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Thread: Fillet knife

  1. #1
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    tomme boy's Avatar
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    Fillet knife

    I have a custom fillet knife that I bought about 25 years ago. The maker is long gone. I love how this cuts when I can get an edge on it.

    But that is the problem. This thing is so thin that it is reallllllllllllly hard to get the first inch of the blade sharp. I usually have to take it to one of the gun shows and have someone with the belt sanders to sharpen it.

    While they can get it sharper than I can, it still will not shave hair. I am almost ready to send it to someone to get it sharp for me. Or to just let them have it. The blade is SS. Although it flexes like crazy, it is really tough to work. I feel it might be me also to why the knife can't get sharp. But I can sharpen an axe to shave with, SOOOOO????

    So, other than sending it off, what are some really good knives?

  2. #2
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    I'm not a knife guru by any means, I did collect knives as a kid until dad let me get a gun! That said, have a look at Mora! Very good knives and really fair prices IMO. They use quality steels and you get a lot of shave for your bucks! I have a small pile of them and given a number of them as gifts since they are cheap in price, high in quality. They come very sharp too! Amazon carries them among other places. I would browse through all of their pages as they have different fillet knives in different sections. Their other company, Frosts.se has them too. They might not win any awards for beauty or hand-craftsmanship but you won't be disappointed!


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  3. #3
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    Mora is hard to beat. We use them by the thousands at work every year.

  4. #4
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    Lansky Sharpening System. Will get those pesky flexible knives (and everything up to medium sized meat cleavers) shaving sharp.

  5. #5
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    I have a few of the knives of Alaska filet knives. My favorite is the grayling which is no longer made. I bought 2 extras when i heard they were discontinuing them. The steelheader is the newer version. It's good but I don't like it quite as much.

    To sharpen flexible knives I use an 8" diamond stone and place the tips of my fingers of the other hand on the back of the blade to push down and forward so that more tension is applied to the forward portion of the blade.

    Brad

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    I would love to find another Schrade Old Timer filet knife that was made back in the 70's or 80's. The new ones arent as stiff as the old model and I bet i have cleaned several thousand Salmon and Halibut while i was living in Alaska.
    Rich
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  7. #7
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    Minerat's Avatar
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    I have 2 filet knives. The first is a Gerber the other is a Hamilton Beach, as in electric carving knife, you can filet 100 strippers in less then an hour if attached to a 650 watt Honda generator.
    Seriously, I keep a set of crock sticks handy and it will keep the edge shaving sharp as long as you have a good edge on it to begin with. For getting it sharp check with a local high end restaurant Chef and find out who he uses to sharpen his knives. They can probably get a good edge on it for you that you can maintain.

  8. #8
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    I pride myself on how sharp I keep my knives. I have a variety of sharpening methods but my current preference is the Wicked Edge system. You can get the edge shaving plus sharp on any type of knife. However for fillet knives I have made the switch to electric fillet knives. I won an electric fillet knife at a sportsman's dinner. When I first started using it I hated it, however, after I adjusted to it I much prefer it now. It's quicker but more importantly I can do a better job.

  9. #9
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    DerekP Houston's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomme boy View Post
    I have a custom fillet knife that I bought about 25 years ago. The maker is long gone. I love how this cuts when I can get an edge on it.

    But that is the problem. This thing is so thin that it is reallllllllllllly hard to get the first inch of the blade sharp. I usually have to take it to one of the gun shows and have someone with the belt sanders to sharpen it.

    While they can get it sharper than I can, it still will not shave hair. I am almost ready to send it to someone to get it sharp for me. Or to just let them have it. The blade is SS. Although it flexes like crazy, it is really tough to work. I feel it might be me also to why the knife can't get sharp. But I can sharpen an axe to shave with, SOOOOO????

    So, other than sending it off, what are some really good knives?
    Please take it to a real bladesmith not someone with a belt sander . Chefknivestogo.com is where I used to order my kitchen knives when I worked on the line. Now I use a local bladesmith (Serenity Knives) here in Houston. Whet stone or one of the guided "rod based" sharpeners will get you where you want to be. Personally I dont bother trying to sharpen them I just maintain the edge with a few swipes and get them done professionally when needed. The thin edged fillet knifes are the hardest to sharpen I've found anything with a thicker cutting edge is easier.

  10. #10
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    montana_charlie's Avatar
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    Back in the '70s Rapala used to sell two filet knives, one longer than the other.
    I have the long one, and it's the only filet knife I have ever owned.

    I think I have kept it as sharp as the day it was made ... and it still does a good job.
    Last edited by montana_charlie; 12-06-2015 at 02:17 PM.
    Retired...TWICE. Now just raisin' cows and livin' on borrowed time.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy Ivantherussian03's Avatar
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    I have one those cheap blades with a cheap wooden handle I got for free from an old guy. He gave it to me when he moved because he thought it was worthless. The handle fell apart rather quickly. I put a hickory handle on it and it has been going strong. I have filleted maybe a thousand salmon with it in 20 years. I have thought about buying a nicer blade, but I get over it pretty quickly.
    Thanks
    Ivan

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    Yeah I figured it out. It would not be ALASKA……... unless it was the absolutely the toughest it could be and worst possible case scenario!

  12. #12
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    I purchased a standard Work Sharp (not the expensive model) and have sharpened every knife in the house. That thing is great, and will probably sharpen anything with an edge. Its a mini-belt sander, but the guide helps give the knife a concise concave edge. It does take some getting used to, some more than others, but once you do you will love it.
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  13. #13
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    I have both Rapala filet knives.

    I have found NOTHING better to remove silverskin when processing venison.

    That point on those knives is so sharp, one can provide some painful puncture wounds with just a moments carelessness.
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  14. #14
    Boolit Master Any Cal.'s Avatar
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    Svord makes a couple carbon steel fillet blades. Might be a decent option. Other than that, Victorinox or Dexter make good ones.

  15. #15
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    Like montana_charlie I bought one of the Rapala's, but first the short one.

    It is the cats meow for removing silverskin during venison processing, just like skinning a fillet.
    Now I have both models.

    That said, watch the pricing, wally world has them for 1/2 of what some "knife stores" sell them for.

    Jus' sayin . . .
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  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    I have Rapala Fillet knives in 3 sizes, the large one is the oldest. It has to go back to ohh the mid 60's.

    My dad loved the Normark made by Rapala with the black handle and the stiffer blade, he was an artist with it.

    As to your problem, learn to use a steel to touch that stainless steel up often. Knife edge away from you draw it up the steel to bend the little steel crystals back into alignment and sharpness.

    Edge first to remove material, reshape the blade. Edge away to smooth and bring the blade back to sharpness with minimal material loss.

    Last if you truly want shave sharp do what the barbers do. Buy a decent strop and learn how to use it.

    Of all the tools, stones, systems I have ever bought for sharpening. This one tool has made the biggest difference in getting a blade shaving sharp. It was 22$ at amazon.

    Knife does need to be sharp first.

    Personally I like my knives just short of shaving sharp. They are more durable, last longer, take less to get them back to that point. They will still slice meat so fast it will make your head turn.

    Buy a strop, take your favorite knife and give it 10 - 20 strokes on each side every day. When you cut yourself quit and just hit it once a month.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    When i have to sharpen a knife that has a flexible blade, or I have problems getting the tip sharp on any knife, I will sharpen the knife using both normal handle to tip strokes, and then use, tip to handle strokes. I flex the tip against the stone and push the knife across the stone carefully for tip to handle strokes. I normally do a couple sets of each, ending on a tip to handle set, then strop.

  18. #18
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    I've never really found a good fillet knife that was both flexible and would stay sharp for any real length of time. Best I've used is the Rapalas, and a butcher's steel or one of those fine grade diamond steels are a big help. Fish guts CAN get awfully sticky sometimes, and that keeps them from cutting as well as they otherwise might. A scalloped edge can be nice, too, but I've never found a blade with good steel in it that was scalloped. Thankfully, they're cheap, so you can try quite a few, and give the ones that don't pass your personal wants.

    Have thought about making a few, but not sure I could get the heat treat just right. And if you use good steel, it DOES need to be just right! I got one by CRKT that I think I'm going to like pretty well. Love the handle shape - very easy to control the blade. I've used all sorts of knives to clean fish, from the soft bladed "survival" knives they used to pack in survival packs in lifeboats (got a bunch of them when decommissioning the life boats on my ship - they were just going to be scrapped, and the OD said we could keep them) to some moderately spendy ones. Haven't found anything much better than the cheap Rapalas, and I have one of those with the black handle, and it's good, but no better in my experience than the cheaper models.

    And TCLouis is right about their usefulness in cleaning deer, or anything that requires a thin, narrow blade. Very useful in the kitchen, too. The right knife always makes what you're doing go SO much easier and better! My wife will NEVER learn this, and hates a sharp knife. I have a devil of a time keeping one or two sharp! She likes to dull them in case she wants to use them!

  19. #19
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    JWFilips's Avatar
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    tomme boy,
    The best way to get a fillet knife ( or any knife for that mater) to smoothly shave arm hair is after sharpening it needs to be honed with compound on a leather strop. I have a fairly cheap fillet knife with SS blade I sharpened it well once and keep it cutting smooth by honing it with white diamond compound on a wide leather belt glued to a wooden board. As long as you take care not to damage the blade, sharpening is unnecessary; you need only hone it to get it hair shaving sharp again ....well at least that is what I do.
    Jim
    " Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation: for it is better to be alone than in bad company. " George Washington

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