I picked up a #8 Opinel Carbon Blade Knife a couple of years ago.
I love it. Because:
- It's inexpensive
- It's light, very light
- It's unassuming
- The wood handle feels nice and looks 'old-timey'
- The blade cuts nicely and holds an edge for a long time
They are inexpensive enough that I bought a few and gave them as Christmas gifts a couple of years ago.
The blades look great all shiny and new as well as aged and used.
All shiny!
You can take a shortcut to get the aged look without the time investment. The is also referred to as forcing a patina which will give it a unique, blotchy, weathered, blue steel look to it.
Lemons.
Just stick the blade in some lemons over night.
Rinse and dry in the morning.
After the patina process and a ton of heavy use.
Blue Steel, but not in a Derek Zoolander way.
Important:
You need to have the Carbon blade for the patina to work.
Opinel also makes these with stainless steel blades. I like the carbon blades. They seem to cut better and hold the edge longer. However, carbon blades tend to chip easier and will rust therefore need to be cared for more than a stainless blade.
Bonus:
For grins, I picked up a #12 Opinel Beachwood Handle Carbon Steel Knife
From the pictures, you can't really tell, but this thing is huge. For sure, this is not a pocket knife. But for the price, it's fun to have around a campsite.
Pocket Knife on top. Not-Pocket Knife on the bottom.