Opinel No. 6 Pocket Knife

Opinel No 6 Carbon Steel Folding knife

Real men carry pocket knives. Real women do, too.

I have quite a collection, but my favorite is an Opinel #6 that I inherited from my father. It has a slightly curved carbon steel blade and a smooth wood handle that fits my hand like no other. At the top of the handle is a twist lock collar that keeps the blade from closing unexpectedly. The blade is 2 14/16th inches, and when open extends to 6 1/2 inches

French manufacturer Opinel has been making knives since 1890. The blade is so famous that in France that Opinel apparently is synonymous with pocket knife, the way Kleenex and Band Aid are used as generic terms in the United States. Pablo Picasso reportedly used one as a sculpting tool.

The knife’s design is widely praised. It was included in a 1985 exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as one of the “100 most beautiful products in the world” (along with other luminaries as the Porsche 911 and the Rolex.). It’s been exhibited at New York’s Museum of Modern Art as a “design masterpiece.”

The best part is that you can have this beautiful blade for a pittance: just $12 on Amazon.