No.08 Carbon Steel Folding Pocket Knife with Beechwood Handle, Brown (2540089)

About this item

This essential tool is unchanged since 1890 and is a must have for outdoorsmen and handymen alike
The Stainless Virobloc safety ring has two sections, one fixed and one sliding for secure locking
Opinel's carbon steel is extremely hard, thereby guaranteeing excellent cutting quality
Handle is made from hard, durable Beechwood from France
Opinel products are guaranteed under normal use and exchanged in case of manufacturing defects

• Mark Baker

  Bottom line: Is this the worlds best pocket knife? No. But it's unbeatable for the price, in my opinion.The relatively few negative reviews of this knife mostly focus on the blade's tendency to rust. I would point out that this is a carbon steel knife - it absolutely *will* rust if not cared for properly and anyone buying it should expect that. If you want a knife that won't rust, Opinel makes this exact same model in stainless steel, available right here on Amazon for the same price.That said, carbon steel has one big advantage over stainless - a carbon blade can be sharper (if sharpened correctly) and tends to hold an edge better/longer than a stainless blade. Simply oil the blade once in a while, remove any rust promptly, and embrace the inevitable color change in the blade over time (the "patina"), which will help prevent rust. If you aren't willing to do those things, go with stainless steel.For the price, this knife is very well made and functional. The blade is good quality and arrived quite sharp. The beechwood handle is nicely shaped (both ergonomically and aesthetically), and is very lightweight - I can almost forget I have a knife in my pocket. The manually-actuated locking ring can lock the blade both open and closed; the latter is somewhat unique among folding knives but is welcome for me - there is no chance of opening, even partially, in my pocket. This knife does not open and close easily with one hand, but it isn't intended to and that isn't important to me. If it's important to you, look elsewhere.This being my first Opinel knife, I can't comment objectively on longevity; however, from what I see so far it could last a very long time. Highly recommended.

• Big Jon

  WARNING: If you normally use your pocket knife as a screwdriver or chisel or a hammer, read no further. You won't be happy with this knife. Go buy a chunky stainless steel grinder-knife, or better yet, a screwdriver, chisel and hammer. If you want a very sharp knife to cut things appropriate for a knife to cut, read on.The Opinel no8 is a great size for daily carry. It's light as a feather and only 4 1/4 inches long when closed.Carbon steel folders are hard to find these days and most people have never even picked up a quality made, well tempered piece of steel. For those of you who haven't yet experienced the joy of owning and using one, I envy you. You are in for a pleasant surprise.These knives are well engineered. The design is simple, robust and economical to produce. They have evolved into their current excellent form after years of use. They have an economy of design that translates directly into lower costs, and lower weight. This is a 3 1/4 inch blade, but it weighs almost nothing. You can't tell you have it in your pocket.The wooden handle is reinforced by a steel bolster so it can't break and the locking ring is more secure than any of the tang locks you see on all the other folders. The blade locks open or closed. This is a very strong design.These knives are made of top quality materials. Not expensive materials, but appropriate materials without trying to cut costs by using cheap components. The blade is made of some kind of high carbon steel. The handle is a solid block of hard wood. The other parts, including the rivet and bolster appear to be low carbon steel and the locking ring is stainless steel.These things come from the factory very sharp. They can be made even sharper with a few minutes on a whetstone. The steel is quite good and well tempered, so they hold an edge well, even if you want them sharp enough to shave with. When they finally do begin to dull, they are a joy to sharpen.They cut like a light saber! The blade geometry is perfect for cutting. The blade is thin and springy (but extremely stiff) and tapers all the way from the tang to the point. They blast through wood, meat, fruits, veggies or cardboard. Trimming tough meat or slicing tomatoes into paper-thin slivers is fun with these knives. So is whittling.I love my Opinel No8. It's a joy to use. I recommend it highly, but I usually don't have to do much of that. It sells itself. Any friend who borrows mine usually jumps on Amazon to get one of their own.

• East to West

  What more can be said? I personally love the performance and tradition of a carbon blade - but to each his own. Opinels are nothing if not consistent. The fit and finish is excellent. These are simple and no frills, but excel in every respect. Sharp, reliable, durable, easy to use. And inexpensive! Unless you just need an auto opener, this is the pinnacle of everyday pocketknives.

• arcanemotif

  I tend to research stuff a lot before I buy it, so a lot of my reviews end up with 4 or 5 stars simply because I don't end up purchasing lower quality stuff in the first place. That being said, the 5 stars I offer this product would be 10 or more stars if it were possible. I cannot stress you you enough how great this knife is. The carbon steel blade holds an edge very well, and that edge is SHARP, mine is always shaving sharp and it's easy to keep that way. I actually just strop this on the back of an old belt most of the time and that keeps it perfect. Then handle is ergonomic perfection, I'm 6'4" with hands proportionally sized for my height (big) and it is still comfortable. The locking mechanism is unusual but very effective and after using it now for almost a year, I'm surprised it isn't a more common method. The thin blade slices unbelievably nice, I have used it on wood, food prep (even in a kitchen when the supplied knives were lame), picking cheap locks, all kinds of stuff and it holds up great and performs superlatively.It is impossible to exaggerate the qualities of this blade. It is insulting to say it is good "for the price," if it were $100 or more I would still say it was a great knife (although I would have just longed for it, and not purchased it). I say that in all honesty. I have a modest collection, just a few knives that I have selected to actually use daily and camping. These include a high end Strider (wonderful knife, but I work in an office and I am concerned about making people nervous), some buck knives, a MoraKniv (another just crazy nice inexpensive knife, but again not for the office), and some cheaper knives (including a Gerber that is a huge disappointment). I just mention these to qualify my opinion of this particular blade. I love it. A lot. It has been my every day carry in my slacks and jeans for a while now and I have plenty of opportunities to assess it. It's a beautiful knife, when it's closed is elegant and does not look like a weirdo tactical knife, just like a french piece of art so nobody gets nervous. Open, it is still such a classic look that the only comments I get about it, even from people who don't carry, is that it's a good looking knife. Carries nice in the pocket, which I was concerned about, I usually have pocket clips on my knives.Casual, Dress, Bushcraft, Kitchen, EDC, fishing, basically whatever you would need a blade for this guy should have you covered (haven't tried field dressing anything, I imagine it would work fine but get super grody). No doubt there are obviously better knives out there for specific situations like self defense, wood processing (I would not use this for batoning through a log), hunting, or whatever but for a terrific pocket knife to always have on you, you would be hard pressed to find its equal.

• Avant

  I had my first Opinel for about a year or 2 before I lost it in school one day. Once I realized I lost it, I was panicking and heartbroken as I had customized it a bit and there was quite a bit of sentiment with it. I couldn't be a day without it and so ordered another one asap. I've now had my current one going on 3 years now and intend to keep adding onto that time.The knife is just so damn amazing for the price you pay for it. It's design is elegantly simple, yet extremely useful. The blade shape and length of my No. 8 is the perfect length for pretty much everything minus fighting a bear or something. It is extremely easy to sharpen and gets almost scalpel sharp especially with the carbon steel. Speaking of, you have a choice of either drying and lubricating it constantly, or force a patina using lemon juice or something to decrease chance of rust. I chose the latter with occasional oiling(use mineral oil, it does the job and lets you use your knife for food prep, cuz who wants to eat 3 in 1 or gun oil amirite?) every 6 months or so just in case, and if it does happen, I use a mesh scrub and resharpen. It will also develop a smell if you patina it. The best thing about this knife is that it is legal practically anywhere as the lock does not engage automatically and you cannot spydie drop it. The lock when you choose to engage it is also extremely strong and will be more than enough for anything unless you are intentionally trying your hardest to break it. It is also ridiculously light, and is the reason why I lost it in the first place, as you won't even notice it's there. Handle is comfy and fills the hand really nice.The worst things about the knife is that the handle can swell quite a bit initially, making the blade hard to open and requiring you to smack the end of the handle on something hard to knock the blade out enough to grip and pry open. After the joint wears out a bit, it is no longer a problem. It is also a pain in the ass to clean as it is not an open back design so you'll have to use toothpicks and q-tips to really have at it, especially if you use it for food.Overall, this is a real user knife. Everything else I've bought after basically becomes a drawer queen in comparison.

• Fluffpuppypup

  The Opinel No8 Carbone is a classic knife in every sense of the word. From the dictionary:clas·sicˈklasik/adjective1. judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind."a classic novel"synonyms: definitive, authoritative; More2. remarkably and instructively typical."Hamlet is the classic example of a tragedy"synonyms: typical, archetypal, quintessential, vintage; Morenoun1. a work of art of recognized and established value."his books have become classics"synonyms: definitive example, model, epitome, paradigm, exemplar; More2. a school subject that involves the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature, philosophy, and history.This knife has been made in almost the same way for over 100 years. It is simple, timeless, functionally brilliant. And, best of all, it is decidedly non-tactical. It is a knife for cutting, not combat. It fits in my pocket, disappearing in both weight and form. I am not a knife expert, in fact I am a novice, and my son is just earning his knife whittling badge in Cub Scouts. I bought this knife for myself, and the stainless version of the Opinel No8 for him. It is a great first knife for him, and a great knife to add to my small collection - timeless. I love that it locks in the closed position for my son to carry in his pocket, and that it takes two hands to open, and that the lock is bomb proof, and that the blade holds an egde, and sharpens easily. I nerded out researching the XC90 steel, and it has some mixed reviews, but the bottom line is that there is not much better out there for the price. The knife is also available in the 12C27M stainless steel from Sandvik, which also has some mixed reviews, but requires less maintenance, and is very much more flashy.The Opinel No8 Carbone is a classic, and goes with me everywhere, and takes me to a simpler time.

• Amazon Customer

  The media could not be loaded. This knife is very nice. Opinel has always been a good reliable knife company. Great gift item for anyone and easy to maintain/ sharpen. Retains edge fairly decently but don't expect s30/90v steel performances. One of my favorites.

• Michelle Oliver

  Quality craftmanship and like the fact that it locks in the opened and closed position. The handle is lightweight but sturdy.

• Earl Dunbar

  Pure and simple, carbon steel is the BEST choice for sharpness and ease of sharpening. Does it take a bit of care? Yes - don’t keep the blade clean and dry and you’ll be sad. But how hard is that? IT’S NOT!!! On the other hand, you can spend an inordinate amount of time with a “stainless” steel blade - either sharpening or not getting an easy, good cut.The Opinel carbon knives (I have two) have inspired me to move up to Japanese carbon kitchen knives.

• Amazon Customer

  Nice knife in appearance and handling. I do not have everyday or heavy duty use in mind for it, but it will be perfect for intended use.When it arrived I found it still had a sharpening burr along the left side of the blade. A few passes on a coarse then fine crock stick and it is hair-shaving sharp though.