Okay this may be old news but I just discovered it. HappyCamper's thread on flint firestarting in the survival forum got me to browsing the Coghlan's website where I stumbled arocss this.

I've never had an Opinel. They good for much? Feel right in the hand? What's the attraction?

opinels are dead cheap, simple and sharp. I like them. But for actualy survival use less usefull, because the wooden handle will swell up wenn it's wet. This will temperairly hold the blade solid in it's position. That means, if it's closed it will be that way, till it has dryed a bit.

This is a #7, I bought one from Amazon. It doesn't say Coghlan's anymore because I sanded the sides down so it would be a little thinner. I also filed down the tip into a drop point. And yes, it will swell and get sticky. Mine is difficult to open right now.

Here are some interesting modifications:
Opinel art

I got that link as well as the idea for my modifications from some forum in the last few months. I can't find anything searching this forum, so I think it was somewhere else. <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

"Okay this may be old news but I just discovered it."

You discovered a classic. The Opinel has been made in that same basic pattern for over 100 years. Opinel is from France and I have seen their knives with various "brands" stamped on them like the Coghlan stamp. You can get them in either carbon steel or stainless. Some have the locking blade and some of the smaller ones do not.

Smokey Mountain Kniveworks
http://www.eknifeworks.com
lists about 50 different variations with most in the $5 - $10 range.

For less than $10, it is a good knife for the money. It is better than most of what you will find in that price range.

This is the first time I have ever seen one with something other than Opinel stamped on it, aside from customized versions with nothing stamped on them. So I guess Coghlan's isn't the only company licenses to put their name on it and sell it as their own.

My mistake. I did not look close at the blade logo.

I have seen the Opinel brand with many different things on the handle, but now as I look at your Coghlan photo, I would guess that this is a copy.

Sorry about that.

For clarification (or more confusion), mine is stamped Opinel on the blade and Coghlan's on the handle. It is listed on Amazon as "Adventure 16 Opinel"

Amazon listing

Opinel is to folders what Mora is to fixed knives.They are inexpensive, sharp with excellent steels. Their robustness limits extreme survival use, but I'll take either over le Rambeau ( Stallone en francais <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) knives. www.ragweedforge.com also stocks them. They are also de riquer for picnic baskets on summer evenings listening to Ravel. For that, few blades carry as much elan'.

elan.
a fine word .. rarely have any, but a fine word nonetheless.

They are reasonable sharp and costs next to nothing. I've bought 2 recently for $ 11.42 (and that's converted from a strong euro). If the law enforcement confiscate it (carying a locking folder is against the law overhere and offcourse, by making it illegal you make sure that real criminals won't use one .......) it's not a big loss

They do have a locking mechanism (virobloc) wich is strong enough for most cutting jobs.

Or TSA. Looks like a good, cheap knife to toss in checked baggage.