OPINELNo. 102 Paring Knives 2 PIECE SET, Carbon Steel Everyday Use Prep Knives for Chopping, Peeling, Slicing, Trimming, Stabilized Sustainably Harvested Beechwood Handles, Made in France

At the time of my purchase, these Opinel paring knives are being sold as a box of 2 for $14. As such, I'm judging them in comparison to your standard stainless steel paring knife with a black plastic molded-on handle. Both cost less than $10, and so both could be treated as sort of disposable. However, I expect the Opinel will sharpen up nicely, and will thereby outperform my old (cheap) stainless steel paring knife considerably.Opinel makes this parer using their standard high carbon steel, which I've found performs well in their traditional folding knives. I purchased this knife for the steel, and expected a 'rustic' level of fit and finish, especially given the price. I got exactly what I expected. It's not the most comfortable knife I own, but it came sharp and so far it cuts great. Even considering the rough wooden handle, it's really not bad for the price. If it stays sharp half as well as other Opinels I've owned, I'll be happy. And if the handle bugs me, it can be fixed with sandpaper and elbow grease.One note for those complaining about rust... It's made of carbon steel. It will definitely discolor with use, and it requires a basic level of care to prevent rusting. Clean it and dry it after use, and occasionally apply mineral oil to the blade and handle if it's humid out. Don't leave it soaking in the sink, and don't run it through the dishwasher. That's about it... If you can't be bothered to do those things, then you should probably buy the stainless steel parer with the black plastic molded-on handle instead. :)

I'm really not sure how to rate these. There are much better knives out there, but the price isn't bad for what you get.Blade length aprox. 3-3/4Handle length aprox. 3-7/8They didn't come very sharp. I had to work both of them over. One even had a small steel burr on the handle.They are partial tang with a very light weight wood. It isn't really a problem, just the balance feels different and they took getting used to.They are better than a lot of low end paring knives, but I don't recommend them unless you're prepared to do some sharpening before use.

I like sharp knives that are easy to keep that way. It's far more important to me than what they look like. That is why I was so pleased to find that these knives have carbon steel blades, despite how they are described here on Amazon. (See the product comparison chart.) Hooray! Yes, of course they rust if you do not dry them after using or washing them. That takes a second, and if they do rust, a little scrubbing with a Brillo pad or plain old steel wool will clear that up. The main thing is, these inexpensive gems will glide through just about anything you need to trim, slice, or pare and only need a few strokes of the honing blade or sharpening stone to keep them doing that. Bliss!Note: It is also good to have a stainless paring knife for use with onions. Carbon steel discolors onions - not important if they are going into the saute pan, but something to be aware of if you are putting together a salad.

not full tang, thin blade, black carbon rusts very easily more than other black carbon knifes I have. grip is pretty simple. will transfer to my garden to cut produce, not very practical for kitchen work.

These are very close to the perfect knife. The carbon steel version is 99% perfect.I have very expensive chefs knives from Japan, hard use knives from Germany and France and even some hand made Anerican knives. These are what we use for almost everything thiugh.The steel used in the stainless version is not very good and will require frequent honing. The carbon steel version will get very sharp very quickly.The shape, size and weight are what make this so wonderful. Very thin steel makes it perfect for small slicing tasks. The spear point is ideal for detail work. It is very lightweight which makes hours of use much less fatiguing.I have broken entire animals down into primal cuts with this knife.The only thing that would improve this knife is better steel and a full tang. At the price these are unbeatable.

I’ve had an Opinel folding knife for years and often use it in the kitchen. It has become very difficult to find carbon steel knives and when I happened upon these I ordered a pair. I really like them. They are light, gripable and can will be easily sharpened unlike stainless knives. They also make good steak knives. They, being carbon steel, will darken with age but rust can be avoided by simply rinsing and wiping dry after use. There is no better knife deal on the planet. I wish Opinel would make a boner, slicer, and chef’s as well. I’m still using a Sabatier carbon steel chef’s knife I bought 40 years ago and I wouldn’t swap it for a whole set of any other knives.

The blades are untreated which is non-sense for a kitchen product.They got super rusty from the first use and just look antique now. I never got troubles with Opinel products so I'm very surprised.

Very satisfied with the Opinel knives. I ordered the stainless for my wife and the carbon for myself. I am able to achieve a much sharper edge with the carbon blades and the carbon seems to retain the edge longer. I have an Opinel folding number 8&7 that I am very pleased with. I have no problem taking care of a carbon blade whereas the wife can't seem to grasp the concept of maintaining a razor edge. I own several high quality production and custom made knives and feel that I know quality when I see it. In conclusion I consider the Opinel line of cutlery an extreme value for the price point.

Great little knife...handle is a bit lower end in terms of fit and finish... otherwise a great cutter...Often hard to find carbon steel paring knives at a reasonable price...As for those others complaining about rust......if you want to leave it in a sink full of water overnight...buy a stainless steel knife (not that you should do that to a stainless knife either)...or learn to properly maintain a carbon steel knife...it's not that difficult...wash it and dry it right away...it will reward you with excellent cutting ability

Bought to replace another Opinel paring knife I accidentally snapped the tip off.Blade is a little longer than most other paring knives in the kitchen but makes short work of slicing soft veggies.Edges are sharp but came with a pretty heavy burr so needed to clean that off with a honing steel before using.Interms of how reactive the carbon steel is - 10 mins while doing other bits in the kitchen and the blade started oxiding in spots. Now the patina is fairly dark and it isn't anywhere near as precious as it was fresh out the box. I'd definitely recommend getting that bit out the way so you can use the knife without worrying so much.Only loses points for the handle. Not quite to my liking but that might change as I use it more.Get these over the stainless steel ones if you want tools with a bit of character.

Horrible product. After one use the knives are completely rusted. I used them to peel and chop vegetables, washed and dried them right away. Do not waste your time and money on this product.

Sharp and nice handles but after first wash (sink, i don't have a dishwasher) started to get spots of rust on blade. Now totally rusted and unusable after a couple of months.

Best paring knives but they are stainless discription said carbon, still very sharp and stay sharp.