Stainless Steel + Natural Beech Wooden Handle Stainless Steel We use Sandvik 12C27 modified stainless steel. It is anti-corrosive thanks to the addition of chrome and requires no special maintenance. Handle From France, our beech is hard, durable and easy to work. Virobloc Safety Ring Invented by Marcel Opinel in 1955, the Virobloc has two sections, one fixed and one sliding. In addition to locking the blade open (safety in use), it is now possible to lock the blade closed (safety in transport).