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OPINEL CARBON vs STAINLESS BLADES

Steel, an endlessly recyclable material. It can easily be recovered from other waste by magnetic sorting. Recycling leads to savings in terms of the mineral itself, lime and energy.

Opinel Carbon steel XC90 (acier au carbone)

Opinel knife blades are made using steels with a high carbon content, which is what makes it possible to achieve the excellent hardness after heat treatment, guaranteeing the good strength of the cutting edge, resistance to wear and easy sharpening.
Carbon has a low resistance to corrosion caused by moisture, which means that certain precautionary measures are necessary when using and storing the knives: we recommend that you avoid damp environments and that you dry and grease the blade after use.

The hardness obtained after heat treatment are theoretically slightly greater in steels that do not contain chrome. The cutting strength is therefore better with a “carbon” steel and sharpening of carbon steel blades is much easier than sharpening of stainless steel blades.

Opinel N^o8 Carbon steel lost at the golf course (4 months). Notice the pristine stainless steel safety ring next to the corroded carbon blade.

Of course, this is an extreme case, carbon blades will "weather/darken" but will not rust if you take care of them (see tuf-cloth here).

Opinel Sandvik 12c27-MOD Stainless steel (acier inox)

The addition of chrome very markedly increases resistance to corrosion caused by moisture. Steels are then called “stainless” and they can be used with fewer restrictions. The stainless steel capable of undergoing the heat treatment that gives it its good hardness is called martensitic. Sandvik12c27 MOD: All Opinel stainless steel blades are modified by adding at least 0.40% of carbon, giving it a good cutting edge but which explains why knife blades are not totally corrosion-proof. Only a carbon-free steel would be, but it would not have the hardness guaranteeing a good cutting quality and the excellent strength of the cutting edge.

The Opinel No8 Stainless Steel below has 5 components, weight 1.6 oz and is, in our opinion (and the one of millions) the best knife for the buck anywhere.

OPINEL CARBON & STAINLESS BLADES