Advice on a fillet knife

  • Thread starter Thread starter bajakirch
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bajakirch

I'm looking for advice on purchasing a fillet knife. This is a knife for actual use, not some display piece for people to ooh and aah over. I'm looking for something that's high-quality, but not so expensive that I'll have to rent scuba gear when I drop it into the lake. I'd like it to stay in the $50-$75 range. I've owned a few cheap Fiskars and Rapala brand knives over the years and feel I'm ready to move up in the world. Any suggestions?
 
bajakirch, this turned out to be an interesting question. I just spent over an hour looking at many different knife web sites, both custom and production. There seems to be few quality production knives in your price range. Most of the Buck and Gerber fillet knives are in the $10 to $20 dollar range and are not quite what you are looking for anyway:

www.knifecenter.com

I am a believer in custom user grade knives. You alone can decide what is worth using, and what should be only a display piece. I like to take out a nice knife in the field, use it, and have folks ohh and aah there. Plus I really enjoy Using fine knives. Putting on scuba gear for recovery is not something I've ever had to do (yet).

I know you're not looking to spend this much money, but these knives were made to be used and are beautiful as well. At $185, they seem like a steal to me. Wayne Hendrix is a fine knifemaker in the George Herron tradition.

Have a look anyway
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Hendrix fillet knives

For $135, you could get a Randall model 10 in several different lengths from Nordic knives:

randall salt water fillet knives

You won't go wrong with this folding fillet knife from Spyderco for around $60:

Spyderco Catcherman

This one is $65, and looks very nice:

Knives of Alaska fillet knife

Happy searching! And WELCOME TO BFC! (almost forgot to say that)
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[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 08-04-2000).]
 
If Melvin Dunn has a website, I couldn't find it, but here is his address and phone.
I think he is worth a call.


Melvin Dunn
5830 NW Carlson Rd
Rossville, KA 66533
(785) 584-6856

 
I have an old Normark fillet knife that really does a great job and has held up very well.

[This message has been edited by yitz (edited 08-05-2000).]
 
I bought a beautiful Opinel filet knife from www.knifeshop.com in Vienna, Austria. Even with shipping it was well under your target price, and it is not a "run of the mill" blade!

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AKTI Member #A000934
"Always just one knife short of perfection!"
 
I have a few Normarks! They RULE!
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But if you want something awesome - get the Cold Steel fillet knife! Very sharp. On trips which requires air travel - its the job for the Spyderco Catcherman...

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have spydies
will travel...
 
Thanks for the response. Interestingly enough, I just came back from Alaska where I booked two fishing charters. When I posed the same question to the captains, they both replied that they buy the inexpensive fillet knives made my Normark or Fiskars, usually 5-6 at a time. They said these knives do a fine job for what's required and are considered fairly disposable. Use it til it's no good or until you drop it over the side and just grab another. While in Alaska I happened upon a knife store and was looking at the Knives of Alaska models - would have bought their 3-knive set (caper, skinner & cleaver) if the store had had any left. Didn't know they made a fillet knife as well. BTW, the knife shop owner also had some inexpensive Kershaw fillet knives on hand and said those are somewhat popular because some fishermen say the handle material allows them to float - to his credit he expressed skepticism at this, but it would be an interesting selling feature.
 
My friend, I'm not sure that even after you move on so to speak - you'll find too many fillet knives any better than the older birch handled rappala knives - I've owned quite a few and used lots of others -and for the buck and abuse they are pretty hard to beat! I've got 3 or 4 in the tackle box and boat all the time and another in the kitchen.


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Don't wrestle with the hogs - they enjoy it and you get dirty !
Jonesy
 
Hi there. I´ve been looking for a knife similar to your description. Now at last, I´ve found it. It´s an "EKA Chef" knife (made in Sweden). This is not a kitchen knife despite the name. The quite thin 5.3" blade is made out of Sandvik 12C27 steel (RC 57-59. Very good steel for a wide range of purposes). The length closed is 6.1". The handles are made out of craton-like material. If you own a screw-driver, there is no problem in maintaining the knife
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There is a lanyard hole and an elastic strap. And now the best of all; it´s a folder
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The only problem for you would be to find a place where you can buy it...


[This message has been edited by dePaul (edited 08-16-2000).]
 
Boker makes an excellent filet knife.I think the model# is 600.It has an large wooden handle and the most flexable blade I have ever handled.I am always in search of good (user) filet knives and this Boker is the best Ive found.BTW,Cold Steel does have some very sharp blades on their filets but,the blades are a bit to stiff.
 
bajakirch - If you have owned Fiskars and Rapala fillets and want to step up to a higher quality. I really haven't found any good ones in your price range... I'm also looking... but you might want to try J.Marttiini knives also. They are better than Fiskars or Rapala, but not very expensive. Their problem is the steel, which is not very good in terms of edge holding - but I would expect them to be better in that regards when compared to the Fiskars or Rapala. (I mean, we forumites expect a lot more from the edges of our knives than most people
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) Everything else is good. The blades have convex grind, which makes them very good (of course a bit hard to sharpen
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) Many good models. Here are some 6" fillet knives: Beautiful traditional curly birch handle, same with rubber handle (very good with wet and dirty hands) and a new one with Teflon (-type) coating and new handle material. You can see more from the Martiini-novelties (on the homepage) or from Catalogue and Fishing. This aren't quite what you are looking for, but with that price you probably can't get custom knives yet... and I don't know of better factory knives.

Hugo.

Ps. Paracelsus - Gerber is owned by Fiskars. I don't recal seeing Gerber filleting knives ever, but there is a chance that they are actually Fiskars knives... for instance, the Gerber axes are actually Fiskars...
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[This message has been edited by Hugo (edited 08-17-2000).]
 
Hi Bajakirch,
Looking for a great Walleye or Northern fillet knife, to use in and around WI. I offer two styles that might interest you. Visit my Web-site and read the Field Tests reviews on these knives. They are somewhat higher in price then you are looking for, however they would be the last fillet knives you would ever have to buy.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Best Regards,
Jay Maines
Sunrise River Custom Knives www.sunrisecustomknives.com

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Hi Guys....

Now I know there are Tons of high quality fillet knives out there..

Outdoor Edge makes a sweet T handle knife which I'd love to try...

For the most part I use pretty much Rapala Normark fillet knives. Either the red handled ones or the traditional wooden handle...

In My opinion for anywhere from 4.99-21.99 you can't beat them with a stick...

They are nice and flexible, sharpen up Scary sharp and last a very long time....

Good knives for the price..

ttyle Eric....

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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom,Quality, Concealex Sheaths.

Leading The Way In Synthetic Sheathing.
 
Hugo, I have a Gerber Bolt Action filet knife, it works quite well. One of the longer, thinner folding filet knives I have seen.

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It is not the fall that kills you. It is the realization that "yes, you did something that stupid."
 
Jantz sells an outstanding fillet blade for about $7. It's called the Alaskan fillet knife. I bought a dozen or so and put handles on them and sold some and gave some to my friends. That was about 2 years ago and everyone that has talked to me about them since loves them. Several have said they have never sharpened them since they got them and they fillet a fish just a smoothly as the day they got them. For the money, even though you'll have to put a handle on them, these are the best fillet knives I've ever seen. Plus it might be a nice touch customizing the handle to your own liking. I used white corian on most of the ones I did. I hand sanded them thru 500 grit and then rubbed them with a green scuffy pad. Don't polish the handles. They'll get way too slippery when you're using them. If you don't have a Jantz catalog, their number is 18003518900, and the part number for the Alaskan fillet blade is SS912. They're $7.95 each. Hmmm, now that I'm talkin about em, I think I'm gonna order some more!

Oh yeah, they're 16" long. Perfect for filleting a 25 pount king mackerel!!!!

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!
http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!!!

[This message has been edited by L6STEEL (edited 08-17-2000).]
 
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