Opinel - Les Forgés 1890 Fully-Forged Small Chef's Knife – Premium 17cm French Master Culinary Knife

Opinel - Les Forgés 1890 Fully-Forged Small Chef's Knife – Premium 17cm French Master Culinary Knife

The Opinel Les Forgés 1890 Small Chef's Knife represents the ultimate in premium French cutlery engineering, masterfully designed to deliver incredible balance, lightning-fast agility, and absolute cutting confidence. Fully hot-forged from a single piece of elite European steel, this compact 17 cm kitchen workhorse delivers all the mechanical power of a traditional chef knife in a lighter, more nimble silhouette. Drawing design inspiration from the artistry of two-Michelin-starred chef Jean Sulpice, it combines a razor-sharp, hand-ground cutting edge with a stabilized European beech wood handle. Engineered with an intelligent ergonomic V-grip bolster to maximize thumb control, it stands as an elite, lifelong investment piece tailored for precise mincing, fluid dicing, and effortless chopping.

Best For Culinary professionals, demanding home chefs, and passionate meal preppers who prefer a highly balanced, mid-sized master knife that offers elite tip control, effortless rocking motions, and superior edge retention without heavy wrist fatigue.

Key Features

• 100% Hot-Forged Integrity: Forged from a single glowing-hot rod of steel at 1200°C, producing an unbroken, high-density grain structure that provides extraordinary mechanical strength, structural balance, and lifetime durability.

• X50CrMoV15 Premium Stainless Alloy: Enriched with Carbon, Chromium, Molybdenum, and Vanadium, this high-grade alloy sharpens effortlessly to an ultra-keen finish while offering extreme defense against kitchen stains and rust.

• Precision 15° Double-Bevel Edge: Hand-finished to a razor-sharp **15-degree angle per side**, allowing the blade to pass through tough raw root vegetables and delicate proteins with minimal friction and clean, precise tracks.

• Advanced V-Grip Bolster Geometry: Specially sculpted at the transition junction where the handle meets the blade, naturally guiding your thumb and index finger into a professional pinch grip for ultimate steering accuracy.

• Stabilized Thermo-Heated Beechwood Handle: Crafted from natural European beech wood subjected to a specialized high-temperature baking process, establishing high water resistance, dimensional stability against shrinkage, and a comfortable feel.

• Anti-Fatigue Ergo-Profile: The continuous full-tang construction is wrapped in a smooth, contoured timber handle that fills the palm perfectly, reducing hand clenching and maximizing safety during high-volume ingredient processing.

Specifications

• Blade Length: 17 cm

• Handle Length: 13 cm

• Overall Length: 30 cm

• Blade Profile: Small European Chef / Agility Gyuto Profile

• Blade Construction: Full-Tang, Fully Hot-Forged from a Single Piece of Steel

• Steel Composition: X50CrMoV15 Premium Grade Stainless Steel

• Rockwell Hardness: 57 - 59 HRC

• Edge Bevel: 30° Total (15° Ground on Each Side)

• Handle Material: Thermo-Stabilized Natural European Beech Wood

• Collection Series: Flagship Les Forgés 1890 Collection

• Manufacturing Origin: Masterfully Crafted by Opinel France

Ideal For (Uses)

• Precision Dicing & Mincing: Rocking effortlessly through columns of white onions, crisp celery stalks, sweet bell peppers, and dense carrots to build uniform brunoise or mirepoix bases.

• Agile Protein Prep: Trimming chicken breasts, dicing beef tenderloin into stir-fry cubes, or slicing raw fish fillets with clean, single-pass sweeping cuts.

• Choppings Soft Herbs & Aromatics: Utilizing the acute 15-degree edge bevel to chiffonade fresh sweet basil, chop flat-leaf parsley, or mince pungent garlic cloves into a smooth paste without bruising the leaves.

• Daily Countertop Utility: The perfect go-to knife for separating dense winter squash sections, halving heads of cabbage, or segmenting citrus fruits on a busy workspace.

Pro Tip & Les Forgés Maintenance: The 17cm Small Chef's Knife is the ultimate daily workhorse of the Les Forgés 1890 fleet, and with traditional culinary care, it will comfortably outlast generations. It must never be placed inside a dishwasher or left soaking in water. Simply wash the blade under warm running water immediately after use with a soft, non-scratch sponge, and dry thoroughly with a towel. Storing it on a magnetic wood knife strip or inside a slot block protects the hand-ground 15° bevel from rolling or chipping against other steel cookware. An occasional light application of food-safe mineral oil onto the beautiful beech wood handle will enrich the grain, prevent ambient drying, and preserve its stunning satin finish for decades to come!