Gerber Controller Fillet Knife

   Since this thread has been hijacked by sharpening...smile...I have to mention...the most dangerous knife is a dull one. You have to use too much pressure to cut and that reduces your control over where the blade will go. I have the scar to prove it. However you get a knife sharp is good. Don't use a dull one.
   "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening," by John Juranitch is a great investment if you want to know more about sharpening knives (and all tools). He uses no water or oil, only sharpens dry, so some will shrink back in horror.  When I learned from him 40 years ago how to put a shaving edge on a Barlow knife sharpened on sandpaper I became a convert.
   The metallurgy of steel is key to a good knife. The safety knife on my PFD is a small Rapala. Its steel is soft, easy to sharpen, crappy at holding an edge. OK for its intended use and not much more. Buy a fillet knife with good steel and with care it will serve for a lifetime, whether you sharpen it or get someone else to.
   Lansky sharpeners suffer from being flimsy. You can't put much pressure on the jig. If you are judicious about the pressure applied, though, one of those works a lot better than freehand.
    Someone suggested a Work Sharp (around $70). It's good, quick, and relatively easy to use. Following Juranitch's technique of sharpening by removing the bulk of the steel quickly with coarse grit at a primary angle and finishing with finer grit at a slightly blunter angle but much less pressure permits making best use of the Work Sharp.