fillet knives

[Jack Goertz]

I've used Gerber, Kershaw, and Buck knives to fillet salt water fish. They would lose their edge after 3 or 4 fish. Small stains would appear on the G and K blades. If they formed on the cutting edge, later sharpenings would cause that spot to flake out making getting the edge back a nightmare. I've found that Dexter Russel, and Remington (it's 440A) keep their edge while working and don't pit. Any idea what steel is used in the problem knives? Would ATS-34 be as corrosion resistant as the 440s seem to be? What steel does DR use? I find it odd that these relatively cheap, softer bladed knives are outperforming the more expensive ones.
Jack

 

[Rob Cude]

Jack,

I just moved to the US from Guam. Salt water was the name of the fishing game there. I can say that ATS-34 would never last and 440C did very well, but in some cases it really depends on the blade finish. The AUS-8A we use in our fillet knives are very close to 440C and hold an edge very well. Most of the knives you mentioned are using a low grade 400 series stainless. Darrel uses many types of steel depending on the piece he is making and its uses.

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Blue Skies,
Rob
OEC
www.outdooredge.com