Fillet knife, salmon, lemon on a cutting board

Best Fish Fillet Knife For The Money Of 2019 [Complete Reviews With Comparisons]

Catching your own fish in the great outdoors really is a great feeling. However, you can’t just throw a fish on the fire as is and hope for the best.

You need to gut and fillet it first, and to do this you need a good fillet knife. Let’s get right to it and help you find the best fish fillet knife for the money of 2019.

Comparison Table

IMAGE PRODUCT
EDITOR'S CHOICE 1. ​​Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife
  • ​Extremely sharp
  • ​Long lifespan
  • ​Very durable
  • ​Nice handle
Check Price
RUNNER UP ​2. ​Rapala Fish n Fillet Superflex Knife
  • ​Great precision and accuracy
  • ​High level of durability and longevity
  • ​Comfortable handle
Check Price
​3. ​​​Kershaw Clearwater 7’’ Fillet Knife
  • ​Great Japanese stainless steel
  • ​Comfortable handle with good grip
  • ​Very affordable
  • ​Thin blade
Check Price
​4. ​​​Zwilling J.A. Henckels 7-Inch Fillet knife
  • ​Excellent steel
  • ​Razor sharp and super thin
  • ​Great control and accuracy
Check Price
​5. ​American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife
  • ​Fast and convenient
  • ​Nice handle
  • ​Good quality blade
Check Price

​Best Fish Fillet Knives: Reviews

1. ​​Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife

Here we have a very reasonably priced fish filleting knife, one that comes in 2 different lengths, a 6.1 inch and a 3.5 inch option. It’s affordable and comes with everything you need to fillet a fish quickly and accurately.

Review

The Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife features a Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel blade that is known for being one of the best in its class. The stainless steel used here is about as durable as it gets, plus it is corrosion resistant.

The razor=sharp cutting edge can easily slice through a fish with minimal effort, plus it retains that cutting edge for a very long time before it requires sharpening. On that same note, the Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife is also quite easy to sharpen.

The blade is thin and narrow enough so you can fillet a fish with accuracy, plus it is quite flexible so you can deal with the bones. The Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife also comes with a high-friction rubber handle that is ergonomically designed for comfort and to provide you with non-slip gripping ability.

It even comes with a slotted plastic sheath for convenience.

Pros

  • ​Extremely sharp
  • ​Long lifespan
  • ​Very durable
  • ​Nice handle

Cons

  • ​Sheath is somewhat low quality

​2. ​Rapala Fish n Fillet Superflex Knife

Here we have another very affordable fish fillet knife, the Rapala Fish n Fillet Superflex Knife. This one comes in 3 different length options including 4-inch, 6-inch, and 7.5-inch blades.

Review

The Rapala Fish n Fillet Superflex Knife comes with a razor-sharp hand ground stainless steel blade. Each blade is made by hand to ensure the utmost in quality and longevity.

The stainless steel used is about as sharp as can be, and it retains that cutting edge for a long time without the need for sharpening. It’s also a highly durable blade that can handle a lot of punishment, plus it’s highly corrosion resistant.

​What is nice about the blade of the Rapala Fish n Fillet Superflex Knife is that it comes with a PTFE non-stick coating so all fish components slide right off. The blade is incredibly thin and flexible, which allows for a great degree of control when boning and filleting fish.

The handle is quite comfortable; it has good grip, but it’s not exactly the most durable.

Pros

  • ​Great precision and accuracy
  • ​High level of durability and longevity
  • ​Comfortable handle

Cons

  • ​Handle has limited durability

​3. ​​​Kershaw Clearwater 7’’ Fillet Knife

This is another decent filleting knife for fish that is slightly less expensive than the others we have looked at so far. It’s an affordable option to go with, one that can easily get the job done.

Review

The Kershaw Clearwater 7’’ Fillet Knife does also comes in a 9 inch model, just so you know. What is nice here is that it comes with a 7" high-performance Japanese 420J2 stainless steel blade, which is about as tough and durable as it gets. It’s ridiculously resistant to corrosion, scratching, denting, and all other forms of damage.

The cutting edge is razor sharp and it barely takes any effort to cut through fish at all, plus the cutting edge retains its sharpness for a long time without the need for sharpening. Furthermore, the Kershaw Clearwater 7’’ Fillet Knife is made to be super thin to offer great control when boning and filleting fish, although it is not the most flexible blade around.

​The soft plastic comfort grip handle is ergonomically designed for comfort, plus it provides a pretty decent grip as well. Here you get a sheath included, although it’s not the best around.

Pros

  • ​Great Japanese stainless steel
  • ​Comfortable handle with good grip
  • ​Very affordable
  • ​Thin blade

Cons

  • ​Blade could be more flexible
  • ​Sheath is not the best around

​4. ​​​Zwilling J.A. Henckels 7-Inch Fillet knife

Ok, so here we have a fillet knife that is about 4 times more expensive than any other the other options on this list, but you get what you pay for, and here you get a super high-quality fish fillet knife made by a trusted German brand name,

Review

You have to hand it to the Germans, because here they have made one heck of a fillet knife. The Zwilling J.A. Henckels 7-Inch Fillet knife may be expensive, but the high carbon stainless steel used for the blade is some of the best in the world.

It’s more or less impervious to all forms of damage, and it won’t ever rust. This thing is also super sharp, like a razor, and fish will pretty much fall apart at the slightest touch, plus it barely ever needs sharpening.

To ensure a high level of durability and quality, the whole thing is made from one piece of solid steel; it features a full tang blade, and has been ice hardened for a level of toughness and sharpness that is not often seen. The Zwilling J.A. Henckels 7-Inch Fillet knife comes with an ergonomic polypropylene handle.

It certainly is a durable handle, and comfortable to hold, although the grip it provides could be a bit better.

Pros

  • ​Excellent steel
  • ​Razor sharp and super thin
  • ​Great control and accuracy

Cons

  • ​A bit expensive
  • ​Handle could have better grip

​5. ​American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife

Ok, if you want to make really quick work out of a big pike you have caught, the American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife is a decent option to keep in mind. It certainly is convenient, although maybe not the most precise.

Review

The American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife does run by plugging into a power outlet, so there is that to keep in mind. It features a long and thin blade, so that should help with accuracy.

Moreover, the blade is made with high-quality stainless steel, and it is very sharp, plus pretty flexible as well.

The handle is also quite comfortable to hold, and it even provides good grip. However, what needs to be said here is that the serrated blade combined with the vibrating motion of the knife decreases cutting precision.

Simply put, you might end up fraying the meat and making a bit of a mess. A fish fillet knife really should not be serrated.

Pros

  • ​Fast and convenient
  • ​Nice handle
  • ​Good quality blade

Cons

  • ​Might be a bit messy
  • ​Fish fillet knives should not be serrated

​Conclusion

Ok, so the electric knife just above is a convenient option, but if you need a high-quality option with great performance, one that will last for years, the German made Zwilling J.A. Henckels 7-Inch Fillet knife is absolutely the best option here today, albeit a bit expensive.


About the Author Knife Guru

Leave a Comment: