They are indeed addicting.
I got my first one in 1982, and it's been a love affair ever since. Once in a while I'll carry another knife, like my old Case sodbuster, but it's just flirtation. In the end I always go back to the Opinel. I like to sand off that horrible finish they put on them and stain and seal them with better stuff. You can even reshape the handle to suit you. I find the number 8 handy for a EDC.
You can seal the wood handle off with helmsman spar urethane, and it will stand up to water much much better. Also keep the pivot area lubed with something for moisture resistance. I have a friend, Pascal, who was born and raised in France. His family was visiting a while back, and we had a get together, and his father and brothers all carry Opinels. They tear a match out of a book, and take some Vaseline jelly and smear it around in the pivot area, then wipe out the excess. They have water proof Opinels. I started to do that, and it really works very well.
Opinels are different. but few other knives will cut with them. Plus they're just old world cool, which I like.