Worldwide Tournament, Round One

[jday2727]

In this series of reviews I will be putting 10 knives from around the world in a tournament bracket and doing my best to make it even.
Round one consists of two blades that are no strangers to competition with each other. The knives are the Opinel Number Eight in carbon, and the Svord Mini Peasant.
The Opinel is a very popular knife, and for good reason. The company has a fairly long history making these knives, so they know what they are doing. The Svord from New Zealand is a little less popular, but still well known. It is a little different than your normal EDC blade.
Now, the Opinel doesn't come standard with the pocket sheath shown, but currently it is only a dollar more for the sheath.
Now on to the reviews.

Price: Both knives come in at a minimal fourteen dollars. Advantage: None

Materials: The Opinel comes standard with a beachwood handle and XC90 carbon blade, although you can also get a stainless model with 12c27 Sandvik steel. The Svord comes with a plastic handle and 15n20 blade. Advantage: Opinel. There really isn't any problem with Svord's choice of materials, but the wood looks a bit nicer, and doesn't feel as cheap. The choice of blade material is also a bonus.

Dimensions: The Opinel without sheath comes in at 1.5 ounces and a 3.25 inch blade. The Svord also comes in at 1.5 ounces, but with a 2.5 inch blade. Although it's a smaller knife, the tang of the Mini Peasant makes it the same lenght closed as the Opinel. However, the Svord is a narrower package. Advantage: Opinel. 1.5 ounces for a 3.25 inch blade is outstanding. The Svord may be narrower to carry, but the tang takes up a lot of vertical space for such a small knife.

Options: Both of these knives have many different configurations, although in most cases straying from the models shown will add to the price, unless downsizing the knife. The Opinel has two blade steels, several different wood choices for handle materials, different blade shapes for pruning, gardening, a mushroom knife with a brush on the handle, outdoor models, etc. The Svord also has lots of variation, but as far as I know the steel stays the same on all of them. Svord offers several different handle colors, and your choice of wood, metal, or plastic handles. They also offer different sizes, though not as many as the Opinels. Advantage: Opinel. While both knives have lots of variations, Opinel offers many more.

Fit and Finish: Opinel has been making these for a very long time, and it shows. The only complaint here is that more often than not the blade on these knives will not come centered, and there is no way to fix it. The Svord isn't as good overall. The handles don't quite line up, the blade isn't centered at the pivot itself, the grinds aren't done nearly as well (more on that later) and there are molding nubs on the plastic. Advantage: Opinel.


Use: Both knives are excellent to use. Both knives have good ergonomics and blade shapes. The Opinel has a slightly more comfortable handle, but the wood can swell if it gets wet and prevent you from opening or closing the knife until it dries. The tang on the Mini Peasant comes in handy here as you can use it to open the knife with one hand. Advantage: Svord

Construction: Both of these knives are about as simple as a folder comes. The Opinel consists of 5 pieces. The handle, pivot pin, blade, inner metal clamp around the pivot, and the locking ring. The Svord consists of a blade, two handle pieces, and two sets of male and female screws to hold it together. Advantage: Svord. Both knives are well constructed, but the ability to adjust the Svord and take it apart to clean give it a definite edge over the Opinel.

Locks: This is going to be a matter of preference. Opinels come with a rotating lock that can lock the blade both open and closed. However any Opinel smaller than the Number Six do not have a lock and rely on friction to keep the blade in place. The Peasant is a friction folder with no real lock, although the extended tang comes in handy here as the harder you grip the knife, the less likely the blade to close. Advantage: Personal Preference.

Other: It is worth noting that while the Peasant is less of a polished package overall, that is also part of the appeal of the knife. The blades are hand ground and the black "finish" from the quenching process is left untouched to give this knife a more unique touch. As far as collecting goes, I feel like one Svord is enough. It is a knife for using. I have several and have gifted several Opinels away, and as a matter of fact while writing this review I received a number 8 Gardening knife to add to my collection.

Winner: Opinel
It really isn't as one sided as the review looks. These knives are very similar, and the only thing that makes the Opinel a better knife in my opinion is the several small differences that the Opinel gets right. You absolutely cannot go wrong with either of these knives. Heck, for the price pick both of them up and decide for yourself.

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[jday2727]

Also guys, this is my first review. If you want to see anything different or whatever let me know for the upcoming match ups.

Sent from my Z988 using Tapatalk

[Spartan19]

Can't wait to see the results. Keep up the good work brother! 

[Poncho65]

Looks good to me and this should be very interesting

[styx]

Woooohoooo Opinel!! This is one of those things where you can follow along even smurffaced

[AimlessWanderer]

Fair assessments there 

I've never owned a Svord Mini, but I have handled one. The protruding tang when closed and plastic handle has not won me over, hence me never buying one, and the Opinels do seem to have a little more finesse. I have a carbon steel #7, used to have a stainless version, and have nearly bought a gardening knife several times. Maybe one day....

[Aloha]

Round one 

[an0nemus]

 

[David]

Round one     



   for round two

[SteveC]

Nice comparison review   

[Ron Who]

 

[ThePeacent]

that first part was cool

 

[pomsbz]

It would be interesting to contrast cutting/slicing ability. After all cutting is what a knife is all about.

[Corwyn]

Very cool review.

By the way I own one Svord and 11 Opinels... guess which one I like better 

[AimlessWanderer]

It would be interesting to contrast cutting/slicing ability. After all cutting is what a knife is all about.

Maybe which knife dulls quickest through cardboard 

[pomsbz]

It would be interesting to contrast cutting/slicing ability. After all cutting is what a knife is all about.

Maybe which knife dulls quickest through cardboard 

Heck just slice an apple with both. Edge retention is one thing and important but actual cutting ability, what it's like to cut stuff with the blade is strangely unimportant in today's knife world. How else could we explain multi grind knives?

[pomsbz]

double post

[Gerhard Gerber]

Heck just slice an apple with both. Edge retention is one thing and important but actual cutting ability, what it's like to cut stuff with the blade is strangely unimportant in today's knife world. How else could we explain multi grind knives?