Values of Opinel Knives Number 9 and 10

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Values of Opinel knives number 9 and 10

Details on the criteria used in this page can be found here.

The woods used to make number 9 and 10 models are few. It is fortunate that Opinel expands the number 9 family because the size of the number 8 dominant until today was determined at the end of the 19th century. At that time the size of human beings was smaller than it is today. The dimension of the number 9 fits better with human beings in the 21st century.

All Opinel number 9 models - other than made of beech or formerly made of ash - have the recent hardware with a notch and a too wide aperture of the ferrule-virobloc system. Consequently, the hardware quality of number 9 models, other than made of beech or ash, is always rated at 1/3.

To the best of my knowledge, Opinel has never provided information on the number of copies manufactured for number 9 models. Furthermore, no model has been numbered.

Until now, number 9 models have not been particularly valued because the addition of new woods is recent and all models can easily be found. Besides, the new woods have been common woods so far.

Ash (Frêne)

The Ash model is a thing of the past. The blades were probably made of carbon steel.

Year of production: NA
Wood quality: 2/5
Hardware quality: NA
Rareness: 5/5
Value: (?)
Value change: (?)

This carbon blade copy is a number 10. The stamp on the blade allows us to place its manufacture between 1950 and 1967. The handle is covered with a tinted varnish that masks the light natural color of the ash wood. The number 9 was of the same finish.

Beech (Hêtre)

The Beech model covers most of the current production of number 9s. They have been produced for decades and thousands of copies have been manufactured. Copies are delivered in bulk or in plastic packaging. The blades are made of stainless or carbon steel.

Year of production: NA
Wood quality: 2/5
Hardware quality: NA
Rareness: 1/5
Value: €14
Value change: =

This copy is from 2011. The virobloc has a bump on the back without notch.

Cocobolo - number 10

The number 10 Cocobolo model comes in a pine or fir pencil case with a leaflet. The model has a corkscrew inserted in the handle. The blade is unpolished stainless steel.

The production was limited. The model is not common but it is occasionally found for sale. There may have been a few hundred copies manufactured.

The copies are not numbered.

Year of production: 2009-2010 (?)
Wood quality: 4/5
Hardware quality: 3/3 (?)
Rareness: 4/5
Value: €100-€170
Value change: =

Maple - Shiori - number 10 (Érable - Shiori)

The number 10 Shiori model is the fruit of the partnership between Opinel, the Japanese knifemaker Nigara Hamono, and the Shiori company. The Shiori model is delivered in a white cardboard box that holds a maple pencil case. A leaflet is also included. A paper printed with the Opinel and Shiori logos wraps up the knife. The nature of the paper is not specified.

The ferrule and the safety ring have a black finish.

The blade consists in a multilayered stainless steel with a Nigara Hamono marking. The VG7 japanese steel replaces the 12C27 steel customarily used by Opinel. The blade is hammered to give it a wrought appearance. All the blades seem to have the same hammered figures. Differences between blades seem subtle.

The selected maple wood is curly. The maple species is not stated. "OPINEL" is stamped on the handle.

The production run is limited to 2,100 copies. Copies are not numbered.

Year of production: 2025 - 2,100 copies
Wood quality: 2/5
Hardware quality: 1/3
Rareness: 1/5
Value: €360 (€290-€360)
Value change: =

Oak, European (Chêne pédonculé)

The European Oak model is currently in production. The model is delivered in a cardboard window box. The blade is stainless.

Year of production: from 2021
Wood quality: 1/5
Hardware quality: 1/3
Rareness: 1/5
Value: €21
Value change: =

Olive (Olivier)

The Olive model is currently in production. The model is delivered in a cardboard window box. The blade is stainless.

Year of production: from 2021
Wood quality: 4/5
Hardware quality: 1/3
Rareness: 1/5
Value: €21
Value change: =

Peak (Cime)

The Peak model comes in a cream/blue cardboard box with an explanatory sheet. The lid of the box is illustrated with mountain peaks. The blade is stainless.

The explanatory sheet reads the model is made of three woods: sycamore maple, ash and black walnut. The three woods form pieces of different sizes on the handle but of identical size on all the copies. The handles of all the copies are thus similar.

The handle features woods in three colors: white, black, and brown. However, maple and ash are white woods and walnut is brown. In this case, the ash is heat-treated, a process that gives it a deep brown color. Thus, the Cime model has a sycamore maple body, a walnut heel, and a deep brown ash piece in between.

Year of production: 2024
Wood quality: 1/5 and 2/5
Hardware quality: 1/3
Rareness: 1/5
Value: €60 (€45-€50)
Value change: =

Note: The name of the woods can be confusing because black walnut is not black but brown. In addition, black walnut is not a French species - as printed out on the explanatory sheet - but an American one. Black walnut is also known as American walnut. The French walnut is the common walnut; the quality of its wood is somewhat superior to that of the black walnut and its color is slightly lighter.

Walnut (Noyer)

The Walnut model is currently in production. The model is delivered in a cardboard window box. The blade is stainless.

Year of production: from 2021
Wood quality: 1/5
Hardware quality: 1/3
Rareness: 1/5
Value: €21
Value change: =

Other woods

Opinel may also have used cherry and maple woods to make number 9s.