Best Braided Fishing Line Best Fishing Line Finding the Best Fillet Knife can be a challenge. How do you know what will be best? Your worries are over! I have put together this article to help you decide. To start with I will talk you through some of the features of fillet knives.
We will look at what makes a good fillet knife and why. I have then put together 10 of the best fillet knives on the market.
My list is based on two things. What I have found through personal experience. The reviews of other customers who have tried and tested these knives for you. Hopefully this best fillet knife guide for 2016 will make choosing the best knife for you much easier. If you have any comments or questions please contact me using the from below.
- Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Inch Fillet With Sheath
- Blade size: 7 inches
- Made in The Cutlery Capital of the World Solingen Germany
- Material (Blade): High carbon stainless steel
- Handle/ Grip: Contured handles fit nicely in your hand for a comfortable secure grip
- Global Cromova G-21 – 6 1/4 Inch, 16cm Flexible Boning Knife
- Blade size: 6 1/4 inch
- Made in Japan
- Material (Blade): high-tech molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel
- Handle/ Grip: CROMOVA 18 Stainless Steel handles
- Shun DM0743 Classic Gokujo Boning And Fillet
- Blade size: 7 inches
- Manufactured in Seki City, Japan, the capital of samurai sword manufacturing
- Material (Blade): Stainless Steel (33 layers)
- Handle/ Grip: D-shaped Pakkawood handle
- J. A Henckels International Classic 5.5-Inch Stainless Steel Boning Knife
- Blade size: 5.5 inches
- Made in Spain
- Material (Blade): Stainless Steel
- Handle/ Grip: Traditional style triple riveted
- Schmidt Brothers Cutlery, SBOBO07, Bonded Teak 7 Inch Boning Knife
- Blade size: 5.5 inches
- Made in China
- Material (Blade): 100% German stainless steel
- Handle/ Grip: Full forge handle
- Bubba Blade 9-Inch Flex Fillet Knife
- Blade size: 9 inches
- Made in China
- Material (Blade): Stainless Steel
- Handle/ Grip: Textured no slip grip with thumb and finger pad
- Havalon Baracuta Edge Folding Fillet Knife Featuring A 5-Inch Blade
- Blade size: 5 inches
- Made in China
- Material (Blade): Stainless Steel
- Handle/ Grip: Rugged black Zytel handle
- Victorinox 47513 6-Inch Flex Boning And Fillet Knife
- Blade size: 6 inches
- Made in Switzerland
- Material (Blade): High Carbon Stainless Steel
- Handle/ Grip: Textured Fibrox grip
- Buck Knives 220 Silver Creek Folding Fillet Fishing Knife
- Blade size: 6.5 inches, Flexible
- Made in the USA
- Material (Blade): Stainless Steel with Titanium Coating for corrosion resistance
- Handle/ Grip: TPE Rubber Handle
- Dexter Wide Fillet Knife
- Blade size: 8 inches
- Material (Blade): High carbon stainless steel
- Handle/ Grip: Grip Tex handle
How to choose the best fillet knife
There are a few things that you need to think about when choosing the best fillet knife for you.
Length of blade
Fillet knife blades come in many lengths, so knowing what size will suit you best is good. The cor-rect length is based on the size of fish you will be filleting, some examples are:
• 4 inch: This would be for really small fish, fish that are smaller than perch
• 6 inch: Great for small fish like perch
• 7.5 inch: Perfect for fish like trout
• 9 inch: Good for salmon, but not small fish
What is the blade made of?
The best fillet knives are made of steel, but other materials are used. Stainless steel and high carbon steel are best. Anything else may not be a good choice. Other materials can rust and not last as long. In summary:
• Stainless steel is best
• High carbon is good
Is the blade flexible?
A knife blade that can bend is easy to fillet fish with. A knife with a longer blade would be more flexible than a knife with a short blade. How thick the blade is changes the flexibility. Some fillet knives fold away. Folding knives are good for taking when you go fishing. A folding knife is safe in a kitchen drawer.
• Look for a knife blade that bends
• Folding knives might be safer
Select a good handle
Knife handles are made of various things, and some handles are better than others. Years ago knife handles were made of wood. Wood is still used for knife handles but there can be problems with wooden handle. Plastic is now a common material for making knife handles. Rubber is now also used.
• Wood: May not be good. Wood can trap smells, which is not good as fish can smell very bad. There is nothing to stop bacteria and germs getting stuck in the handle.
• Plastic: Plastic is very popular. Plastic is tough and lasts a long time. There is no danger of smells getting stuck. Plastic is easy to keep clean.
• Rubber: Flexible rubber is used for lots of things in a kitchen. Rubber knife handles do not get really hot. Rubber knife handles are easy to clean. Rubber does not trap smells.
10 Best Fillet Knives
Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Inch Fillet With Sheath, Black
A nice 7 inch blade fillet knife from the German maker Wusthof. The blade is a good shape. This makes filleting a fish easy. It means you can get close to the skin. The blade is made from high carbon steel. This is long lasting and will not rust. The handle is nice to hold.
It is made of plastic joined to the steel. This style of knife handle is known to last well. The knife comes in a leather holder. This means the knife can be stored safely. The knife is one piece of steel from handle to blade. This means there is no chance of the handle snapping off.
I think this knife is a great weight. It is nice to hold and work with, and is flexible. Because there is no handle joint there is less chance of bacteria getting stuck. This makes it easy to clean. The blade is very sharp and will not blunt easily.
Wusthof are based in Germany and are one of the best knife makers in the world. The have a real-ly good reputation and have made knives since the 1800’s. They claim to have the best forged knives A forged knife is made from one piece of metal with no joins. This does make them strong-er than a blade and separate handle.
This knife gets really good reviews from customers all over the world. I would suggest this is because it is so well made. This is a good knife for use in a home kitchen. It is popular with hunters and fishermen for outdoor use. I would recommend this knife for home use for fish like trout.
Global Cromova G-21 – 6 1/4 inch, 16cm Flexible Boning Knife
A 6.25 inch knife blade made in Japan by Global. This fillet knife is one moulded piece of metal from handle to blade. The metal at the top has been shaped to make the handle. The handle has been textured to make a grip for the hand to hold. The knife is balanced well and is a nice weight to hold and work with.
Global Cromova G-21 Flexible Boning Knife
6.25 inch flexible blade
High-tech molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel
Stainless-steel handle
Lifetime warranty against defects and breakage
View on Amazon.comI suggest that this is the perfect knife for fish like trout. The blade is made from high-tech molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel. This is a good material for long lasting blades that do not rust. The knife is a very smooth shape which means that it is easy to keep clean. There is not really anywhere for dirt and bacteria to get trapped. This knife gets really positive re-views from hundreds of happy customers. It is hard to find any bad reviews, it seems popular with everyone.
Global have a solid reputation as one of the best knife makers. They offer a lifetime warranty against defects and breakages on this knife. This means they also know this is a great knife that is unlikely to cause any issues. The very sharp blade makes filleting a fish really easy.
The blade has been made to stay sharp for a long time. This is good knife for left or right handed people as the handle is well shaped for either. I would recommend this knife whether you just cook at home or work in a restaurant. It is the perfect knife for filleting small and medium sized fish. It maybe too small for some large fish like salmon or pike.
Shun DM0743 Classic Gokujo Boning and Fillet
The Shun DM0743 Classic Gokujo Boning and Fillet knife has a 6 inch blade good for smaller fish. This knife has a handle made of Pakkawood, with stainless steel caps at both ends of the handle. This stops any bacteria getting stuck to the wood.
Shun DM0743 Classic Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
• 6 inch blade
• 33 layers of stainless steel
• Pakkawood handle with steel end-cap
• Limited lifetime warranty
View on AmazonPakkawood is a good, hardwearing wood and better quality than other wood. This means there is less chance of smells staying on the knife. This is a shaped blade for close cutting of the fish skin. The blade is made of 33 layers of stainless steel. This makes it tough and long lasting. Layering of steel is an older method that is really good for making a blade that does not rust.
The layering process also means that the knife slides through the fish easily. The blade does drag or get stuck in the fish. I like the fact that this is a nice light knife to hold and use. The sharpness of the blade make filleting a fish easy work.
Japan is home to some of the best knife makers on the market. Shun has a great reputation with kitchen knives and customers speak well of them. Positive feedback is really easy to find. This is a sharp little knife that does exactly what it is meant to do. Shun offers a lifetime warranty on the knife giving the customer peace of mind. I would recommend this knife to the home cook for fillet-ing smaller fish. A bigger knife would be needed for bigger fish. But this is such a great addition to the kitchen I would highly recommend it. It is a lovely knife to look at and has been well designed for filleting work.
Schmidt Brothers Cutlery, SBOBO07, Bonded Teak 7 Inch Boning Knife
The best thing about this Schmidt Brothers fillet knife is the price. It is a really well built knife that does not cost a lot of money. It is a budget knife to add to any kitchen knife collection. This is a straight blade 7 inch filleting knife. This is a lovely little knife that looks really great.
Schmidt Brothers Cutlery Boning Knife
• 7 inch blade
• Teak handle
• Stainless steel blade
• Excellent value for money
View On AmazonIt has a teak handle which is bonded to the shaft. Teak is a very hard wood that does not damage easily. The wood comes from South Asia, another mark of quality. The teak handle is made to reduce the chance of bacteria and dirt sticking to the handle. The handle is shaped to give a comfortable grip. I found this knife to be a lovely light weight knife. Knives with wooden handles should not be put in a dishwasher.
Wood needs to be washed gently in the sink. The blade is made of stainless steel which is long lasting and will not rust. Schmidt Brothers use steel from Germany, which is where the the best quality knife steel comes from.
Schmidt Brothers have a wide range of kitchen knives in their collection. They have a really great reputation for being one of the leading makers of many different knives. Although this is cheaper than some knives it is a really good quality knife. I would recommend this as a good all purpose fillet knife. It is great for the home kitchen although perhaps not so good for restaurants. The blade is very sharp but has good flexibility meaning you can get really close to the skin. The blade will not need sharpening that often as long as you look after it.
J. A Henckels International Classic 5.5-Inch Stainless Steel Boning Knife
A great example of a small filleting knife from J A Henckels. This knife has a 5.5 inch blade mak-ing it one of the smallest fillet knives on the market. This is straight bladed fillet knife. It comes with a bonded plastic handle. This is hygienic and means that bacteria cannot get trapped.
J. A Henckels International Classic 5.5-Inch Stainless Steel Boning Knife
• 5.5 inch blade
• Stainless steel
• Plastic handle
• Mid range budget
View On AmazonPlastic han-dles also mean that smells cannot linger. The handle and overall knife quality is good. The knife is one solid piece of steel with the handle bonded to it. It comes from their mid range collection but is still a quality knife. The knife blade is made from stainless steel meaning it will not rust.
I suggest this is a good knife for the home kitchen for filleting smaller fish. The smaller blade is flexible mak-ing it really easy to use. This is also a good knife for people with smaller hands.
J A Henckles are a German company but they have more than one factory across the globe. Knives are made in their different factories, but the quality never changes. Being plastic handled this knife could go in the dishwasher if needed. It is better to hand wash kitchen knives where possible.
Hand washed knives tend to last longer. J A Henckles have given this knife a more narrow blade than some filleting knives. There are better quality knives on the market but they cost you more. This knife is perfect for the home kitchen. It is a great little knife that doesn’t cost too much.
It is really good at filleting smaller fish and getting meat off chicken bones. It is nicely sharp and does not get stuck or drag through the fish.
Bubba Blade 9-Inch Flex Fillet Knife
This knife looks more like a traditional hunting knife than something you normally see in the kitchen. This is a 9 inch bladed fillet knife that has great potential. The knife has a very distinct look about it. The handle is made from red and white plastic and rubber.
The rubber gives excellent grip and makes the knife nice to hold. There are special grip holds moulded for the fingers. The knife’s over-all look does look more like something a hunter would use. This might put some people off. It does look more like it belongs in the woods than the kitchen. Bubba Blade does have a good reputation, but maybe more for the fisherman and hunter than for use in the home kitchen. However in terms of quality they cannot be faulted.
This 9 inch blade is a good fillet knife that has great flexibly for filleting. This knife has a coating on the blade. Coating a blade does make the knife slide well through the fish. However, a coating may chip off over time. I would be slightly concerned about this. The blade is easy to sharpen when needed.
This fillet knife has a slightly curved blade. This means the blade can easily follow the shape of the fish. Being a longer blade this is perfect for larger fish like salmon and even pike. It is also suitable for smaller fish, but might make the job harder. Considering that the knife is not expensive but it is a really good quality, this is a good buy. It is cheap enough to be added to any fillet knife collection. It does come with a holster which makes storing it safer. I would recommend this knife for those who fish and then fillet what they catch.
Havalon Baracuta Edge Folding Fillet Knife featuring a 5-inch Blade
This is a great example of a folding knife. The blade simply folds into the handle when not in use. The handle is made from military grade plastic. It has orange rubber grips to give a comfortable hold. The blade is made of stainless steel which the company is proud to say is of surgical quality.
Havalon Baracuta Edge Folding Fillet Knife featuring a 5-inch Blade
• 5 inch blade
• Stainless steel
• Folding knife
• Plastic and rubber handle
View on Amazon.comIt will not rust or damage. The idea behind this fillet knife is that the blades are replaceable. The knife comes with 5 blades in the pack. The blades are meant to removed when blunt and thrown away rather than sharpened. These blades are amazingly sharp so care must be taken when handling the knife.
Havalon have a really good reputation for their folding knives. Many of the blades can be used with other handles. Ito fold the blade into the handle, the handle must be the right length for the blade. This handle would in theory hold a longer blade but it will not then fold away for safety. Once folded away there is a safety clip to ensure it doesn’t pop out again. Although this might seem more like a field knife, it is still really useful for people working at home.
The blade is nicely flexible making close to the bone cutting simple. The blade has a nice upwards curve that makes it great for skinning as well as filleting work. The knife comes with a useful holster. The handle is open at the end which means dirt can be easily cleared out. I would recommend this knife as a great lower priced knife. If offers a really good cut and with 5 blades in the pack, it will last for many years.
Victorinox 47513 6-Inch Flex Boning and Fillet Knife with Fibrox Handle under 30
Victorinox is a well known name in the knife world. They are the makers of the traditional Swiss Army knife. This 6 inch fillet knife is a great example of some of the other knives they offer. They are still leading makers of kitchen knives across the world. They have a really good reputation built over many years in the trade. This is a 6 inch straight bladed fillet knife that looks very typical of kitchen knives.
Victorinox 47513 6-Inch Flex Boning and Fillet Knife
• 6 inch blade
• Plastic handle
• High Carbon Stainless Steel
• Limited lifetime warranty
View on Amazon.comThe handle is made from Fibrox plastic which is something Victorinox have created and patented themselves. The handle is designed to offer a non-slip grip even if your hands are wet. The blade is made from high carbon stainless steel which is known to be one of the best ma-terials for making knife blades. The blade will not rust and keeps the sharpness for a long time when used correctly.
I really rate this knife as an addition to any kitchen. 6 inch fillet knives are some of the smaller fillet knives on the market. This makes them perfect for home kitchen filleting work. For some bigger fish it would be easier to have a knife with a longer blade. For normal fillet work, for fish like trout this knife is perfect.
The blade is made in a stamping process not a forging process. This means that the overall weight of the knife is lighter than forged knives. It is easy to work with and does not hurt the hand to hold it. The knife should not be put in a dishwasher but washed by hand. The price for this knife is very good and it is a great knife for any kitchen.
Buck Knives 220 Silver Creek Folding Fillet Fishing Knife
This little fillet knife actually looks like a sea creature! The knife has an interesting curve and looks like a shrimp. The shape has of course been designed to make filleting and skinning fish really easy. The 6.25 inch blade is designed to fold into the handle for safety and easy storage.
The blade is made of titanium coated stainless steel. This is one of the better coatings to have, as it does seem to last. The coating also means that the blade is protected against rusting. The handle is made of moulded rubber which offers a comfortable grip. The blue rubber has a textured under-side to make sure the knife doesn’t slip out of wet hands. Having a rubber handle also means that there is less chance of smells and bacteria sticking to it. It is not recommended that this knife is washed in a dishwasher though.
Highlighted Features:
• 6.25 inch blade
• Stainless Steel
• Folding design
• Rubber handle
When the blade is folded away there is a safety lock to ensure it cannot open unless you want it to. This makes the knife great for a kit bag or even a kitchen drawer, especially if you have children at home. The short blade makes this the perfect fillet knife for smaller fish. It is nicely flexible and very sharp. It can be sharpened when it gets blunt. Buck make quality knives and this is no excep-tion.
They have a really good hunting and fishing reputation and their products are very popular. Another reason that I really recommend this knife is the price. It is such a low price, it can easily be added to your knife collection. It is so easy to work with and the blade moves easily in the fish.
Dexter Wide Fillet Knife
I would recommend the Dexter wide 8 inch blade fillet knife to both those at home and also people who work in restaurants. Dexter have a really great working reputation in the restaurant trade as makers of quality knives.
Dexter Wide Fillet Knife
• 8 inch blade
• High carbon stainless steel
• White plastic handle
• Great price
View on Amazon.comThis 8 inch fillet knife is no exception. it is a great knife to use for larger fish, and makes easy work of boning fish. Because this is a longer blade that is not as flexible as some it does make skinning harder.
Being less flexible means you cannot slide and bend the blade easily. However the price is unbeatable for the quality of the knife. The knife is so well made and Dexter knives are know to last for years. It is easy to see why they are a professional favourite for many in the food industry.
The handle is made from moulded white plastic. There is a shaped finger guard meaning you wont get your fingers too near the blade. The handle is sealed where it meets the blade. This is to make sure nothing can get in. This means it has a great bacteria and dirt barrier. You can be sure the knife stays clean. The handle has been carefully shaped and designed to be comfortable to hold.
It is also great for not slipping in wet hands. It might not be the prettiest knife to look at but it has a professional job to do. A job that it does really well. Filleting larger size fish with this knife is a really easy task. The high carbon stainless steel blade doesn’t drag through the flesh but glides easily with no resistance. Given the low price of this knife I really would recommend that everyone adds one to their knife collection.
Conclusion
This selection of knives was put together after extensive research to offer you the best fillet knife buying guide. Filleting different fish can often require a different knife. The best way to stock your knife drawer is to have a wide selection from the best on offer. The knives we have chosen to show you are the best filleting knives currently on sale. Choosing more than one knife means you will always have the best knife to hand no matter what you need to fillet. Having longer and shorter blades gives you the best in flexibility when preparing fish. Buying the knives could not be easier, simply follow the links shown in the article and you will be taken to Amazon.
