Opinel No.08 Raw / Ebauche Carbon Blade Folding Knife – Unfinished Cherry Wood Handle for Carving

Started woodcarving last winter and wanted a knife I could finish myself. The cherry handle came nice and smooth but soft enough to shape with my gouges, and the blade was scary sharp out of the box. Oiled the handle after a few evenings of work and it looks like something I paid way more for. The lock ring took a bit of sanding to run freely, but that is part of the fun.

Out of the box the handle is rough sanded with visible tool marks, which is the point of the Ebauche. I sanded it to 400 grit, stained it, and waxed it over a weekend. Blade geometry is classic Opinel and the carbon steel patinas nicely with use. Only docked a star because the finish on the pivot area needed more cleanup than I expected.

Carved it, oiled it, love it.

Bought this to do with my daughter on a rainy weekend and we both ended up with knives we actually use. The cherry takes detail carving well and does not split easily. She left hers mostly as-is with just a light sanding, while I went for a fuller shape. It is a cheap, forgiving way to learn, and the blade holds an edge fine for kitchen and camp tasks.

This is genuinely unfinished — mine had some dents and a blotchy patch on the handle that needed significant work before it looked decent. The blade itself is excellent and the Virobloc lock works well. If you enjoy sanding and shaping, great buy at half price, but do not expect a display piece without effort.

At my age I have owned Opinels for fifty years, so finishing one myself was a treat. The cherry wood is pleasant to work with and smells lovely while carving. I shaped the handle to fit my arthritic grip better than the standard version, which was the whole reason I bought it. Sealed it with linseed oil and it is now my everyday pocket knife. My grandson is getting one for his birthday.

I understood this would be an unfinished knife, but mine arrived with a wobbly blade and deep gouges in the handle that went beyond light shaping. I spent hours fixing it and it is usable now, but I would have preferred spending a bit more for a cleaner starting point.

Carbon steel arrives with a light protective coating that wipes right off. It takes a razor edge on a strop and sliced apple and cardboard test cuts with zero fuss. Just remember to dry it after use or it will patina fast — mine already has a nice gray finish forming. The blank handle gave me room to add a lanyard groove and thumb scallops.

My brother gave me this as a joke birthday gift since I am always whittling sticks at the campfire, but it turned into a genuine project. Spent about a week of evenings reshaping the cherry, sanding through the grits, and oiling it. The result fits my hand perfectly and I get compliments every time I pull it out. For eleven fifty, this is the best value in the knife world, period. Already ordered two more for my fishing buddies.