Customer Reviews

OXO Good Grips Oyster Knife

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

i read all the reviews before i bought this knife, some were pretty helpful and some were pretty inaccurate. For one, this knife is not for professionals. I've only learned how to shuck oysters recently. I only know one technique so far - going straight for the hinge. Just work at the hinge a few runs, and once you feel the hinge giving, slow down and ease back on the force, the gently twist and you're in. I haven't tried to slide the knife along the side of the oyster, but i suppose that would work too.

also, three comments mentioned that this knife is "wimpy," "garbage," and a "waste of time." I don't really agree with them. I've purposely tried to bend this knife. the only thing that gave is the "pop" of the oyster. It's fairly sturdy, and for under 10 dollars, i don't think I can complain.

I recommend this knife, whether amateur of not. cheers and enjoy your meals.

This is an excellent knife but not for the amateur. It is designed to open an oyster from the side by sliding it along the side groove along the top and bottom shell. By entering from the side you can cut the abductor muscle and flip the top-shell off. It is not a "top-popper" that is designed to open the oyster from the hinge. However, if you sharpen this knife it can be used for hinge-entry by moving the knife with a side-to-side motion while applying pressure, once an incision is made you can then turn your wrist while rocking and pop the hinge. In any case, shucking is an art that you develop over time. I shuck for a living and anyone (a previous reviewer) who takes 20 minutes to open 36 oysters is not a professional but is laughable. The bottom line is if you don't open oysters on a regular basis, and don't really know how to open an oyster, then get a top popper knife with a thick shaft. But if you know what you are doing or want to learn the slick and easy way to open an oyster, this knife is exceptional and I use it every day.

I own a total of three oyster knives and this one is by far the best. The tapering at the tip of this knife is the feature I like the best. Also, unlike some broad bladed knives, the narrow blade is easier to insert into the smaller, and yearling, oysters. The handle is not too thin and even allows a decent grip for my wife's smaller hands. The guard could be slightly larger but it's been good enough to save me during the occasional slip.

After reading many mixed reviews on this knife I was reconsidering whether or not to buy it. Granted...it is a very inexpensive purchase but why waste money. There is much confusion on what an oyster knife is supposed to do. Remember, it is not a pry bar. It is all about blade placement, not brute force. I have a feeling that many of the negative reviewers don't know how to properly open an oyster. Lets review:

1. Hold the oyster (rounded side on the bottom) in a kitchen towel with one hand and oyster knife (with the curve in the blade facing up) in the other. (you can stabilize it on the counter as well)
2. Find where the two halves come together on the hinged end. That is the end opposite to where you would think the oyster would "open" up. Sometimes this part can be tricky if the oyster is laden with barnacles. After a few you will be good at finding the "spot".
3. With even pressure drive the point of the knife into hinge/crack and rock it slightly (if needed) to sever the hinge. Do not let the whole knife go into the shell. You will know it when it pops.
4. Remove the point and wipe it clean on the towel (this avoids bits of shell going into the tasty part)
5. Place the tip back into the opening and work it in a sweeping motion loosening the meat from the top of the shell. It done right, as you work towards the far end, the top with pop off on its own.
6. Lastly, run the tip under the meat to release it from the bottom shell, leaving the meat and liquid in the convenient "little bowl".
7. Enjoy!

I just finished shucking over 100 oysters (Kumamoto and Miyagi) with this knife without even a hitch! My thought is....buy this knife and learn the technique. You will not be disappointed. It doesn't matter what knife you buy if you try and open it wrong...you will be frustrated.

Just a few additional comments. The handle is a good size, even for my large hands. It doesn't get slippery when wet. The curved blade is a HUGE plus.

This knife has a good grip and a good shape, but the quality of steel is very poor. After 5 dozen oysters, the tip of the knife is bent and it is very difficult to work with it now. This is not what good steel is supposed to be!

the first time this oyster knife was used it bent itself silly within 6 oysters, and it was in the hands of a 4 star chef who knew what they were doing.
dont waste your time and money...

I was a little wary ordering these knives since this was going to be our first oyster-shucking experience, and the reviews were mixed. However, the knives worked perfectly once we figured out what exactly we were supposed to be doing. The trick is to make sure you have the knife wedged in deep enough (> 1 cm) before trying to twist and pry the shells apart. We had six complete beginners shucking happily using these knives. I recommend these knives to anyone, especially since they also seem to be the cheapest ones available with free shipping.

This oyster knife by Oxo dominates all other knives I have had. I have been shucking for years, and have used everything form pocket knives, steak knives, and even butter knives (my personal favorite). Boy was I missing out for years. My wife and I shared a dozen oysters tonight to try it out and I had them open in no time at all. No fussing around, no difficult mistakes. The thing just works.

For those people who rated this knife low I have to ask, have you shucked an oyster before? It's tough no matter what you use. I'm just saying that this is the best tool for the job. If you can't do it with this you just can't do it.

It is preposterous that they would even call this thing an oyster knife. This piece of garbage was literally destroyed after opening one raw oyster. I could see that was going to happen before I even tried it. It's just a flimsy thin piece of sheet metal. Anyone who has shucked raw oysters knows how much torque it takes and how rigid the blade needs to be. Apparently these guys don't know anything about that. Shame on "OXO/Good Grips" for calling this thing an oyster knife.

If I needed an oyster knife ASAP, I think I could make do with this one if it were all I could get on short notice or one was made available to me. This is a bent-tip "New Haven" style oyster knife. It's not all that great for the most common technique of hinge-popping (inserting into the slot at the back of the hinge and breaking it open). The polished steel is pretty soft and bent on me the first time I tried using it; the bent tip has now been more or less flattened. It also showed very visible scratches the first time I used it. Similar style/sized knives include the Dexter-Russell S121 (bent) and S126 (straight) as well as the Forschner [Swiss Army Brands] 44693 (bent) or 44692 (straight). I've got the last one myself, and it barely scratches (very hard to tell against the brushed steel) and hasn't bent, unlike the Oxo knife. Dexter-Russell oyster knives are ubiquitous in oyster bars around the US.