Opinel
Intempora Knife Set 3-Pack
This three-piece knife set from Opinel's Intempora line includes a No. 218 chef's knife (20 cm blade), a No. 220 carving knife (16 cm blade), and a No. 225 paring knife (8 cm blade), covering general kitchen prep, carving, and paring tasks. The full-tang blades are made from hand-polished Sandvik high-carbon martensitic stainless steel for edge retention and corrosion resistance, while the curved polyoxymethylene handles are reinforced with fibreglass for durability and grip. Made in France; note that online-only items ship directly from the supplier and may arrive separately with different packaging.
- Material
- Sandvik stainless steel blades, polyoxymethylene and fibreglass handles
- Category
- Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Tools & Utensils > Kitchen Knives
Color
Size
Specifications
Set of three Opinel kitchen knives: chef's knife, carving knife, and paring knife with Sandvik stainless steel blades, full-length tangs, and ergonomic polyoxymethylene handles reinforced with fibreglass.
Sandvik stainless steel blades for smooth cutting and corrosion resistance; full-length tangs for balance; polyoxymethylene handles reinforced with fibreglass for durability; hand polished; made in France.
- Material
- Sandvik stainless steel blades, polyoxymethylene and fibreglass handles
- Secondary
- plastic
- Gender
- unisex
- Age Group
- adult
- Condition
- new
- Category
- Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Tools & Utensils > Kitchen Knives
Additional Attributes
- high-carbon stainless steel blades
- full-length tangs
- hand polished
- made in France
- corrosion-resistant
- polyoxymethylene handles
- fibreglass reinforced
- curved handle
- 3-piece set
Product Insights
The Opinel Intempora Knife Set 3-Pack, at 280 CAD, offers a unified design with protruding pinky rest and full-tang 3mm Sandvik 12C27M steel blades (57 HRC, 15° edge) that resist flex and balance near the bolster, providing knuckle clearance and easy sharpening. Chosen by Alain Ducasse and Institut Paul Bocuse after testing and used in their workshops, the set covers common tasks with chef's, carving, and paring knives. However, inconsistent quality control has resulted in units with bent blades, and at this price point, alternative brands like Robert Herder or Zwilling are recommended as more reliable, despite the included free sharpening service.
Verified claims
- Design
- Handle has a protruding pinky rest, consistent shape across all knives, and a velvety hand-polished surface.
- Professional validation
- Chosen by the Alain Ducasse Cooking School and Paul Bocuse Institute to equip their workshops after testing.
- Professional adoption
- Exact knives used in Alain Ducasse and Institut Paul Bocuse workshops.
- Value
- At 280 CAD, it's mid-range between Opinel's Parallèle (€52) and Les Forgés (€256).
- Blade steel
- Sandvik 12C27M stainless steel — a modified alloy with molybdenum, tempered to 57 HRC for easy sharpening and chipping resistance.
- Quality control
- A unit with multiple critical defects shows inconsistent quality control despite brand endorsements.
- Alternative recommendations
- At a similar price, a reviewer recommends Robert Herder or Zwilling knives as more reliable.
- Rigidity and balance
- Full-tang 3mm spine blade resists flex and balances near the bolster.
- Edge performance
- 15° edge per side cuts efficiently; Sandvik 12C27M resists chipping and is easy to sharpen.
- Knuckle clearance
- 4.5cm blade height provides knuckle clearance for safe claw-grip cutting.
- Professional use
- Used at Alain Ducasse and Paul Bocuse workshops.
- Care
- Hand wash recommended; occasional oiling restores finish.
- Full-tang rigidity
- Full-tang 3mm 12C27 steel resists flex for responsive cutting.
- Manufacturing quality
- Buyers report receiving knives with bent blade and tang, affecting rigidity.
- Grip
- Protruding handle end hooks the pinky to automatically form a pinch grip.
- Caveats
- One review reported a bent blade and thick spine; users also suggest Robert Herder and Zwilling as alternatives.
- Ergonomics
- Identical pinky-guiding handles with full-tang balance provide a uniform grip across the set.
- Task coverage
- The 20 cm chef's, 16 cm carving, and 8 cm paring knives cover common kitchen tasks in a system designed by Big-Game and used by Alain Ducasse's school.
- Sharpening service
- Opinel provides a free sharpening service for Intempora knives.
Product record
- Title
- Intempora Knife Set 3-Pack
- Brand
- Opinel
- Price
- 280 CAD
- Availability
- In stock
Image Analysis
1 images- 01
Product
Three knives (small paring, medium carving, large chef) shown blade-up inside a windowed box; stainless steel blades with stamped brand text and smooth dark navy contoured handles with slightly flared ends.
- Knife count and arrangementThree knives displayed vertically side-by-side with blades pointing upward and handles downward; smallest knife at left, medium in center, largest at right.
1 region
x 0.12 · y 0.18 · w 0.76 · h 0.69 (high) - Blade material and finishBlades appear metallic silver with a satin finish and visible flat faces reflecting light.
1 region
x 0.24 · y 0.15 · w 0.58 · h 0.45 (high) - Blade text stamping“OPINEL appears stamped on at least two blades near the handle area.”
1 region
x 0.43 · y 0.28 · w 0.22 · h 0.29 (medium) - Handle shapeHandles are smooth, gently curved and contoured for grip with a slight flare at the butt end.
1 region
x 0.28 · y 0.52 · w 0.52 · h 0.42 (high) - Handle colorHandles are a uniform dark navy color with a matte finish.
1 region
x 0.28 · y 0.56 · w 0.52 · h 0.36 (high)
Packaging
Rectangular retail box with a die-cut front window showing the knives, dark blue outer border, white patterned backing, a purple product band across the blades, and brand text at top and bottom.
- Outer box shape and windowTall rectangular box with a large front window cutout showing the knives and an integrated hang tab at the top center.
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.02 · w 0.88 · h 0.96 (high) - Top brand panel“OPINEL appears printed in white on the dark blue panel near the top accompanied by a small hand-and-crown logo; Savoie France printed beneath OPINEL.”
1 region
x 0.33 · y 0.05 · w 0.34 · h 0.08 (high) - Purple product band textPurple horizontal band across the blades with white text listing the set type and knife types in English and French.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.48 · w 0.64 · h 0.12 (high) - Purple band transcription“TRIO OFFICE / COUTEAU A DECOUPER / CHEF PARING KNIFE / CARVING KNIFE / CHEF'S KNIFE”Partial
1 region
x 0.21 · y 0.50 · w 0.60 · h 0.08 (medium) - Bottom branding“INTEMPORA printed in white on the dark blue lower border of the box.”
1 region
x 0.36 · y 0.88 · w 0.28 · h 0.07 (high) - Backing patternWhite backing panel visible through the window with an angular navy line pattern of varying stripe directions.
1 region
x 0.14 · y 0.14 · w 0.72 · h 0.74 (high)
Other
Product shot on a plain white background with top-lit, even studio lighting and minimal shadow; image is centered and cropped to show the full box.
- Shot compositionCentered, frontal studio product photograph showing full front face of the boxed product.
- Lighting and shadowsEven diffuse lighting with soft shadows visible beneath the lower edge of the box and subtle highlights on the blades.
Colors
metallic silver· blades#C3C3C3dark navy· handles#1C253Adeep navy blue· outer borderPackaging#1C3A5Cvivid purple· purple product bandPackaging#532C95white with navy pattern· backing panelPackaging#D3D3D4- Knife count and arrangementThree knives displayed vertically side-by-side with blades pointing upward and handles downward; smallest knife at left, medium in center, largest at right.
Documents & Data
Reddit Insights
2 threads · r/TrueChefKnives, r/OpinelReddit mentions of the Opinel Intempora kitchen line are mixed, with a detailed negative review citing severe quality control defects, while others find the design visually appealing but lack hands-on experience.
One detailed review reported a bent blade, poor balance, and sharp choil points on an Intempora No. 217, leading to a return; another user thinks the line looks pretty but is unsure about handle comfort, and one user expressed satisfaction with an Opinel Santoku (likely Intempora). Overall leaning negative due to the severity of the reported issues.
Themes
Use Cases
- Kitchen food preparation
Watch Out For
Compared To
vs Robert Herder santoku
Suggested as a better alternative at a similar price point.
vs Zwilling
Recommended as a more reliable beater option instead of Victorinox.
Source Threads
Review of Opinel Intempora No. 217 knife
Out of the box, the knife is bent. If you want to cut round corners, this is your tool. The blade is bent, and the tang as it runs through the handle is bent, and the handle has been machined around the bent steel. I didn’t measure it, but the spine is I’d guess a bit thinner than a hatchet, which is really handy for ensuring the blade can even wedge in a tomato, which is really novel. The way the steel is ground creates two genuinely sharp little points halfway down the choil, right where you’d touch it in a pinch grip - but it’s okay because you won’t want to, because the point of balance is like two or three inches back from there thanks to the full tang wiggly slab of iron running all the way to the end of the handle. Both the design and manufacturing have come together to create something truly special with this knife, and by special I mean I’ve already returned it.
u/GrippyEdr/TrueChefKnivesView thread →
First impression of Intempora line handle shape
They look pretty. I am not sure about the handle shape. I would want to hold them.
u/ExcaliburZSHr/OpinelView thread →