Some opinions on a good Fillet knife please . . .

[Expidia]

I’m adding a specialty knife to my kitchen collection.  On amazon these knives range from $15 to over $150.  I bought this model from Tuo that came yesterday but the blade is not as flexible as I was looking for.   It was described as a boning and fillet knife and the boning part in probably why the blade is not as flexible as I was looking for.  I also don’t see myself boning meat in the foreseeable future.  So I’m returning it and for now I ordered this $18 Mercer M23860 model.

Watch this video and this is what I’m looking to do with salt water fish like salmon, cod etc and the occasional fresh water trout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GPYfqWgJfY  There are a lot of good filleting vids on Youtube, but not that many fillet knife reviews.

I liked the $28 Tuo which caught my eye because of its Pakka wood handle that matched my Shun set (pictured with the gold box).  But longevity, quality and performance is important to me and even though the Chinese make beautiful knives they are inexpensive and I’ve seen a few reviews and pics where the blades of cheap knives can simply snap in half when flexed at any time.

So for now, I ordered the pictured $18 Mercer M23860 flexible fillet knife (#1 out of a top 10 review, but I know most reviews are sponsored and paid for by someone). For the infrequent use a fillet knife will get by me I can’t see spending over $100 for a Shun fillet knife.  Also one of the reviewers on Youtube said don’t use VG10 or VG max for a fillet knife.  He was pushing a Shun classic that did not use those steels, but Shun’s fillet knives might only use those steels now.  But a knife with cheap steel is not going to hold an edge very long.

So whats been your experience with a decent fillet knife?

Thanks, Paul

 

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[Marc H]

Realize thin, narrow, long  and flexible filet knives present clamping and sharpening issues with the W.E.  More so then stiffer bladed knives.

As a fisherman who has cleaned thousands of fish over the years, I never found a fish I couldn’t filet well with my preferred, stiffer boning style  fish cleaning knife, over the thinner, longer, more flexible, filleting style knife.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[Expidia]

Marc H wrote:

Realize thin, narrow, long and flexible filet knives present clamping and sharpening issues with the W.E. More so then stiffer bladed knives. As a fisherman who has cleaned thousands of fish over the years, I never found a fish I couldn’t filet well with my preferred, stiffer boning style fish cleaning knife, over the thinner, longer, more flexible, filleting style knife.

Thanks for your comment Marc.  So far I’m leaning towards the Shun Classic Fillet with the non VG 10 steel with the AUS8A stainless steel blade.

I also already have a narrow 6.5 Wusthof that I could use for boning/filleting.  I’ve used a 7 inch flexible folding blade Rapala for my Trout catch for years, but I have that in my tackle box for cutting up bait.  I don’t expect to have to sharpen a Shun all that often and Shun has their free lifetime sharpening service.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CLORM2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

**By the way, could you post or link to a pic of that double vice set up you use for long blades**.

I was trying to explain that set up for long blades to my office mate who uses a WE system and already has two vices.  He brought in several of his fillet knives for me to check out.  His favorite was this Leechy (linked to below),  but it’s not made anymore. This one on Ebay looks pretty beat up for $129 plus shipping (and seller has a less than ideal rating).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Walnut-Handle-Leech-Lake-Fillet-Knife-Don-Canney-Signed-Cedar-Rapids-IA/223934716895?hash=item34238c9bdf:g:IqoAAOSwGbldar8r

[Expidia]

Marc, on your pictured boning/fillet knife on the right side of the pic . . . what is the meaning or design of the squared off part of the knife that drops down in front of the knife’s handle?  My friend asked me as most of his fillet knives have that area dropping down to a point.  I said I’d ask in the forum.

Thanks, Paul

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[Marc H]

That knife you’re inquiring about is a vintage carbon steel French Sabatier knife.  It belonged to my father.  It could be over 60 years old.

The bolster pommel, the tang and the blade are all forged from the same solid piece of steel.  The guard has always been square, like that.

The knife sharpens well and easily. I like the patina.  It keeps it from being very reactive. I like to use it for trimming silver skin from tenderloins.

 

 

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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[Expidia]

Thanks for that reply and comment on the square guard.  60 years old wow!  Interesting link too.

When I was looking at this Shun line-up the Boning/Fillet knife is the only model with that style guard.  Some brands are pointed, some are squared off.  Looks like its as you said. . . . just a finger guard.

 

 

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[tcmeyer]

As an oddball comment, I thought I’d mention recently seeing a fellow on TV filleting fish with a serrated fillet knife.  Has anyone here seen one?

Dumb question.  Google shows a bunch of them, including Rapala, Bubba, BergHOFF and all of the electric filleting knives.

[Expidia]

tcmeyer wrote:

As an oddball comment, I thought I’d mention recently seeing a fellow on TV filleting fish with a serrated fillet knife. Has anyone here seen one? Dumb question. Google shows a bunch of them, including Rapala, Bubba, BergHOFF and all of the electric filleting knives.

In my search for Fillet knife reviews the portableLithium Ion battery powered units are popular. But I tend to think they leave excess meat on the bone or injure the tender fillets more.  They are definitely the way to go when doing quality.

Took some friends out for lunch at Sharky’s restaurant back in December in Venice Fl.  A Tiki style restaurant (great food) right at the foot of a free to walk out on long fishing/tourist pier.  They have filleting tables at various spots along the pier.  I stood there watching a fisherman filleting his catch and he was using the Rapala Lithium Ion model.  They run from $50 to $150, but the negative reviews are too plentiful.  Serrated blades I’m sure damages the fillet meat more.  Serrated is a pain to sharpen. Serrated to me probably better suited for a bread knives or quickly slicing up a big T-day turkey.  I use a similar to one of these $10 bread slicing stands with a Cuisinart elctric knife.

One thing I noticed while at the pier . . . there were “no waves”.  Tampa Bay was very flat too.  Totally flat ocean bay in Venice, yet it was breezy out.  I’m sure there are days it kicks up depending on the winds direction.  But I’d hate to be selling surf boards in Venice! .  A few hours earlier, the ocean on the Fort Lauderdale side and for the two weeks we were there was always very wavy and rough.  West coast seems a lot more relaxed (along with the people too).

 

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[tcmeyer]

My sister and her husband have a condo on the ocean side, just south of Canaveral and we have several friends on the gulf side.  I used to frequently visit the West Palm area on business.  We figured out that most of the snowbirds on the ocean side are from the northeast, while most on the gulf side are midwesterners.  I think part of the reason is financial and tied to property values.  Medium incomes are lower in the midwest.  But a big part might be that midwesterners are more comfortable with other midwesterners – hence the “more relaxed” feeling.

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Expidia

[Marc H]

I was always told it has more to do with I-95 on east coast FL goes to the NE USA, ” the eastern corridor” and I-75 on W side  of FL goes N in US to the mid west, ” the western corridor”.  I’m just a native Floridian, so what would I know?

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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Expidia

[tcmeyer]

Marc H wrote:

I was always told it has more to do with I-95 on east coast FL goes to the NE USA, ” the eastern corridor” and I-75 on W side of FL goes N in US to the mid west, ” the western corridor”. I’m just a native Floridian, so what would I know?

Could be.  The few times I’ve made the trip, I75 put me right on the Florida Turnpike, which took me to the ocean side.

There’s another facet to this that flips my theory upside down.  After spending almost all of my life within 20 miles of Lake Michigan, the compass in my brain is burned in with east being toward a large body of water.  So, whenever I am in California, I get confused when someone refers to something being “to the east.”  My brain points me to the ocean.  When I was in Florida (always on the ocean side) everything was perfectly normal because there was water to the east.  So maybe there’s something hard-wired in our brains which tells us where to go.

[Marc H]

Tom, I share the same confusion…born and raised on the FL SE coast, I grew up on the ocean fishing and cleaning fish with filet knives off Miami Beach, (just trying to keep this tied into the thread).

These days, many years later, I find myself living on the FL west coast near Clearwater Beach.  I still sharpen fish filet knives…now with my Wicked Edges.

Before I give directions, I have to stop and think “which way is east?”   Like you Tom, I have to get my bearings.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[45srbest]

I share you folks direction issue. I grew up on the Jersey shore. My dad had a boat in 1957 and I stayed until I sold my last boat in 1988. I moved to Utah in 2015 and figuring direction is tough without my bearings on the ocean! (Maybe I need my old LORAN!). It seems to me we use to use the Rapala filet knives and a Gerber Musky. They served the purpose at the time.

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[Expidia]

Update: I ordered and received the 8.5 inch $18 Mercer Fillet knife since I already have a thin and narrow 6 inch Wusthof for a boning situation.  The Mercer is as flexible as the Rapala I keep in my fishing box.

Thanks for all of your feedback.

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[Chad Campbell]

Hello, new to the forum. I was also in the hunt for a good filet knife with decent steel recently. I ended up getting a North Arms 6″ filet knife with CPM S35VN steel. They also have a larger 9″ version. So far I’m happy with it with the two trout I have cut up with it.  Quality carbon fiber handles and an interesting finish on the CNC’d blade. -Chad

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Expidia

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