In 2016 — some 126 years after the company’s inception — Opinel set its sights on the outdoor space, delivering a modern, off-grid-focused folder with a design modeled after the French firm’s iconic wood-handled “peasant” knives. Known as the No.12 Outdoor Explore Folding Knife, this existing model comes equipped with a removable flint fire starter, though after more than half a decade in production, Opinel has now debuted a new version of this outdoor-specific survival knife that jettisons the flint piece in favor of a removable tick remover.
Like the original No.12 Explore, the new variant retains its predessoesor’s dimensions and is constructed around a rubberized fiber-reinforced handle adorned in a topographic pattern. The new version also features the original’s integrated 110-decibel whistle and removable steel cutting hook, as well as its 4” blade which is crafted from Sandvik 12C27 — a martensitic stainless chromium blade steel material with solid edge retention and corrosion resistance.
Where this new knife differs from the original is in its attachment. In place of a flint fire starter — which can be struck against the back of the blade steel — the latest No.12 Outdoor Explore now features a removable pinch-style tick remover insert. Tipping the scales at only 8oz (or 0.5lbs), this No.12 Outdoor Explore variant is also made entirely in France.
Priced at $55, the Opinel No.12 Outdoor Explore Folding Knife With Tick Remover is available now in two color options. Opinel also sells a leather sheath for the No.12 Outdoor Explore Knife, as well as a replacement hook blade.
