Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
Look in the places where “professionals” are cleaning fish (or avid recreational anglers) you’ll see a Dexter knife in the hands of many of them. Look in my fish cleaning kit and you’ll see a Dexter knife in mine, for sure. I couldn’t guess the number of fish that tool has dissected. Now, look in my kit and you’ll see a second Dexter knife in it – not the familiar white-handled version most use – this one sports a bright orange, comfortable, non-slip handle. The orange handle looks good but that’s not what makes this knife unique.
The blade is made from Dexter’s proprietary (American made) “Dexsteel,” the perfect blend of hardness to allow cleaning a limit of fish without needing sharpened, but not so hard that it takes an expert to put the edge back to factory sharp. Most of Dexter’s fillet knives are made from Dexsteel stainless, each one designed to provide just the right flex to produce perfect fillets. What’s unique on the Dual Edge is the tip-end on top side of the blade has a serrated, ultra sharp edge.
Dexter makes serrated bladed knives with what they call a Tiger Edge to use on frozen fish, extra boney fish or those with tough cartilage. Perfect if that’s kind of fish you encounter regularly, but it’s a specialty tool. The serrations on this dual edge knife isn’t there to be used all the time on most fish found in the Great Lakes, but occasionally, so when it’s needed, it’s there. I’ve used the serrations to cut through the wire-like bones on big walleyes and to cut through backbone on salmon I want to dress out as “steaks” rather than fillets. Mostly, however, if I miss a spot when cutting a fillet, or skinning it off, the top of the blade is sharp and I can finish the job with just a flick of the blade instead of having to change the angle or my grip to hit the spot with the regular sharp side. I selected the 7-inch blade, the perfect size walleyes and coho salmon – the fish that come aboard my boat most of the time. The 7-incher isn’t too long for perch or white bass, and it will handle the biggest kings and lakers we manage to hook when Lady Luck smiles our way.
I can’t say I’ve ever selected a knife just for the sheath that comes with it. Don’t buy this one just because of the sheath, either, but when you get one, you’ll love the fit. It’s plastic (not unusual) but when you slide the blade into the sheath, the handle sort of snaps in place just tight enough to keep the sheath in place as it rattles around in your cleaning kit, boat or the back of your tow vehicle.
Check out all of Dexters Knives and other products at www.dexteroutdoors.com. You can purchase them there, at retailers everywhere or at Amazon.com.
