>>696023Correct, the "Inox" stainless that Opinel uses is relatively easy to sharpen compared to many other stainless steels, but still a bit more tricky to sharpen than carbon steels.
Angle, motion, pressure, feel all come into play with freehand sharpening.
Unfortunately, there's no substitute for experience.
keep at it, and you'll start to develop an understanding of what works and what doesn't
The good news is that you will have to sharpen your Opinel A LOT before it needs to be replaces. So not worries, just remember that you can always take off more material, but you can't add it back on.
