128,000 Rechargeable Fishing Knives Recalled After Catching on Fire

Beware your battery powered utensils, fishermen. A type of electric fishing knife typically used to filet a fish have been catching fire instead of cutting catches. 

The company that makes the knives, Rapala, voluntarily recalled 128,000 rechargeable fillet knives after reports that batteries were overheating and catching fire, the U.S. Product Safety Commission announced on Tuesday. 

Rapala does not currently face legal action over the overheating batteries, but Top Class Actions tracks recalls because they sometimes end in class action lawsuits. 

According to the announcement, the recalled knives, which were sold at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Fleet Farm, and sporting goods stores throughout the U.S. between March 2011 and December 2018, could overheat and catch fire if chargers that weren’t from the Rapala brand were used to charge the knives. 

So far, Rapala has received 12 reports of the knives catching fire, in some instances causing property damage. As of the recall date, no injuries have been reported.

Individuals who purchased the knives with black and gray handles that have the Rapala logo printed in red on the handle, along with the word ION in white are advised to stop using their knives immediately and check the knives for a white ETL label on the battery. If there is no label present, they can reach out to Rapala for a free replacement battery and pre-paid return of the old battery to be properly thrown out. 

Consumers with questions may contact Rapala USA at 800-874-4451, by email at custserv@rapalausa.com, or online at rapala.com and click the recall button.

TCA reached out to Rapala for comment on the recall and will update the story when we hear back. 

Rapala’s fillet knives are not the first products to draw public attention over fire hazards. In November 2019, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that Michaels recalled its Bead Landing tassel keychain mobile power banks over potential fire and burn hazards.

In September 2020, the AmazonBasics charging cord was reportedly linked with a serious fire risk, which led to an investigation. 

Did you purchase the now-recalled Rapala fillet knives? Let us know in the comment section below.

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