opinel
Products by opinel
no.8 garden knife +
no.8 pruning knife +
no.10 pruning knife +
no.18 pruning saw +
no.18 pruning saw spare blade +
no.12 pruning saw +
traditional +
traditional carbon +
traditional no.8 with boar engraving +
traditional no.8 with deer engraving +
traditional no.8 with hare engraving +
traditional no.8 with trout engraving +
honing stone +
traditional no.10 with corkscrew +
mushroom knife with brush +
bread +
carving +
paring +
chef's +
carving fork +
carpaccio +
boning +
santoku +
filleting +
utility knife set +
vegetable +
vegetable peeler +
serrated paring +
fish filleting beech handle +
fish filleting bubinga handle +
shellfish +
A Brief History of Opinel
In 1897, Joseph Opinel released a pocket knife in 12 different sizes. In 1909 the Crowned Hand emblem was added to the blade. For The Alpine International Exhibition in 1911, Joseph expanded the range to include kitchen and garden knives.
With the assistance of his sons, Maurice and Leon, Joseph continued to develop the Opinel brand. Then in 1955 Marcel, the son of Maurice, invented the Virobloc system to improve the safety of the knife. Before 1955 the pocket knife included 4 components: the blade, the handle, the shell ring and the rivet. The shell ring was needed to firmly rivet the blade to the handle. The Virobloc system introduced a rotating lock that slides on the shell ring, locking the blade in the open position. In the 1990’s the Virobloc system was modified so the blade could be locked in the closed position.
The pocket knife with its Virobloc system is a design icon. So much so it’s included in the “Phaidon Design Classics” which recognised the Opinel pocket knife as 1 of 999 most successful designs.
Phillip & Lea stocks one of the largest ranges of Opinel knives in Australia, including kitchen, pocket and outdoor knives and saws.
Folding knives and saws
The traditional pocket knife range is available with carbon and stainless steel blades with beechwood handles. We also stock the traditional knife with blue and red beechwood stained handles – easily sighted if dropped in the outdoors - and the series of traditional knife adorned with a animal figures carved on the oak handle – boar, hunting dog, trout, chamois, deer and hare.
The shellfish and fish filleting knives and mushroom knife are welcomed additions to the forager’s basket or bag.
The gardening range includes a garden knife and pruning knives and saws.
Kitchen knives
The Opinel kitchen knife has a stainless steel blade riveted to a beechwood handle. We stock the full range of kitchen knives – chef, santoku, boning, filleting, carving (knife and fork), bread and carpaccio (for thin slices of ham, gravalax and so on). The range also includes a suite of utility knives – paring, serrated paring, vegetable, and vegetable peeler – sold singularly or as a set.