No. 97Anonymous 2nd January 2010 Saturday 9:38 am97I shall be the stuff of /eco/ legend.
Ladmates, I present to you the best all round survival knife on the planet. The Sami knife of Northern Scandinavia (the Sami people/nation also covers Finland and Russia).
It's a straight, thick and heavy steel blade with a wooden, generally birch, handle. Antler handled varities exist, but are not as user friendly, especially in cold weather conditions. Similarly there are blades with fullers, however I would not recommend them, as the weight it gives up is not worth it.
The Sami knife is very thick and heavy compared to knifes of a similar size, however this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage as it has the cutting potential and power of a decent sized axe which makes it ideal for estabilishing a bivouac and chopping wood.
On the food side it also cuts very well through all manner of hides and can also be used to access nutrocious bone marrow, even from the thick bones of elk and reindeer. The blunt edge of the blade is also an excellent nut cracker and can be used to mash roots and similar foods.
Whilst effectively being a knife with the added functionality of an axe and a machete, it can also be used for finer work, such as whittling various tools and gadgets around camp.
It's sheer all round utility is only part of what makes it so good. The other part is it's durability. I've had mine for nearly twenty years, and it's been used extensively in a number of environments, both military and civilian, including at least 8 months of continuous use in extreme Arctic conditions, with temps down to -40 with no blade damage at all.
It's the knife Ray Mears would use. Posho Walter Mitty character Bear Grylls would probably got for something with a hollow handle for a striker and a compass embedded. Ray on the other hand would know full well the folly of having all your kit in one place as it were.
It is also an excellent fighting knife, but we don't need to talk about that here. On the subject of merking can I be unbanned from /iq/.
Giant knives aren't always useful for smaller work or more delicate things. You wouldn't want to try and eat your dinner with a two or three foot long machete.
>You wouldn't want to try and eat your dinner with a two or three foot long machete
This reminds me of a story I read. A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, ' God , I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.' God led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles, that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. God said, 'You have seen Hell.'
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand..'
It is simple,' said God . 'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'
>>1617 I remembering hearing that in assembly at school and thinking what a cunt god was if he rewards the good by making them eat with oversized spoons.
That was one of the many school incidents that turned me off religion to be honest.
>>1618 Ata young age it was hearing the story of Job, which put me off religion. God turns his mrs into a pillar of salt to prove a point, but makes him look like cock.
Just got one of these babies. Planning on general use, DIY and occassional craft work. Been testing it out 'as it comes' today. Not bad bit of sharpness. Can take a very nice edge once you work on it. Wonderful handle. It really is. Fits perfectly, very secure grip and good control. Blade is a nice size - not so big it becomes an unwieldy (substitute penis) chopper and not too small that you couldn't do a wide variety of work with it.
The main thing is the incredible value they represent. Stainless steel and Swedish made, this cost me (new) less than a tenner, including postage. It's like China made price but European quality. It makes me wonder what else we could be making over here at this kind of price and quality instead of buying it in from Asia.
The sheath is quite interesting. Not like most you see out there (leather or nylon). I like it. This is a hard sheath that the knife clips into. You'll feel a definite 'click' as it pops into place. Very safe and secure. You can attach it by hooking it onto a button or onto a belt with the clip.
I'll be having a look through their catalogue sometime in the future if I remain satisfied with this as I may consider getting some other sizes and styles for various roles.
Also - post more knife opinions, reviews and thoughts, guys. I and and others are interested, I'm sure.
I'll add that the level of finish is quite nice too in that they've polished the blade well (helps stop staining) and the handle and sheath don't have any moulding spikes to dig into you, so someone's bothered to polish the lot down afterwards.
HH offers a pretty good free postage deal, so at least you don't get stung by that on top of the prices. I was going to get a similar Mora. Right now they've got that model but with a red sheath and handle. Some folks complain about it being hard to take in and out of the sheath (it gets a good grip). I think that's a good thing. A sheath that lets the knife slip and slide in and out with every bump is dangerous, a liability and hardly useful at all. Be it the desk drawer, the back pack or your hip you don't want it slipping out.
The main thing is that the knife itself is a corker, especially for the cash. When you see the photo you tend to imagine it as about half the size it really is.
There are a lot of similar knives, even offered by Mora itself. The thing is, you'll find yourself thinking of those other knives as priced in Mora clippers (similar model) or all-round knives (one above). Mora and others make very similar knives for sale at £20 or £30. Close enough that there's no real gain for the price jump. You can get three of these (including postage) for the same. That's what comes into my head now when looking about. Unless it is a collector's fun or a different tool with other features it is hard to think of a reason not to go with this instead.
It's worth noting the weight is good too. Some people like knives that have the weight of felling axes, but this one is heavy enough to do its job but not overly heavy to the point it will drag your trousers down or otherwise weigh you down.
I am a fan of the Opinel. I don't know how far they'd go for a proper survivalist as they're not very hefty, but their boning knives are some of the best I've used. I wouldn't use anything else now for preparing fish, and I've used Global knives costing thirty times more.
They're well designed, durable things that keep a sharp edge forever. The only flaw is the wooden handle swells up if it is submerged in water, but that doesn't last long and the blade can still be retracted and extended, just not as smoothly as normal. I think the more expensive models are waxed or varnished, but the reason I like the Opinels so much is that they're about eight quid each.
I know they're French, but the French know their knives.
>I don't know how far they'd go for a proper survivalist as they're not very hefty
Don't make the mistake of only going for massive choppers (ooh err). There's a place for lighter and nimble knives and even folders, just as there's a place for the ones like a cleaver. If you use it properly for the right job it should be fine. Trying to use it as a crowbar or whacking it during battoning is going to give it a short life. A small sharp knife can be very useful to anyone (including the survivalist), just as a bigger one might be for other jobs. There's folk out there who have had one for decades. The advantage with the folders for me is how convenient and compact they are. The Opinel being one of the best because of the good blades and steel and the lock and, of course, the very low price that makes them cheap enough not to worry about losing or damaging them too much. Because of that ease of use and convenience I have it with me and handy more often. What's the best knife? The one you have with you.
I am not getting at you, you obviously appreciate them, just voicing my thoughts on a topic that frequently comes up in these circles and areas. I'm sure you've seen some dreadful arguments elsewhere. Not all knives have to have six inch blades and full tangs. There are old billhooks (or new ones using old designs) that don't have full tangs and they've been used for heavy every day work for generations.
>The only flaw is the wooden handle swells up if it is submerged in water
You can replace the wood if you are feeling handy and like working with wood (I'm planning on getting a new one sometime and replacing the handle with Purple Heart. Should be an ideal wood for it. Might add some other decorative work if it takes my fancy or I'll leave it plain.) or try treating it. I know some who have soaked it in oil, which isn't a hard or expensive task.
>I know they're French, but the French know their knives.
Very true. They also look at them as tools rather than the now too common hysterical UK view of them. Opinel sell a special "child's" knife that is ideal for the very young to learn with. The combination of the blade shape and the lock makes it very safe. Ironically, it is not legal in this country for kids any more and one of the things that make it safe for them in the first place means they can't carry it. They government wants our kids using dangerous knives. Apparently.
It's sad that kids can no longer have their prized pocket knife possession and go out and explore as they once did. I'd imagine that our generation may be the last raised before the hysteria set in.
>>1672 I remember when I was a lad, my father bought me an opinel knife, I used it for everything, from eating to cutting sticks to pretend were swords etc.
I never managed to cut myself with that knife, I think I still have it somewhere.
>>1672 Even now a No.6 is less than £15. I've used them all my life, but even then they are slippery as fudge. But then (and this is not rocket science) be sure of the task and be sure of the plan. It's a tiny sharp-ish knife, it works really well at getting kindling for example. Or to dress a rabbit for cooking. Tasks that don't require hewing.
I don't want to be disrespectful, but what situation isn't given the choice, improved with having a sharp razor and a good axe, for lack of a better word?
>>1671 >1st April 2011
I've been buying Opinel knives for a few years. My only additional complaint is the blades have a very slight concave angle along the 'strait' part of the blade, which makes it difficult to sharpen with a flat stone. While I'm conviced I can see it in the image, I'm wondering if I could have actually created it myself by a poor sharpening technique.
>>2998 Mine has a very slight dip in it too, and its not been used enough to need sharpening yet.
They will be sharpening them in the factory on a grinding belt most likely, and they'll never be dead flat, especially as their belts wear.
It's not so big that it would be difficult to fix though, an hour or two on a coarser stone will fix it.
I've got their curved mushroom knife, and I've been quite happy with it. Sure, you could go mushroom foraging with any 99p peeling knife, but the Opinel really feels purpose built, with its curved blade and the brush at the other end. My only niggle is that the blade lock is a bit flimsy and has started to rust ever so slightly on my example.
The thing about opinels is that they're pretty cheap, relatively speaking. I use mine in the garden mostly and I don't feel I have to be too careful about what I use it on.
