Filleting knife recommendations

[the_apprentice]

Looking for recomendations for a new filleting knife to replace a ***"*** artifex that I'm not totally happy with. I'm not keen to go the deba/yanagi route at the moment because there isn't anyone to teach me to use one at work.

I'm a righty working cook in Australia and I'd be using it a couple of times a week for a variety of fish including flathead and large snapper.

I sharpen my own knives on waterstones (mostly kings).

Things I dislike about the artifex are that it's a fraction too flexible for my taste. I also find that because the blade is so narrow it can be a nuisance to sharpen, and then it seems to lose it's edge pretty quickly. This makes me think that I might prefer a flexy sujihiki

Doesn't have to be stainless but I would prefer a western handle. Length about 210 mm. Price limit is $300. What do you guys think?

 

[spoiledbroth]

are you set on 210mm because that is not really a common length for sujihiki in my experience. it also seems undersized to me to process whole fish. you say too flexible boning knife so you want a flexy sujihiki... ??? I thought sujihiki and fillet is meant to be ground thin and flexible. I believe yanagi is stiff and thick.

FWIW I own a 270 Yoshihiro aus 8 yo sujihiki and it is a pretty nice knife, not good value necessarily I think yoshihiro hayate is a bit overpriced and I don't care for their choice of north american courier but they can be bought directly from Japan. I process char salmon and halibut pretty regularly with it and also use it to slice roasts and things at functions. Very nice f&f and sharpens up easier and keener than any of my other knives in that steel (but I think maybe yoshihiro uses aus 8a and the others are vanilla aus 8). Pretty flexible but the k-tip is neat (and makes it easy to sharpen the tip)... Solid knife. More than a few collisions with stainless carving forks and still ticking. I paid 160 CAD. It's like 2.5mm or so continuous taper like an old school french knife.

I also own a tojiro dp 210 petty but this knife sucks for any purpose :eyebrow:

 

[daveb]

App,

At the top of this forum there is a "New knife questionnaire"' Suggest you fill it out so that responses can be tailored to your requirements.

And your use of too flexible and filet knife is a little confusing. In the States a filet knife is supposed to be thin, narrow and flex.

Broth, One thing you can say about tojiro is that they are consistent. :groucho:

 

[the_apprentice]

Hey thanks for the responses. I suppose because I don't have too much too much I experience with sujis I just assumed they would mostly be pretty stiff. My problem with the artifex is that it is VERY flexy and I was hoping for something slightly stiffer but not completely rigid with a nice steel that takes and holds a good edge.

Dave: I read that questionnaire before posting and I thought I answered all the questions in it in my post. I've had another look and to be clear, the knife would be for filleting and portioning raw fish. In terms of profile I want something nice and straight and narrow and I won't be rock chopping or anything with it. Things I'm looking for are sharpenability, edge retention and a bit of flex. Looks aren't important.

 

[preizzo]

The shun classic VG 10 seems to be your knife. Flexible but not to much, 18 cm length, hold quit long the edge and has a comfortable handle. I had it for a wild and then I sold it to a friend but now I regret it 😒