Opinel Cutlery: What Makes These Knives Worth Your Attention

Opinel is a French knife manufacturer that's been making the same basic pocket knife since 1890. If you've been around kitchen knives or outdoor knives for a while, you already know the name. If you're just discovering them, the first thing worth knowing is that Opinel has one of the most devoted followings in the knife world, and it's earned.

Their cutlery line extends beyond the classic folding pocket knife into kitchen knives, table knives, and cooking sets. Here's what Opinel's broader cutlery lineup looks like, what makes their approach distinctive, and whether their kitchen and table cutlery delivers the same value as their legendary pocket knives.

Opinel's Cutlery Categories

Opinel's product line splits roughly into four categories:

Classic folding knives: The original business. Available in sizes 1-13, with carbon steel or stainless steel, and a variety of handle materials. These are what made Opinel famous.

Kitchen knives: Fixed-blade kitchen knives in chef's knife, utility, paring, and specialty formats. These are purpose-designed for food preparation.

Table knives and steak knives: Cutlery designed for table use, often sold in sets with matching aesthetics.

Kids' knives and cooking sets: The Le Petit Chef and similar sets designed to introduce children to kitchen work safely.

The Philosophy Behind Opinel's Design

Opinel's famous folding knife (the No. 8, which is the most common size) sells for $15-25 and is considered by many knife enthusiasts to be the best sub-$30 knife available. It uses Sandvik 12C27 steel (a Swedish stainless steel), has a rotating Virobloc locking ring, and a beechwood handle. Clean, functional, brilliant in its simplicity.

Their kitchen knives follow the same philosophy: excellent steel, traditional handle materials, clean geometry, and a fair price.

Sandvik 12C27 Steel

Opinel uses Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel across much of their product line. This Swedish steel is favored for its combination of corrosion resistance, toughness, and sharpening ease. It hardens to approximately 57-59 HRC, which is in the mid-range for kitchen knives.

12C27 takes a very fine edge and sharpens easily on a whetstone. It's not the hardest steel available (Japanese VG-10 or SG2 would beat it for edge retention), but it's an honest, well-performing steel that experienced knife users appreciate.

Opinel Kitchen Knives

Opinel's kitchen knife line covers the essential categories:

Chef's knife (N°119, 20cm): An 8-inch chef's knife in 12C27 stainless with a beechwood handle. Clean geometry, good edge, lightweight at around 150 grams. The handle is natural beechwood with a traditional "D" profile.

Vegetable knife (N°113, 10cm): A short, wide vegetable knife for peeling and precision vegetable work. Works similarly to a paring knife but with a wider blade.

Bread knife (N°116, 21cm): Serrated bread knife in the same design language.

Boning/filleting knife (N°121): A flexible boning knife for fish and poultry work.

Santoku (N°118, 18cm): A Japanese-inspired vegetable knife using Opinel's European construction approach.

The kitchen knife line maintains the same simplicity and quality-to-price ratio as the pocket knife line. An Opinel chef's knife costs $25-45, which is remarkable for 12C27 steel in a well-made format.

Opinel Table Cutlery

Opinel sells table knives and steak knife sets under several collections. The Bon Appétit line is particularly well-regarded.

Bon Appétit Line

The Bon Appétit series consists of table knives (and matching forks and spoons in some configurations) with colorful polymer handles and sharp stainless blades. These are designed for everyday table use and come in sets of 4 or 6.

The visual appeal is considerable. The handles come in bright colors (red, green, yellow, blue, orange, beige), making them popular for setting an intentional, French-inspired table. The knives themselves have a straight, reasonably sharp edge appropriate for soft to medium table use.

These are not steak knives intended for heavy meat-cutting. They're general table knives. For steak specifically, look at Opinel's dedicated steak knife sets.

Steak Knife Sets

Opinel makes dedicated steak knife sets with slightly more robust blades than their table knives. Sets of 4 or 6 are available. The blades use their standard stainless steel and the handles match the color-forward Bon Appétit aesthetic or the more classic beechwood look.

At $40-70 for a 4-piece set, these are priced competitively and perform well for home steak service.

For broader context on where Opinel sits in the cutlery market, our Best Kitchen Cutlery Set roundup compares several brands across different price points.

Opinel Le Petit Chef (Children's Cooking Sets)

This deserves its own mention because it's one of the most interesting products in the Opinel lineup. The Le Petit Chef set is a children's kitchen knife set designed to teach kids to cook safely.

It includes a small chef's knife and a Y-shaped peeler, both with rounded safety tips and brightly colored handles. The knife is genuinely sharp enough to be useful (which is important for safe cutting technique) but designed to minimize the risk of accidents.

These sets are extraordinarily popular as gifts for families who cook together. The French approach to teaching children to cook involves using real tools with appropriate supervision rather than toy versions that don't work properly.

Handle Materials in Opinel Cutlery

Opinel uses several handle materials across their lines:

Beechwood: The classic. Natural look, comfortable in hand, traditional. Requires occasional oiling if used intensively. The most traditional and most associated with Opinel's heritage.

Olive wood: Used in premium versions. More attractive grain pattern, denser and more moisture-resistant than beech. Slightly more expensive.

Polymer handles: Used in the Bon Appétit line. Color options, dishwasher-friendly, no maintenance needed. Practical for everyday table use.

Stamina wood: A treated wood that provides better moisture resistance. Used in some kitchen knife versions.

Caring for Opinel Cutlery

Wooden-handled kitchen knives: Hand wash and dry immediately. Wood handles should not go in the dishwasher. Occasional treatment with food-safe mineral oil or linseed oil prevents drying and cracking.

Polymer-handled table knives: Can be dishwashed. Still benefits from hand washing to preserve the blade edge and handle finish.

Sharpening: Opinel's 12C27 steel sharpens extremely easily. A basic whetstone, ceramic rod, or even a quality pull-through sharpener restores the edge quickly. This is one of the most user-friendly steels for home sharpening.

Our Best Cutlery Knives guide covers maintenance practices for different cutlery styles.

FAQ

Are Opinel kitchen knives as good as their pocket knives? The same design philosophy and similar steel quality apply. For the price, Opinel kitchen knives overdeliver compared to most alternatives. They're not full-bolster forged German knives, but they're well-made, use excellent steel, and are exceptional value.

Is Opinel cutlery made in France? Yes. Opinel's main manufacturing facility is in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in the Savoie region of France. This is a genuine point of differentiation and part of why they have the reputation they do.

What's the difference between Opinel carbon steel and stainless steel knives? The carbon steel versions (marked "carbone" or with a black handle ring) use XC90 high-carbon steel that takes an extremely fine edge and sharpens very easily. They rust if neglected. The stainless versions (Sandvik 12C27) are more corrosion-resistant with slightly easier maintenance. Both are excellent; the choice depends on your maintenance preferences.

Can you find Opinel cutlery in the US? Yes. Amazon carries a good selection. Specialty kitchen stores and outdoor retailers in the US also frequently carry Opinel products.

The Bottom Line

Opinel cutlery reflects the same thinking that made their pocket knives iconic: excellent steel, traditional materials, functional design, and honest pricing. Whether you're buying kitchen knives, table knives, or a children's cooking set, Opinel consistently delivers quality that exceeds what the price suggests.

If you've never owned Opinel products, their kitchen knife line is a relatively low-cost introduction to what exceptional value looks like in cutlery. Start with the chef's knife or a Bon Appétit table set and understand why this French brand has been doing the same things for over 130 years.