An Ode to the Opinel knife
The tool we most use on any kind of trip is by far the Opinel: A barebones folding knife hailing from the mountain Savoie region in France. Whether preparing food, quick repairs, opening boxes or mindlessly whittling the Opinel just does the job.
Simple, unassuming, cheap, practical and iconic
Having been around for more than 130 years the Opinel has become an icon of French design and culture. It’s the proletarian brother to the high brow to the Laguiole knife. Go to any fancy restaurant in France and chances are you will eat with Laguiole cutlery. But cutting your cheese and baguette in a meadow that’s the Opinels home.
The standard Opinel is made from a blade that locks in place with a simple twist mechanism and folds into the handle made from beech wood. It’s very much an industrial design and does not try to be fancy or artisanal. This straightforward, made to be used and sometimes abused nature is what I love about these.
Today Opinels are made in Grenoble just down the valley from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne deep in the French alps. The knives are still made in their now iconic design and in many sizes (conveniently just numbered from small to large). Medium sized versions will run you about 10 to 15 Euro - so there is no reason to not have one and breaking or losing one is not a big deal.
Some impression from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Is it a super high end tool? No of course not: The blade is made from stamped industrial steel and you need to tap the handle to open it up sometimes. But that’s just part of the no nonsense utility of this thing. We have several all around the house and the van to just grab for whatever comes up.