# Oyster/Shucking knife



## smilesenpai (Aug 26, 2013)

Yo!

Any one have a site where I can get the a knife that is a bit more special than the norm and about $75.

Cheers.


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## Baby Huey (Aug 26, 2013)

Wusthof has one in that price range, the rest I have seen have been well above/below the $75.00 mark.


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## snipes (Aug 26, 2013)

Check out Blood Root blades. I believe the price is higher than $75, but they sure do look cool.


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## brainsausage (Aug 26, 2013)

What style are you looking for?


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## jai (Aug 26, 2013)

i shuck hundreds of oyster per day, the place im working has 16 varieties on hand at a time. and i reccomend a long thin but strong shuck not one of those wide flat ones. you can disconnect them much faster with the long shucks


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## brainsausage (Aug 26, 2013)

^what he said.


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## franzb69 (Aug 26, 2013)

hey jai, what's a good brand for pro use then?


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## Keith Sinclair (Aug 27, 2013)

Jai what are some of the types you shuck?I like the New Zeland oysters,they are small & sweet.Any particular brand of your favorite shucker?


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## Chef Niloc (Aug 27, 2013)

I did a oyster knife study and review a few years ago. I got my hands on every knife I could find, Commercial, custom and vintage antique. I can say all the commercial knives now made are worse then ever! The good old dexters switch to some odd type of Metal that's week as hell breaks into grainy pieces, I don't think it's even steel? 







I like the old iron ones you can find on ebay. The are all mostly hand made by men who opened oysters all day every day, So it's no surprise they work well and vintage tools are always kind of cool to use, At Least I think so.






By far the best oyster knife I tested and would highly recommend (though over $75, almost 200.00) is the ones made by Bob Cummings. I can never keep the rules here straight in my head so I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link but Arizona custom knife usually will have some and Bob is. Easy enough to get in touch with and very easy to work with, good turn around time as well. Is design is very effective, it's great in the hand and is not as likely as some designs to give yourself stigmata if you slip. I've been using one for years now, Opened tens of thousands of oysters with it, hell when i ran "Louies Oyster Bar" in port washington ( those that know the place know what a monster it is), we would go threw 2-3k of oysters a day just for happy hour. the knife has never chipped, still looks almost new.


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## cookinstuff (Aug 27, 2013)

I don't have a site, but you should look at the victorinox 4" boston style, that's a good working one that I keep in my kit for lending out, so I'd buy something that's blade looks like that one. I use a Roger Orfevre that is very similar, but has a nice wooden handle with brass rivets and bolster, not sure where you would fine one. I just scoured amazon and couldn't find it, but there was a poster with it on it next to some oysters, very strange. I got mine at E. Dehillerin. There are some decent looking ones, but nothing 'fancy' on amazon, and honestly, any fancy ones I see are in the wide blade hand guard style, which trust me, you don't want no matter how cool they look, I've never encountered an oyster that I would use one of those on, and I've shucked my share.


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## cookinstuff (Aug 27, 2013)

hmmm, now that's an interesting style I have never tried, would love to give that one a shot. I also like the vintage ones, looking at the knives on your bench, I have the one thats very similar to your l'econome, as well as the white rubbery handled ones, I personally like that style. Works great for all types of oysters.


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## Chef Niloc (Aug 27, 2013)

cookinstuff said:


> hmmm, now that's an interesting style I have never tried, would love to give that one a shot. I also like the vintage ones, looking at the knives on your bench, I have the one thats very similar to your l'econome, as well as the white rubbery handled ones, I personally like that style. Works great for all types of oysters.


The l'econome SUCKS it bent on me the 1st day. I lie the bent tip white dexter design as well but as I sad before unless you get some "old stock" they brake to easy. I asked Butch to make me one like it but never herd back from him about it, to ad I know butch would make a good one.


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## cookinstuff (Aug 27, 2013)

hehe, I have a good one, my oyster shuckers have been rolling strong, just so you know I have been staring at the last shucker in stock from Bob, still wondering how the wide tip would do. We can get some very small oysters.


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## Chef Niloc (Aug 27, 2013)

cookinstuff said:


> hehe, I have a good one, my oyster shuckers have been rolling strong, just so you know I have been staring at the last shucker in stock from Bob, still wondering how the wide tip would do. We can get some very small oysters.



He makes a longer thiner one too. If you go threw his web sight he will custom one to your liking. The short wide one in my pic works fine with small ones, but the thiner one is a little better. However I like the shorter knife do to hand/ palm placement. I open free hand I.E. oyster in my left hand not on a table. I like the knife tip to come about a inch in front of my extended index finger with the handle fit snug in my palm. I got the one in the pic from Arizona, I have since had Bob make me a thiner one.


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## JCHine (Aug 27, 2013)

> The l'econome SUCKS



+1 on that mine bent on the second oyster. The wusty is a bit cumbersome IMHO the angle on the blade is too steep. My favourite is a carbon steel clam knife that looks like a shim; got it years ago in Little Italy in NYC from the old hardware store that seemed to play Mussolini speeches every weekend over their PA.


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## Keith Sinclair (Aug 27, 2013)

cookinstuff said:


> I don't have a site, but you should look at the victorinox 4" boston style, that's a good working one that I keep in my kit for lending out, so I'd buy something that's blade looks like that one. I use a Roger Orfevre that is very similar, but has a nice wooden handle with brass rivets and bolster, not sure where you would fine one. I just scoured amazon and couldn't find it, but there was a poster with it on it next to some oysters, very strange. I got mine at E. Dehillerin. There are some decent looking ones, but nothing 'fancy' on amazon, and honestly, any fancy ones I see are in the wide blade hand guard style, which trust me, you don't want no matter how cool they look, I've never encountered an oyster that I would use one of those on, and I've shucked my share.



When I was shucking used the old Dexters,as Chef Niloc said steel is junk now,alot of brand names have gone to China & the steel suffers.Same wt. Ice Cream scoops.I ended going on E-Bay for older scoops so my front line pantry lady would not go nuts.

Those red handle Victorinox look pretty good,how was your experience wt. the 4" Boston style?


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## jai (Aug 27, 2013)

honestly we just use ****** shucks that are worth 2.95 we have like 30 at work and when they break we buy more


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## jai (Aug 27, 2013)

ill name some oysters we work with. moonlight ensurface, claire delune , moonlight kiss ,label rouge , rusty wire, moonlight angasi ,pambula angasi , coffinbay angasi , merimbula angasi, pambula rock ,merimbula rock , port stevens, wonboyn rock , wapengo rock , wagonga rock, coffin bay pacific , kangaroo island pacif , smokey bay pacific , lemon tree pacific. theres more than that but we normally run with 14-16 varieties.


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## cookinstuff (Aug 27, 2013)

the 4" boston style works well, as niloc said though, the shorter the blade the less likely stigmata. I haven't broken my victorinox, it's done a few thousand, but not 10,000, I don't work in an oyster bar anymore. When I was a teenager I worked in a few oyster bars, and we used from what I remember the white handled ones pictured, which are basically the same, maybe that's why I like the shape just because I learned using that style shucking bigass malpeques. I feel a short thin custom is in order from Bob, I like the look of the handle, should be real comfortable. Although I don't shuck oysters like I used to, there is always the rare occasion, I got in a case of Pickle Points this past weekend for a guy's birthday so you never know.


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## shaneg (Aug 31, 2013)

Here in nz we have our bluff oyster, which is a dredge oyster, quite nice but a short season.
Anyway they have an oyster opening competition which was won by the same guy 7 years in a row, something like 50 in under 3 minutes.
He has designed his own knife, the handle is shaped like a gun so to speak, i managed to get one he had made, its awesome, the leverage you can get makes it easy to open.
You can see its shape below


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## statusquo (Sep 1, 2013)

Anyone have any experience with this type of shucker?

http://www.georgiaoysterknife.com/P...Id/1/LId/0/Original-Georgia-Oyster-Knife.html


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## Chef Niloc (Sep 2, 2013)

statusquo said:


> Anyone have any experience with this type of shucker?
> 
> http://www.georgiaoysterknife.com/P...Id/1/LId/0/Original-Georgia-Oyster-Knife.html



I have one like it, works good, I like the antique look to them. This one is made by Carolinashuckers,





as I sad its a good knife but these guys make one better, I like this one the best from the knives they make


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## Stumblinman (Sep 2, 2013)

Built in bottle opener.... mmmmm nothing like a little oyster juice to go with my beer.


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## GlassEye (Sep 2, 2013)

Stumblinman said:


> Built in bottle opener.... mmmmm nothing like a little oyster juice to go with my beer.



You have just awoken a strong craving for a lots of oysters and beer.


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## smilesenpai (Sep 2, 2013)

Prices are either high and pretty or low and simple.

Thanks for you input.


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## smilesenpai (Sep 2, 2013)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-ant...098?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item20d74df5c2

How much do you think this is worth?


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## Gravy Power (Sep 2, 2013)

smilesenpai said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-ant...098?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item20d74df5c2
> 
> How much do you think this is worth?



I have no clue but it looks like it would look awesome in a rehandle!


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## Stumblinman (Sep 2, 2013)

That ebay thing looks more like an eraser. I have an old Sab one that looks similar.


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## Keith Sinclair (Sep 2, 2013)

shaneg said:


> Here in nz we have our bluff oyster, which is a dredge oyster, quite nice but a short season.
> Anyway they have an oyster opening competition which was won by the same guy 7 years in a row, something like 50 in under 3 minutes.
> He has designed his own knife, the handle is shaped like a gun so to speak, i managed to get one he had made, its awesome, the leverage you can get makes it easy to open.
> You can see its shape below



Now that is creative thinking with Oyster shucking, break out the Steinlager


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## Ring909 (Sep 2, 2013)

This pistol grip oyster shucking knife was designed by and is used by former world oyster chmpion and Guinness record older (38 in 1 minute) Patrick McMurry of Starfish in Toronto. 
http://www.shuckerpaddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ShuckerPaddy-Gear-Sales-Page1.jpg


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## docjavadude (Sep 4, 2013)

I'm very interested in the OP's question about finding a nice, fairly inexpensive shucking knife. My drawer is filled with cheap ones (like Oxo or whatever else my fish monger had in a bucket by the cash register), but I'd love to upgrade. The Victorinox was suggested. One of the posts showed a nice set of 8 or 12 shuckers (wouldn't the guests be impressed?!?). But beyond the collectables and the oddities, what would you recommend for good, long, thin, oyster shucking knives?


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## Keith Sinclair (Sep 4, 2013)

Ring909 said:


> This pistol grip oyster shucking knife was designed by and is used by former world oyster chmpion and Guinness record older (38 in 1 minute) Patrick McMurry of Starfish in Toronto.
> http://www.shuckerpaddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ShuckerPaddy-Gear-Sales-Page1.jpg



I know cracking large oysters takes a bit of tork with a small knife.Who can argue with that 38 pistol grip setting Canadian & American records.30 CDN Bucks:gunner:


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## Jbone (Sep 5, 2013)

i use this shucker every day at work and i love it


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## mpukas (Sep 24, 2013)

This one - from Le Creuset - just popped up in my inbox


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## Gravy Power (Sep 28, 2013)

Chef Niloc would you have any interest on parting with one of the old vintage ones?


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