Folding fillet knife recommendations?

J

Jon

Joined
Nov 8, 1998
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276
Any recommendations on a folding fillet knife? Carbon or good stainless, prefer a good lock also. I usually use an electric knife or an older Cold Steel fillet knife for larger fish - less flex but it holds a great edge (carbon) & sharpens easily. I'm interested in a "beater/user", as I'll probably end up losing it :rolleyes: .
Thanks.
 
If you can find one a Spyderco Catcherman would fit the bill. The earlier ones were less flexible than the later models. There were also fully serrated blades but most were a combo edge. Good luck
 
Thanks for the advice, are they still being made?
I was also interested in the Opinel folding fillet knife, just wondering about Opinel's stainless quality & anyone's "hands on" experience.
 
I like Opinels, and they make two lengths of their fillet knives. Both come with the nice olive wood handles. I've bought mine from www.eknifeworks.com because of their good selection, prices, and service. :thumbup:
 
Jon said:
Thanks for the advice, are they still being made?
I was also interested in the Opinel folding fillet knife, just wondering about Opinel's stainless quality & anyone's "hands on" experience.
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No, they were discontinued.
 
The Swedish EKA makes a folding fillet with a hardwood handle. Their knives are good quality, and not too expensive. Ragweed Forge and Cutlery-to-go have stocked these IIRC, other shops too probably.
 
I have used the Spyderco Catcherman (the newer MBS-26 version) and the Normark Folding Filet. The Normark is the EKA with rubbery plastic grips, marketed by Normark, and is my favorite. It used to be sold at WalMart for $10, but (sigh!) was replaced at WalMart with a Chinese job by some other company that looks and costs the same. The Chinese one may be just as good, I really don't know. It would be a question of materials and workmanship, the design appears identical. (For workmanship and materials, Spyderco is the best of all; design counts heavily IMO.)

You can probably find the real Normark at a fishing gear store for just a little more. The wood handled EKA is also nice, but costs about $30 and the only difference I can see is the exotic hardwood handle.
 
If you're really worried about likely losing it, Outdoor Edge makes a very affordable model, that from specs and pics nonetheless looks pretty decent. I think the model is called "Fish and Bone".
 
Thanks folks, appreciate the advice.
I looked at the Outdoor Edge online, but I believe it's made out of 420 stainless now.
I'll also look for a Normark EVA.
 
Jon said:
I looked at the Outdoor Edge online, but I believe it's made out of 420 stainless now.
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That's a shame. Otherwise it seemed like a real bargain. Though the one they show, and sell, on their website is advertised as being made of 440A, which should be decent in this sort of knife. A.G. Russell sells it with the same specs for about 12 dollars.
 
Thanks for the feedback folks, appreciated.
Thanks for the link Hard H2O, I ended up with the one on eBay for $8.99 shipped.
 
guyfalks, will do, just don't expect an in depth review :).
Plan on trying it out on a fall run salmon.
I've got another knife, not fillet, in 12c27 stainless & like it. As long as the folder's construction is sturdy I'm not looking for any problems.
 
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