This knife screams "old school" to me. There's no assisted open, no thumb stud, and nothing interesting to mention. The simplicity of this pocket knife is what makes it so great. I'm finding myself going to my Opinel on a more regular basis. With a simple turn of the metal base, it sharpens quickly and locks in the open position.

Look no further than a No. 8 in stainless steel if you only need a knife for opening packages and whittling. The reason I say this is that only a small percentage of people will ever need or know how to use a pocket knife for self-defense or survival. For the realist, this is the knife. It's non-threatening, has good fit, finish, and quality materials, fits in a pocket, has good ergonomics, and a thin Sandvik steel blade that takes a good edge with even a cheap diamond stone or whetstone from Harbor Freight or the dollar store, with the added bonus of not imparting that high carbon taste when cutting food.

This knife has a vintage feel to it. Look elsewhere if you're seeking for high-tech gadgets. This knife does all of the functions that a pocket knife should. The fact that you can lock it open, closed, or not at all is great. This versatility provides a degree of freedom of choice, which I appreciate. This model's update from carbon steel to stainless steel adds to its appeal by providing modern convenience by preserving edge retention while removing the extra care required of a carbon steel blade (rust protection). I can't speak to the knife's longevity just yet because it's a new buy, but if I discover any flaws, I'll update my review.

I got this opinel blue trekking knife, as well as two additional opinels of various sizes. This knife appeals to me because of the blade's resemblance to the Sod Buster knife, as well as the opinel's blade locking mechanism, which the Sod Buster lacks. However, the difficulty I experienced with all three of the opinel's I bought was that the metal bolster was not flat with the handle wood, preventing the blade from fully extending and leaving the blade canted at a downward inclination when opened.