Rapala R12 vs Bubba LithiumElectric fillet knives powered by batteries are essential fishing accessories, with Bubba and Rapala being two of the most prominent brands. As an owner of both, I frequently use them at home and on fishing trips. Given their similar pricing and features, choosing between these top brands requires careful thought. To assist you in making an informed decision, I compared the Rapala R12 vs Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife.
Rapala R12 vs. Bubba Lithium: Battery Life
The Bubba and Rapala battery-powered fillet knives can clean dozens of fish without needing a battery change. On paper, the Bubba appears to have a longer-lasting lithium battery, rated at 3.2 Ah, compared to the Rapala R12’s 2 Ah battery. However, I wanted to verify if these specifications held true in practice. To determine how long each battery would last, I turned on both knives and timed their operation until they stopped. With a fully charged 3.2 Ah battery (without cutting through fish flesh and bone), the Bubba lasted for 2 hours and 16 minutes, whereas the Rapala R12 lasted for 1 hour and 52 minutes. This showed that the Bubba underperformed according to its amp-hour rating, while the Rapala performed as expected based on its specifications.
While cleaning three limits of walleyes (18) and crappies (30) with each knife, I never ran out of battery power. This was also true during a late May trip to Devils Lake, North Dakota, where I kept a two-day possession limit of walleyes (10) and a one-day limit of white bass (20). It’s worth noting that both the Bubba and Rapala R12 come with two batteries each, so if one battery runs out, a fully charged spare is readily available.
Ergonomics and Overall Design
The Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife is designed for a perfect fit in your hand, featuring a non-slip grip handle that’s easy to hold even when coated in fish slime. A standout feature of the Bubba Lithium Ion Fillet Knife is its trigger guard, which helps prevent finger injuries if the knife slips, along with a safety lock for added protection.
Similarly, the Rapala R12 fits comfortably in the hand but lacks a trigger guard, a feature I hope Rapala includes in the next generation. However, the Rapala knife does have a lock button to prevent accidentally engaging the blades before you’re ready to fillet, which is a nice safety feature
Blade Choices
Both the Bubba and Rapala blades consist of two interlocking blades with notches and knobs, forming a single mechanized, serrated surface. Neither blade is smooth; both feature small teeth that cut through skin, bone, and flesh.
When it comes to included blade options, the Bubba outshines the Rapala. The Bubba offers four different blade styles: a 7-inch, a 9-inch E-FLEX, a 9-inch E-STIFF, and a 12-inch blade. The E-STIFF blades embody Bubba’s renowned tapered flex fillet knives. These blades are made of high-carbon stainless steel and coated with titanium nitride, making them highly corrosion-resistant—ideal for saltwater use. For those who fish in saltwater more than freshwater, the Bubba is likely the better choice due to its 12-inch blade for filleting larger fish. While the Rapala R12 can accept longer blades, it doesn’t include them in the retail kit; they must be purchased separately. The Rapala R12 includes two blades: a 6-inch option ideal for cleaning panfish and smaller species, and a 7.5-inch blade, both featuring a PTFE coating, which is essentially Teflon.
One advantage of the Bubba over the Rapala is that the Bubba 7-inch and 9-inch E-FLEX blades offer more flexibility. However, this is a matter of personal preference: some anglers prefer more flexible blades, while others prefer stiffer ones. Personally, I find that a blade with more flexibility makes it easier to cut the rib cages out of fillets, as you need to slightly turn up the blade to remove only skin and bone. This aspect of filleting was easier with Bubba’s 7- and 9-inch E-FLEX blades, particularly when cleaning walleyes in Minnesota and North Dakota.
A practical solution is to have one angler use a Bubba or Rapala cordless fillet knife to cut the fillets off the fish, while another angler removes the rib cages with another electric knife or a standard, fixed blade. Then, they can remove the skin and “zipper” the fillets.
I didn’t find the Bubba’s 7-inch blade as effective for crappie, sunfish, perch, or white bass compared to the 6-inch blade in the Rapala R12 kit, which excels at this task. The larger teeth and wider spacing on the Bubba blade didn’t work as well for cutting through panfish meat.
To make the Bubba a better panfish knife, you can purchase a set of 7-inch Mr. Twister blades, designed for cleaning panfish, that fit perfectly into the Bubba handle slots. However, in my experience, the 7-inch Mr. Twister blades don’t perform as well as the 6-inch Rapala R12 blade, a conclusion I reached after cleaning numerous crappies and white bass last month.
Operational Torque
High school physics teaches us that torque is the rate of change of angular momentum applied to an isolated body. In an electric fillet knife, this translates to the speed and power with which the motor drives the blades through the skin, flesh, and bone of a fish.
The Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Fillet Knife Combo is the clear winner when it comes to torque. It has significantly more torque, making it easier to cut through skin, bone, and flesh compared to the Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife. Bones posed little to no obstacle, making the entire filleting process quicker and easier.
Three of us tested both the Rapala R12 and the Bubba on walleyes up to 22 inches long. My friend Alan, an avid outdoorsman in his late 70s who cleans a lot of fish, observed that the Rapala had more torque and power than the Bubba. This power made it easier to cut through the larger bones of pike and the rib cages of 20–22-inch walleyes. I found the same to be true. Personally, if I were taking a saltwater fishing trip, I would invest in a set of longer, 9-inch Rapala blades.
Additional Features and Warranty
For convenience, both the Bubba and Rapala fillet knives have on-board LED power gauges to monitor battery status. A standout feature of the Rapala R12 is its built-in LED light, which is great for filleting in low-light conditions—a smart and practical design. Even in areas with overhead lighting, I found the onboard LED light to be quite helpful.
Regarding warranties, the Rapala R12 comes with a two-year warranty. However, the limited lifetime warranty included with the Bubba Lithium Ion states that “Bubba Blade will repair or replace with a new item (at their option).”
Electric vs. Non-Electric Fillet Knife
For years, I cleaned fish with the original wood-handled Rapala Fillet Knives passed down from my father and uncles. For over three decades, I used the “Canadian Method” to clean 90 percent of my fish. This method involves following the backbone down in one smooth motion, eliminating the need to cut out the ribs separately. Then, you place the knife under the skin at the tail, pull the skin back while sliding the knife under the meat, and remove the skin. The final steps are “zippering” the fillets and packaging them appropriately for transport.
I tried many different electric fillet knives over the years, but none impressed me. Consequently, I stuck to my non-electric, fixed-blade knives until Northern Minnesota guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl demonstrated how quickly and precisely he could fillet four limits of walleyes with a Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife.
Of course, there were a few extra steps: first, cutting off each fillet with the rib cages intact, then removing the rib cages and skin, and finally “zippering” the fillets to remove the walleyes’ tiny y-bones. The advantage of Bro’s system is that, when fishing with many anglers, you can process a lot of fish quickly with an electric knife. Another angler (or anglers) can then remove the rib cages, skin, and zipper the fillets for rinsing and packaging according to state or provincial regulations for transport.
As soon as I got home, I ordered a Bubba like Bro’s and used it until the end of this past winter. Then I picked up a Rapala R12, which trusted anglers had told me was even better than the Bubba.
Bubba vs. Rapala R12: The Bottom Line
Here’s the final verdict on the Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife and the Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Fillet Knife Combo: both are excellent cordless fillet knives, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Best All Water: Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife
Ergonomic trigger with safety guard
Includes four blades
LED battery life indicator
8.5-inch handle with a non-slip contoured grip
Limited lifetime warranty
- I recommend the Bubba Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Fillet Knife if you’re looking for a versatile knife that can handle both freshwater and saltwater species. With a slightly lower cost (MSRP: $189.99) and four blades included compared to the two in the Rapala R12 kit, the Bubba offers great value. Personally, I prefer the flexibility of the Bubba blades over the Rapala, although they may not be ideal for filleting smaller fish like crappies, perch, and bluegills due to their larger teeth and spacing.
- While the Bubba may be slower and have less torque than the Rapala R12, its longer blade kit makes it excellent for saltwater and larger freshwater fish. I’ve owned my Bubba since the winter of 2020, and it still performs as well as the day I bought it. Plus, the Bubba warranty ensures a free replacement if anything goes wrong.
- I’d also like to mention that the Bubba served as an excellent turkey carving knife with its 12-inch blade last Thanksgiving. Similarly, I used the Rapala R12 to carve a 15-pound ham on Easter, and it also did an outstanding job.
Best Choice for Freshwater: Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Fillet Knife Combo
Two PTFE-coated blades, 6 and 7.5 inches
Includes two batteries
Rapidly charge on its base with a battery that fully charges in just 1 hour.
LED light for filleting in low-light conditions
Two-year warranty
On-board LED power gauge to monitor battery status
- If you’re seeking the ultimate all-around cordless freshwater fillet knife, equipped with blades for everything from panfish to walleyes and pike, then the Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Fillet Knife Combo gets my vote. Moreover, if you’re looking to invest in the most powerful and fastest cordless knife on the market, my experience suggests that the Rapala R12 is your top choice. Although it might come at a slightly higher price than the Bubba Lithium Ion, and you may need to invest in extra blades for larger fish, it offers the highest torque and effortlessly cuts through freshwater fish.
- Another impressive aspect of investing in the Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Fillet Knife Combo is that you’re entering into a system of Rapala products all utilizing the same R12 battery, akin to the fishing equivalent of Milwaukee Tools and their array of problem-solving products.
- For instance, the same Rapala R12 lithium battery powering the fillet knife also operates a convenient aerator with up to 35 hours of runtime. I’ve been using one for approximately six months to keep minnows lively during fishing trips. Bid farewell to costly D batteries once and for all.
- Additionally, a Rapala R12 battery also fuels a practical spot-light lantern for night fishing, camping, and more. I anticipate seeing even more R12 products emerge in the upcoming year. That being said, I’m exceedingly pleased with my decision to give the Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Fillet Knife Combo a try.