The Limited Edition No.08 The Swordfisherman is Opinel's classic French folding knife reworked by San Francisco artist Jeremy Fish, whose work mixes folklore, pop culture and comic art. The design centres on the swordfish, called Espadon, as a nod to the fishtail shape of the Opinel handle and the Yatagan shape of its blade. This is launch coverage of an announced edition, not a hands-on review. It made the cut because the collaboration has a real personal root rather than a pasted-on graphic. Fish links the project to two grandfathers, one a travelling cutlery salesman and the other a cabinetmaker, hunter and fisherman with a serious knife collection. The artwork is applied across the whole handle with all-over sublimation printing, both sides of the blade are engraved, and the same artist is also painting the Opinel Volcano feature at the Versus Skatepark in the Maurienne Valley, near Opinel's home. Opinel USA lists the knife at $70 USD as Coming Soon, with registration to be notified when it becomes available, so it cannot be bought yet. Only 700 pieces are allocated to the United States, it is made in France, and it arrives in a custom designed gift box with a leaflet. Verdict: wait for the sale alert if you want one, because 700 US pieces of a $70 artist Opinel will not sit around.
