Well, well, well, we’ve got some news out of French knife titan Opinel this week. You don’t see a ton of new models from the company, but they’re getting ready to foll out the No. 8 Forge, a limited edition take on their flagship folding knife.
Underneath the eye-catching cosmetic differences, the Forge is very much the No. 8 that users all over the world (even those who would not consider themselves knife people) know and love. If you’re not in the know, the number in an Opinel folder’s name indicates the approximate length of the blade in centimeters; a No. 8 is 8.5cm long, which translates to 3.25 inches. The traditional blade steel on an Opinel is XC90, a carbon steel not too far off from something like 1095; if you’ve been around the knife block you’ll know what you’re getting with steels like these, namely, solid edge retention, great toughness, but higher susceptibility to rust than stainless stuff.
I have like watching Opinel come up with special editions over the past few years. The LL Bean Bog Maple one was an interesting run.
Read the whole thing at KnifeNews.com
Limited Edition Opinel No. 8 Pays Tribute to Hand Forged Knives