|
|
|
.
|
|
Choice Cut: Oho Titanium Knives
– Reviewed By The Fishing Gear Guru
Whether you’re cutting fillets
from your catch or chunks for bait, you need a sharp blade. One that’s
strong, too. That’s not a problem in the kitchen but on the boat, steel
knives corrode or go dull in short order. And if they don’t, it always
seems like their tips get bent or broken, when you’re trying to get through
a backbone or fish head. But, what could be better than steel? Titanium.
Unfortunately, that material costs an arm and a leg—which is why Old Harbor
Outfitters has come out with a new line of knives that are made of steel
with titanium in it—called titanium-bonded steel. When making the blades
for the Old Harbor Outfitters’ knives titanium is fused with the steel
through a heat-treatment process. Although it seemed to me like the blade
doesn’t seem to hold its sharpness as well as some, since the actual volume
of titanium is low, price can be kept low too. And although the plastic
handles are nothing fancy, they should last for eons, as will that
titanium-fused blade. The two are brought together with “full tang”
construction, which means the metal extends all the way from the tip of the
blade to the base of the handle, providing maximum durability and control.
So: just how strong are these
blades? Old Harbor Outfitters guarantees them to be three times stronger
than stainless-steel alone. Of course, we didn’t believe it until we tried
it. To test the claim I put a fillet knife in the holder on my open center
console and made sure it got a salt-spray soaking each and every fishing
trip. I didn’t rinse it off one single time, mercilessly ground the blade against
fish backbones and scales, and even pried with the tip. The knife survived
the ordeal without damage. But I didn’t think that was sufficient abuse, so
I used the knife for the worst-possible task any blade can face: opening an
oyster. Again, it came through with flying colors, earning the Old Harbor
Outfitters knife a respected place in my boat’s knife holder.
Price: $9.99 to $21.99
The Highs: Stronger then
steel.
The Lows: Not the sharpest
blade in the world.
Who Wants It: Anglers in need
of a practically indestructible
|
