Opinel
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Opinel Manufacturer information
Joseph Opinel designed a simple folding knife in his father's workshop in 1890. A device on a small circular saw made it easier for him to adapt the knife in form and function to his ideas and to be able to produce a series. With the help of the circular saw he cut a slit in the wooden handle to make it easier to open the folded blade. This small tool was very suitable for farm work and sold quickly.
Start of production and first successes
As early as 1896, three employed craftsmen were producing 60 tools a day. In 1901, the parental workshop was finally too small for knife production, so a larger workshop was built with enough space for the 15 employees. In 1909 the trademark, the crowned hand, was registered and served to identify his products.
Export
At first, Hausiere distributed the knives throughout the country. Soon, however, Switzerland and Italy were added as export countries. In 1911, Josef Opinel was awarded a gold medal for his work at the international exhibition in Turin. From 1920 onwards, production was moved to a new factory where 20 million pieces were sold until the Second World War. Since that time, Cahmbéry has been the company's largest production site and is still family-owned today. Four to five million folding knives are produced annually through automated manufacturing processes. In spring 2016, the company opened its first location in the USA.