Opinel alternatives.

ajole said:

So, I learned of some “other” wood handled European knives, with the thin locking blades like an Opinel has; but with different locks.
So I bought them. There are other versions, sizes and shapes on Amazon.
Also got a Gerber ArmBar Drive, on sale at $25 pre-Christmas.


The left one is a MAM Operario, about $12, it has a thin metal spring steel piece in the handle to make a liner lock, aluminum ferrule; and the right one is the Antonini Old Bear medium, about $16. Better lock, basically a tab that you slide into a notch in the blade, and it has a more solid brass ferrule. It locks closed, as well. They’re really the same size, perspective makes the MAM look bigger.

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ajole said:

I was carrying the Old Bear yesterday, and the group I was with ordered pizza. Large group, VERY large pizzas, the were as wide as the table, so if you opened to lid, they were in the way Used the old bear to cut the lids off, and it was as good as any razor knife at whipping through the cardboard like it wasn’t a thing.

I think I’m going to drill a whole in the handle and add a small lanyard. Mostly for looks, but also, in most of my day bag type packs, there’s a key clip in the “organizer” pocket to keep your keys in place, and I usually clip a keychain multitool and a knife there.

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