Originally founded in 1890 in Savoie, France, Opinel is now a world-renowned knife brand that’s grown from a small one-man operation into a global powerhouse that now produces more than 15,000,000 blades annually. The company’s best-selling and most iconic offering is undoubtedly its famed No.08 folding knife, which has been produced in an enormous number of variants and special-edition versions, the latest of which is the new Opinel No.08 Arizona Ironwood Handle knife.
Limited to just 800 units worldwide — only 100 of which are earmarked for the U.S. market — the No.08 Arizona Ironwood Handle sees the traditional 7.59” knife treated to a top-shelf handle construction crafted from reclaimed Ironwood imported from Arizona. Native to the Sonoran Desert, this rare semi-fossilized wood has been paired with a 3.28” Sandvik 12C27 steel blade that’s been hit with a bronze-colored PVD coating. The limited-edition Opinel’s signature Virobloc ring has also received the same PVD-coating, plus each blade sports a serial number, denoting its production number of the 800 units produced. The use of this natural handle material also means that no two units are exactly the same, with each knife sporting a different wood grain pattern and color.
Priced at $170, the Opinel No.08 Arizona Ironwood Handle knife is available now, though obviously in limited numbers. Each unit also comes sold in a special oak wood gift box with a sliding top and leather accent piece.
