Which fillet knife?

http://search.bcf.com.au/search?w=blade%20runner

I just looked it up for you. Seems BCF only have the Teflon coated BR now. Still, nothing wrong with that. $40 each.

Don't get the 16cm. It is more a boning knife than a fillet knife.

If are not overly experienced with filleting (if you were, you would already have a fillet knife) I would suggest the "straight" blade. It is easier to handle. 20cm is pretty standard and will handle all your filleting jobs, big and small and not just fish.

whilst everyone will have an opinion as a butcher Id also say while arguments over which is the best may be vailid if you got victorinox you couldnt go too far wrong

Are you on fishing reminder? I am ! I seem to remember a GBC posting there...

Yeah, Wilson is OK. Never looked at the zest.

I am not sure if the OP wants to be mind numbed...but since you mention it...

The reason (apart from price) that I suggested the Blade Runner, is very much why you suggest the Zest.

It has a nice carbon softness to it, but still enough chrome to be hard and stainless. I don't know if it's by design or not. But the BR is soft enough to keep nice and sharp and very easy to steel and keep keen. At the same time being hard and durable against the salt.

When the OP says she hasn't got the foggiest. That tells me that high chrome is out. She will be very disappointed and frustrated after the first day and finds it needs to be sharpened, and try as she may cannot get an edge on it...

So, with out even seeing it, I will vote for the Zest as well...or the Blade Runner ;)

I haven't heard of fishing reminder? I also have a blade runner and agree with your sentiment. It is always sharp, doesn't rust away in storage like some of my expensive ones did, and is ever reliable. This is highly subjective at this level, but I find the blade runners very stiff in the blade, where the zest is deeper in the heel but still more flexible. I use the blade runner for bait prep and other activities where the stiff blade and those long thin points work a treat (jamming cable ties through mullet heads, bleeding tuna, iki jime etc). I've got to admit though, I've always found them a bit thin in the heel for filleting though. Again, a super subjective thought process and one which the op would do well to take with a grain of salt. I like the blade runners, I have one. I just like the zest better as a starter knife because it would be a little more forgiving? I hope that makes sense and is taken in the spirit in which it was written.

http://www.fishingreminder.com/

Mark is the bloke that owns it. He is a Kiwi, so the site is based in NZ. But lots of Aussies there too. It's worth having a look. Oh, and it is not a busy forum, it can be weeks between posts because everyone is out fushing. It has just under 60,000 members.

Yes, that all makes sense. As I say, I have not looked at the Zest so cannot comment. But it sounds OK to me. If it is a bit more flexible than the Blade Runner, it might be the better choice. Mind you, I have never had an issue with the BR. It is flexible enough to knock the fillets off small fish like long tom and whiting but firm enough to go cleanly through to the spine in one go on larger fish like tuna and snapper.

Agree. I fish weekly and have tried lots of knives.

For what you want, the cheapies start out very sharp and will do the job for the day out you are planning. Yet it will still give longevity if you are only using it now and then. Go to Big W and get the cheapest.