What's the best flesher

I used a Dakota V Flesher when I was in school, it was easy to use & easy adjust the blade sharpness for different hides. I did purchase one for my own shop, but everyone keeps telling me to send my hides out to a tannery & have them done professionally... That might be an option for you as well.

 

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,395763.0.html

Call Dee. He will give you an honest opinion, and he has probably used more different brands of fleshers than most folks.

My opinion would be a Rawhide Pro or Taxidermy model, but good luck finding one. Unless someone dies and wills it, no one wants to part with one! (not made anymore)

 

Love my Bettcher machine for fleshing, and the Dakota V for shaving. Both make the tasks a lot easier.

 

I use a Dakota Pro and am very happy with it. Whether you send your hides off or not, it is an essential tool and incredible time saver and I will say don't go with cheaper models. Spend whatever necessary to get a good one. There are good machines that can be bought second hand at a fair price to save money, but be sure to get a good one.

 

I've been using my Dakota Pro for 10 years with no issues. Couldn't imagine life without it.

 

Doe snto matter of you have a tannery or not, you still need the machine. I have used an eager beaver since 1999.

 

Never had a problem with my Dakota Pro. I bought mine when I was doing 1 to 5 heads a year and do not regret it at all.

 

Victorinox 5" skinner with a beam for the "body" of the cape and a victorinox paring knife and my hand for the face. For me it's inexpensive and less maintenance.

 

How many of you flesh the green hide with your fleshing machine? We have a new Dakota pro at the shop I work at, but only use it for shaving hides that come out of the pickle. I hand flesh all the green capes on a beam, but I'm not exactly fast at it lol.

 

I recently started doing the initial fleshing with my Dakota Pro and like it a lot. You still have to remove the bigger chunks of meat by hand, however, it does a little cleaner job than my draw knife and beam.

 

I bought my Dakota IV in 1999. It is a decent unit and only cost $395.00 when I got it. I couldn't afford to pay more without going into debt (which I was unwilling to do at the time). I refurbished it last summer and still use it but it is slow going, especially on that lifesize bear I completed recently. Looking back I now wish I had just purchased a better unit even though it means I would have to finance it. You can't change the past and being just a hobbyist I don't know that I could justify getting another unit at this time so I invested in a pressure washer. If and when I do replace it I plan to get either a S&S or Dakota Pro.

Do yourself a favor, get a good unit to start out with so you don't have to replace it anytime soon! It is worth the wait in my opinion.

 

I recently started doing the initial fleshing with my Dakota Pro and like it a lot. You still have to remove the bigger chunks of meat by hand, however, it does a little cleaner job than my draw knife and beam.
Thanks Tanglewood, do you salt your hides first?