been exclusively manufactured for over a century in the French town of Saint Jean-de-Maurienne in the Savoie region.

History

The simple and rustic Opinel Knife was created in 1890s in a mountain village, Maurienne in France. Joseph Opinel made this knife, inspired from the heritage of his father and grand-father in producing edge-tools. Joseph produced his knives in twelve different sizes, numbered from 1 to 12. Ever since then, all kinds of knife lovers have used Opinel knives because of their basic simplicity and great dependability. Legend has it that Pablo Picasso used the Opinel Knife to carve stones into female profiles and heads of bull.

Manufacturing

Opinel S.A. produces over 4 million units every year, nearly half of which are sold all over the world. An estimated 210 million units have been sold in the last one century. The company takes pride in the fact that every Opinel Knife is 100% made in France. The design, research and development of its knives are done in-house. Even the machinery used in the manufacturing process has been largely built by Opinel ever since its operations commenced in 1890. Now the company employs advanced production processes in order to combine technology with craftsmanship.

Opinel Museum

Any knife enthusiast visiting France cannot afford to miss a visit to the Opinel Museum in Saint Jean de Maurienne. For hobbyists, professionals and knife collectors, it is a great opportunity to see exotic collections of the historic knife. The museum also features 100 year old machineries that were originally used to manufacture the Opinel Knife.

Product Quality

The traditional Opinel Knife is recognized by its beechwood handle. The blade is made of high carbon steel, which gives it a very sharp edge. But it must be protected from dirt and moisture in order to maintain its edge. In the last few years, variants of the original knife have used other unique woods as well, such as oak, olive, rosewood, walnut, and stained hornbeam. The knife is also available in stainless steel blades for those who want a more practical and maintenance-free product.

Recognitions

The Victoria and Albert Museum of London brought out its collection of “100 most beautiful products in the world” in 1985. Opinel Knife was included in that exalted list. The knife is also exhibited by the New York’s Museum of Modern Art for its design ingenuity.