BubbaBlade.com ? TV junk or real deal outdoor/survival knife?....

[RustyShackelford]

Hi;
While eating lunch at a new www.Eastcoastwings.com location with a friend, I saw a TV(NBC Sports Network) ad for a knife line called www.Bubbablade.com .
The fishing guides & outdoor TV hosts gave it high marks(granted this was a paid endorsement ).
The "Beast" hunting-outdoor blade looks okay for most camp/hunting/field uses but I'm curious if any "blade guys" or "knife industry types" really think it's any good.
The fish/fillet Bubba Blade does seem to be a good item to have if you are a boater, fish from boats, own a yacht-boat, etc.

The Bubba Blade retail price is not super high but Id like to get some more input.

Rusty

 

[kieranklein]

Wish they actually said what steel was used other than "high carbon stainless" really no way to tell without it to me.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

$55 for a fillet knife from an unknown (to me at least) company isn't something I would do. I highly doubt they are actually making the knife and are just a marketing company. If you have issues down the road and the company is gone you're out of any warranty there is.

I'm a Buck fan and would go with them since I expect them to be around and stand behind their stuff down the road if needed. They also do make some nice fillet knives at a better price.

 

[chameleonbear]

After months of research, we went with 8CR13MOV. We feel that it is the best steel on the planet for what fishermen and hunters want. This is a high carbon stainless steel with a Rockwell rating for hardness of 56-58, which is typically found in much more expensive knives. Simply put, this steel is the best we could find that would hold a razor sharp edge longer and take an edge when resharpening it.

From their "Bubba Knife Story" page.

 

[rcmodel]

Big bucks for a plastic handle knife made out of 'Mystery Metal'.

The best fillet knives I have ever used were the old Rapala wood handle ones.

http://www.target.com/p/rapala-fish...pid=14126430&gclid=CIj2-bHooMACFSgV7AodyUwAYg

I don't know if the new ones are as good as the old ones.
Both mine are 40 years old, and still going strong.

rc

 

[kieranklein]

Quick search shows 8CR13MOV as a Chinese steel which I wouldn't chance imo.

 

[blindhari]

The steel mentioned is used by AG Russell. His knives all seem to fall under the old adage, "all goods worth price charged". To be honest I like his folders for fit, finish, and function better than Case or Queen

blindhari

 

[ugaarguy]

8Cr13MoV is just a slightly less clean Chinese copy of Japanese AUS-8 steel. Kershaw, Spyderco, and others use it on their value line knives. It's a good steel, but nowhere near their claims of "best in the world".

The best fillet knives I have ever used were the old Rapala wood handle ones.

http://www.target.com/p/rapala-fish-...FSgV7AodyUwAYg

I don't know if the new ones are as good as the old ones.
Both mine are 40 years old, and still going strong.

They're still great knives. They're rebadged J. Marttiini traditional filet knives. Marttiini is a Finnish company that still has somewhat limited US distribution, so Rapala (also a Finnish company) imports the Marttiini filet knives under the Rapala brand.

Marttiini makes traditional and modern Nordic hunting and fishing knives. Their main competition in Europe is from the Frosts-Mora company of Sweden. There are slight differences, but the Swedes and the Finns have very similar philosophies on hunting and fishing knives.

In other words, the folks here are spot on as usual: Forget spending $50 on a TV infomercial knife (made in China or not), and buy a knife from a real knife company. Moras are readily available all over the web from $8 to $30 (and more for fancy models) depending on the model. Marttiinis are also available in the same price range, just from fewer places. Thankfully Smoky Mountain Knife Works carries both, so you can compare:

Marttiini - http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/brands/Marttiini/230.html

Frosts-Mora - http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/brands/Frosts+Mora+of+Sweden/47.html

 

[Deltaboy1984]

8Cr13MoV is just a slightly less clean Chinese copy of Japanese AUS-8 steel. Kershaw, Spyderco, and others use it on their value line knives. It's a good steel, but nowhere near their claims of "best in the world".


They're still great knives. They're rebadged J. Marttiini traditional filet knives. Marttiini is a Finnish company that still has somewhat limited US distribution, so Rapala (also a Finnish company) imports the Marttiini filet knives under the Rapala brand.

Marttiini makes traditional and modern Nordic hunting and fishing knives. Their main competition in Europe is from the Frosts-Mora company of Sweden. There are slight differences, but the Swedes and the Finns have very similar philosophies on hunting and fishing knives.

In other words, the folks here are spot on as usual: Forget spending $50 on a TV infomercial knife (made in China or not), and buy a knife from a real knife company. Moras are readily available all over the web from $8 to $30 (and more for fancy models) depending on the model. Marttiinis are also available in the same price range, just from fewer places. Thankfully Smoky Mountain Knife Works carries both, so you can compare:

Marttiini - http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/brands/Marttiini/230.html

Frosts-Mora - http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/brands/Frosts+Mora+of+Sweden/47.html

This

 

[lemaymiami]

Bubba obviously spent way more money on the advertising than the blade... in my opinion (but what do I know? I'm just a guy who used to cut 50 to 250lbs of fish a day as a mate on a charter boat....).

If you want a decent working blade look up Dexter Russell or Forschner (also listed under Victorinox) for good quality stainless butcher blades (I prefer a six inch boning blade that's not particularly flexible along with a much larger 10 to 12" "breaking" knife -these are curved and the large ones are also called cimeters). These kinds of blades are real working items that will last years and years. Some of mine are nearing forty years old now...

For working blades that aren't stainless at all, but will sharpen up really nicely and hold a sharp working edge far longer than any stainless... cheaper might be better. The Old Hickory and simlar blades (Chicago cutlery, etc.) are so cheap that many never give them a second look - but many old time butchers will actually prefer them to anything else....

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The Old Hickory and simlar blades (Chicago cutlery, etc.) are so cheap that many never give them a second look - but many old time butchers will actually prefer them to anything else....

I've got an old cimeter blade that belonged to my great-grandmother. She used to butcher hogs with it. I sharpened it up on a Wicked Edge, and while it took forever to get the burr going, once I did get it set up I have not had to sharpen it since, and that old carbon steel cuts like a laser.

8CR13MOV isn't anything special steel wise; but I am starting to appreciate cheap steel that can easily be resharpened. My favorite kitchen knife was $5 from Ikea. It dulls pretty quick; but it sharpens back up just as quickly and reprofiling it to the edge I like isn't a two hour task. Having said that, you can get a lot more steel for your money going with a Mora or something similar. $55 strikes me as excessive for 8CR13MOV.

 

[RustyShackelford]

So, wait a minute.....

You are telling me a series of knives called Bubba Blades & marketed to American anglers, boaters & campers is made in Red China!

Seriously, I didn't think these blades were anything hot. It did seem flashy & hyped but I'm surprised it at least isn't made in 'merica.

Thanks, for the posts. They are very detailed.

Rusty
PS; on a brief side-note, a hawker pushing knife sets at a local Walmart claimed some new health codes & code enforcement(food safety/restaurant inspections) mandate the use of knives that have no separate grips. The lady said to prevent germs & bacteria, the blades must now be all one design to better clean-sanitize them. Is this true?
FWIW; a service industry worker told me too around 2009 or so that the Darden Restaurant chain(Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze) did not allow any knives in the kitchens of Red Lobsters, . That seems odd but in today's "let's not get sued or get any workers hurt" world maybe it is.

 

[ugaarguy]

on a brief side-note, a hawker pushing knife sets at a local Walmart claimed some new health codes & code enforcement(food safety/restaurant inspections) mandate the use of knives that have no separate grips. The lady said to prevent germs & bacteria, the blades must now be all one design to better clean-sanitize them. Is this true?

Not in restaurants, to my knowledge, but possibly in meat and fish packing / processing facilities. What she's referring to are knives with single piece plastic handles molded over and fully encapsulating the blade tang. Epoxied and riveted scales (like you'll see on nicer chef's knives) will quickly delaminate from repeated high temp machine washing. The single piece molded plastic handle knives hold up extremely well to high temp water / chemical machine washing / sanitizing. The meat processing / packing industry is already dominated by Victorinox/Forschner and Dexter-Russell which have such handles though.

As far as more direct alternatives to Bubba, the Swedish made Mora fishing knife for $20 - http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/FT...ainless-steel-blade-neon-yellow-rubber-handle - is a pretty close direct comparison.

Or the Swiss made Vic/Forschner fillet and paring knife combo set with belt sheath for $30 - http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/VN...hner-3-14-inch-Paring-6-inch-Fillet-and-Pouch - would be another good comparison.

 

[Double_J]

I have bought and lost more Dexter Russel filet knives than I can count, and I really don't mind due to the inexpensive price. Most of them were left on the cleaning table after a good trip and were "accidentally" picked up by another angler, or lost overboard during bait cutting/cleaning jobs.

There is no way I am going to spend $50 and up for a "TV special" knife. I agree with others here when they say buy a Mora/Dexter Russel/Victorinox/etc. knife. They are worth the money, unless you want a custom made knife. I do have a few cheap made in china blades that I got from vendors and supply houses. They do duty for give away knives when I am out fishing/camping/etc. I will not buy a knife that is made in China without knowing exactly what steel it is made from and the heat treat used.