Opinel Knife No 12 – Stainless – Beech

with a stainless steel blade. The one-piece handle is made of hardwood, which is protected from moisture by a special varnish. Of course, it also features the unique Virobloc system, which allows the blade to be locked in place in a flash. To lock the blade, you only need to turn the locking ring.

Yatagan blade of the Opinel knife No 12 – hardness 55-57 HRC from Europe

The traditional blade of Opinel is called Yatagan. The shape is inspired by a Turkish saber with a raised tip. The blade was ground according to exclusive curved profile and guarantees robustness and easy resharpening. The stainless steel of OPINEL blades is an optimized grade that guarantees both high corrosion resistance and high mechanical performance. The blade has excellent sharpness and high abrasion resistance (wear resistance), which allows it to withstand regular contact with hard materials such as ceramics before requiring resharpening. Stainless steel has the advantage that, unlike carbon steel, it does not require special maintenance under normal conditions of use. Nevertheless, it can reach its limits if it comes into contact with an aggressive environment (acid, salt water, detergent …) for a long time.

Handle of Opinel Knife No 12

Beech is the most commonly used wood for the production of Opinel knife handles. Beech wood comes from France, is hard, resistant and easy to work. It has a homogeneous appearance and the light color varies from yellowish to pinkish. You can recognize the wood by the many dark, small strokes. The handle has been varnished to better protect it from moisture and dirt.

Safety ring

The Virobloc safety ring was invented by Marcel Opinel in 1955. It is present on all folding knives from model N°06. The Virobloc is cut from stainless steel and consists of two parts: a fixed part and a sliding part. In addition to locking the blade when open (safe use), it is now also possible to lock the blade when closed (safe transport).