Need a suggestion for a "best" Filet knife...

[magnumwheelman]

So we raise all our own meat on the farm ( just got 3 new feeder pigs last week... got a few cattle, & sheep )... I was a huge aquarium geek 15-20 years ago, so with my experience, & desire to raise our own meat, I designed my own Aquaponics / Hydroponic tank system... even though I'm not a huge Tilapia fan ( I'm definitely not eating anything foreign raised, no chicken poop fed fish for me ) & even domestic raised Tilapia taste a little muddy being raised in southern mud ponds... so I'm going to try raising a crystal clear water tank raised fish & see if that's any better...

anyway, I never really fileted fish, we caught as a kid... we usually picked out bones on the panfish we caught... watched several videos on fileting them out, & MRS worked with sharp knives in the packing house... so we going to try 100 Tilapia Fingerlings to start... thinking this would be easiest with a "good" Filet knife, not just a sharp boning knife???

Suggestions???

[longoval]

Victorinox 6" flexible fillet knife

[magnumwheelman]

a quick look on Amazon looks like Filet knives run the gambit between $18.00 & $170.00... that's quite a range

[longoval]

I can take a picture of mine when I get home. It was probably about $20 6 years ago. You can spend more without getting a better knife, be sure.

[bigbrowndog]

I’d say something from a reputable maker,….Rapala, Gerber, Fiskars, etc.

Trapr

[kevshell]

I have a Victornox fillet knife that is okay but definitely not my preference. Personally I find it to be a PIA to sharpen. It's edge retention is okay. I did buy a knives of Alaska fillet knife last year that I have not been able to use yet but it appears to be of a much better quality than the victorinox.

[Deleted]

The Bubba blades are great. I've seen them used. My old old timer is pretty good too.

[bigbrowndog]

Outdoor edge makes a nice folding filet knife, I keep it in my pack for Boning out game as well.

Trapr

[tja6435]

I also like the Outdoor Edge folding fillet knife. The edge seems to hold up pretty good for me

[rangersedge]

You can't beat an electric if you have many to filet.

[longoval]

Back to the Victorinox...

To me the two things that I value in a fillet knife is flexibility and slicing ability. All fillet knifes feature a full, flat grind which is the proper geometry for slicing. Some still do it better than others. The thickness just behind the edge is what determines how well a flat ground knife will cut (along with the distance from the edge to the spine, but that is less important). I don't have enough hands to capture it in a picture but I measured mine at about 0.013". Its pretty thin and will cut well. It flexes with not much pressure, as it should. This knife meets my requirements.

I am much better at sharpening knives than I am fishing. So, edge retention has never been a real consideration for me. I have no issues with that.

[magnumwheelman]

Thanks guys… you can buy a few “grades” of fingerlings… the aquaponics “grade”, that I bought, don’t all mature at the same time, to spread out the ammonia… so we can pick out a few early bigger ones to eat fresh several weeks before the final harvest… but in MN, there will be a harvest day, where I can't keep the water above mid 50's degrees... when the water gets too cold, & they stop growing, so diminishing returns... there could be 70 or 80 to harvest over a couple days, so it’s possible an electric filet knife might come in handy on one of those heavy harvesting days???

[bula]

I've found electric to be awkward. I've a few friends that LOVE theirs and it is amazing they way they separate the meat to eat, from everything else, FAST. I'll stick to my Rapala with the plain birch handle. Have worn out a couple 4", on bluegills, perch and brook trout over the years. Between me and FIL now gone, we have several of every length. FIL left me the knives. He was an ice fishing guide and charter capt., here. I met him ice fishing, before I came to the house to pick up his daughter for a date. The meeting with DAD, was kinda funny. The basic Rapala will not meet your "Best" category. Think the Fiskars and Victorinox maybe fit your wants better. Look into what would be considered commercial grade, use knives ? Most will be bigger than what you will want for tilapia. Luck !

[magnumwheelman]

I've been thinking a 6", maybe 7" would be a good size... these Tilapia should be 1 - 2 lbs. a piece, when I harvest them... 5-7 ounce fillets minus the rib bone wedge people usually just cut out

[magnumwheelman]

some of the electrics, don't even look like a traditional electric knife...

www.amazon.com/Bubba-Cordless-Ti-Nitride-Non-Stick-Reciprocating/dp/B07KSPR7ZC/ref=sr_1_16?crid=3SZ87YRMS9YEB&keywords=electric+fillet+knives+for+fish&qid=1686142589&sprefix=electric+filet+knives%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-16

not sure what I think about the "saw" blades on a filet knife???