Opinel - Les Forgés 1890 Fully-Forged Slim Knife – Premium 20cm French Master Flexible Filleting & Fish Knife

Opinel - Les Forgés 1890 Fully-Forged Slim Knife – Premium 20cm French Master Flexible Filleting & Fish Knife

The Opinel Les Forgés 1890 Slim Knife (traditionally prized as a master-tier filleting tool) represents the absolute pinnacle of premium French aquatic cutlery engineering, uniquely designed to provide the perfect ratio of structural backbone and graceful flexibility. Forged continuously from a single piece of elite European steel at 1200°C, this flagship 19.5 cm (20 cm category) instrument features an unbroken grain structure that yields extraordinary physical density, perfect balance, and incredible strength. The slender, precision-tapered full-tang blade is engineered with subtle lateral flex, allowing it to hug skeletal contours seamlessly and separate delicate fish flesh from skin or bones without wasting any yield. Balanced by an anti-fatigue handle sculpted from thermo-stabilized beech wood, this investment-grade tool provides the surgical precision demanded by professional seafood chefs alongside the refined handling beloved by home gourmet creators.

Best For Seafood enthusiasts, coastal anglers, professional chefs, and culinary purists seeking a hot-forged, high-flexibility slim knife optimized to skin, trim, and fillet whole fish or execute paper-thin slices of raw proteins without tearing.

Key Features

• 100% Hot-Forged French Engineering: Forged from a single glowing-hot rod of steel, producing an integrated blade, bolster, and full tang that delivers superior mechanical strength, smooth contours, and perfect weight distribution.

• Premium X50CrMoV15 Stainless Alloy: Enriched with Carbon, Chromium, Molybdenum, and Vanadium, this high-purity European steel alloy sharpens effortlessly to a razor finish while offering high resistance to saltwater pitting, rust, and organic acids.

• Surgical 15° Double-Bevel Edge: Precision ground to an acute 15-degree angle on each side, allowing the long, slender edge to glide cleanly through slick fish skin and delicate membranes with zero dragging.

• Optimised Hardness & Flexible Temper: Expertly heat-treated to a structural hardness between **57 and 59 HRC**, creating an edge that stays sharp through extensive volume work while retaining the vital elasticity required for precision filleting.

• Stabilised Thermo-Heated Beechwood Handle: Crafted from natural European beech wood subjected to a high-temperature baking process, establishing high water resistance, dimensional stability against shrinking, and a rich caramel tone.

• Intuitive V-Grip & Ergo-Profile Bolster: Features an intelligently sculpted bolster zone that naturally guides your fingers into a professional pinch grip, while the contoured underbelly prevents hand clenching during wet preparation tasks.

Specifications

• Model Designation: Authentic Slim / Filleting Knife (Flagship Les Forgés 1890 Collection)

• Blade Length: 19.5 cm (Standard Professional 8-Inch Scale)

• Handle Length: 11.5 cm

• Overall Length: 31 cm

• Blade Construction: Flexible 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 Angle: 15° on each side (30° inclusive edge)

• Handle Material: Thermo-Stabilised Natural European Beech Wood

• Manufacturing Origin: Masterfully Forged and Crafted in France

Ideal For (Specialist Culinary & Seafood Applications)

• Precision Fish Filleting & Skinning: Gliding effortlessly beneath the skin of Atlantic salmon, fresh snapper, trout, or flathead, tracing smoothly along the rib cage to remove pristine, bone-free fillets.

• Surgically Precise Sashimi & Carpaccio: Slicing raw fish loins or beef tenderloins into translucent, uniform ribbons without tearing the delicate grain or bruising the protein.

• Trimming & Silver Skin Removal: Utilizing the acute, narrow tip to slip underneath dense silver skin, fat caps, and sinew on beef, pork loins, or wild game cuts with minimal meat loss.

• Segmenting Citrus & Soft Produce: Supreme-ing large grapefruits or oranges, skinning pineapples, and executing clean, fluid cuts through delicate soft fruits with surgical steerability.

Pro Tip & Les Forgés Maintenance: The Les Forgés 1890 Slim Knife is an investment-grade artisan tool that requires traditional culinary care to preserve its breathtaking flexibility and edge performance. It must never be placed inside a dishwasher or left soaking in a damp sink. Simply wash the blade under warm running water immediately after use with a soft, non-scratch sponge, and dry thoroughly with a towel before storage. Storing it on a magnetic wood knife strip or inside a dedicated slot block protects the thin, high-precision edge from rolling or chipping against other loose kitchen utensils. An occasional single drop of food-safe mineral oil applied to the beautiful beech wood handle will enrich the timber grain, prevent ambient drying, and preserve its stunning satin finish for decades to come!

Oversized Item Delivery Options

Oversized, heavy, and structural goods ship via specialist freight. Freight is calculated at checkout from estimated packaged volumetric or physical weight. Carrier depot audits may adjust the rate — if the increase exceeds 10%, we will contact you before processing.

Available options include:

✔ Delivery to your closest depot for pickup — default method
✔ Direct delivery — requires an operational forklift on site unless Tailgate Delivery has been specifically requested and quoted (contact us — this cannot be selected at checkout)
✔ Tailgate hydraulic lift delivery — must be specifically requested; contact us for a quote (not available as a checkout option; extra fees apply; required if you do not have a forklift)
✔ Forklift loading at our warehouse (no extra charge if you arrange your own freight)
✔ Direct truck delivery (available in Victoria)

Important Notes:

• Shipping costs vary by location and method
• Any carton or consignment over 25–30kg (or over 200cm) must be palletised
• Without a specifically requested and paid Tailgate Delivery quote, palletised freight requires a forklift on site — otherwise the carrier will redirect to the nearest depot
• Bulky and oversized items cannot be delivered to a PO Box — provide a physical street address
• Failed deliveries, locked gates, unattended sites, or incorrect business/forklift declarations may incur carrier redelivery, demurrage, and restocking fees as set out in our Terms & Conditions

Business Delivery:

• Selecting a business/commercial delivery rate warrants that the address has an operational forklift and certified operator during business hours
• If the carrier cannot unload, the consignment may be redirected to a depot and secondary fees may apply
• Additional fees may apply for failed delivery attempts due to lack of appropriate unloading equipment

See our Terms & Conditions (Article 8) for full freight and delivery rules.

Important Note on Availability & Shipping

Our warehouse is a logistics hub, not a retail showroom. Listing a product online does not mean it is stored at our Thomastown warehouse — many lines ship from supplier hubs (split fulfilment may apply).

How lead times work:

• Product page ETA: The Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) / lead-time badge shown on the product page at checkout is the agreed delivery timeframe for that order under Australian Consumer Law.
• Metro baselines: Advertised ETAs apply to standard metropolitan zones. Regional and remote addresses may take longer and may attract surcharges.
• Peak seasons: Orders in March–May, August–October, EOFY (June), Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November), and Christmas/New Year (December–January) may automatically add a 2–4 week buffer beyond the product page ETA.
• Supplier-dependent / backordered items: If stock is delayed, we will notify you with a revised ETA. You then have 7 days to accept the new timeframe or cancel for a full refund.
• Adloheat: Custom-made products from Adloheat (Pakenham, VIC) may take 4–12 weeks depending on the order.

Full fulfilment, cancellation, and freight rules are in our Terms & Conditions.

Biosecurity & Interstate Shipping Restrictions

Due to strict state biosecurity regulations, we are unable to ship some products to certain states and territories:

• Potting Mixes cannot be shipped to Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory (NT), or Tasmania (TAS).
• Seeds cannot be shipped to Western Australia (WA).

Orders placed for these items to restricted states will be cancelled and refunded. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that the items being ordered can lawfully be delivered to their state or territory.