advice on edge type needed

D

Dries_Lee

Joined
Sep 18, 2006
Messages
5
Hi,

I'm planning to buy a Delica for my backpacking trips. I chose this knife because it's sturdy and easily replaced when lost. But I am wondering what type of edge I should choose.
The knife will be used for food preparation, cutting cord, wood, cardboard and plastic. Because of that I figured it should be good at both slicing and push cutting.

Should I go for a plain edge, spyderedge, or have I just answered my own question and should it be a combination edge?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Dries
 
There are three possibilities here, and you are likely to get at least twice as many different answers.
Personally, I am of the opinion that a plain edge can do all of the things that a serrated edge can do, so I'd recommend the plain edge. I have found that the spyderco fine sharpening rods put a very good general purpose edge on knives, as it is fine enough to be pushed through things but is toothy enough to have some bite to it. If you expect more rugged situations, then the medium rod will give you a much toothier edge that may suit you better. You can also go back and forth between different types of edges based on the type of cutting you expect to do — for example, you may want to use a really toothy edge for camping, then a finer edge for city (or wherever) carry.

- Chris
 
Plain edges are my favorite. Easy to maintain, cut well and look good too. If I really need a serrated knife then the job at hand requires a saw.
 
This is totally a matter of personal preference. I personally prefer a plain edge for all of my knives. Ostensibly it's because plain edge is easier to sharpen. But the real reason is for looks. I like the simplicity of line in a plain edge more. Serrated blades look fussier, more "tactical" to me, and I'm not into that. Delicas and Enduras look good in all three combinations- the Delica/Endura is one of the very few knives that actually look better with a serrated blade. (especially the Endura) Cutting wise, I can't tell much of a practical difference, beyond the plain edge gives a smoother cut, "spyder-edge" gives a more aggressive, jagged cut. The points on a serration do tend to help get a cut started in some materials. Eventually, you should get knives with all three options to see what you prefer.
 
Start with the plain edge, the SE is more specialized. I have more than a dozen Spydies, a good 80% are plain edge. The other 20% are full serrated or combo edge. Although I enjoy and use all blade styles, plain edge just makes more sense most of the time.
 
The plain edge would be easier to sharpen out in the wilds. I never buy serrated they are a pain to sharpen at least in my case.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with either a plain edge or a Spyder-edge. Yes the plain edge is a bit easier to sharpen as the one brother mentioned. But keep in mind that Spyderco's serrations very rarely need sharpening.

I carry a Spyderco C-44 big Dyad. Which I am super proud of. I even have 3 more of them for back up units ;) . It is a double bladed knife with one plain edge and one fully serrated edge. I have only sharpened the serrated edge on my Dyad twice in the last 20 months. And I do use it regularly.

For a back packing/camping knife I think that the Delica would serve you well but don't automatically dismiss a fully serrated edge. Spyderco's serrations are some of the very best. If you do take a plain edged Delica then you really should also take a Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker along to keep it sharp.
 
plain edge. I've been in your shoes. I would only go spyderedge for a knife that is kept strictly for specific purposes - say, rescue-oriented work (like on my PFD) or SD (but I don't use my knives for SD) or if you want a knife in a bug-out bag and don't want to sharpen it for a long time.

a sharpmaker 204 may be difficult to bring out to the field...but you can easily just a get a round or oval ceramic stick which will do the same thing...they probably cost like 10-20 only.
 
redhawk44p said:
The plain edge would be easier to sharpen out in the wilds.
Click to expand...

redhawk, I agree the SE requires more specialized tools, although one can argue that all you need to do is bring along a stick from the sharpmaker and that's all you need for the SE. But, more importantly, I think for most of us it is unlikely that in the course of a few day camping trip, we'd need to resharpen a serrated blade.

All of that said, I'm with you and the rest that PE is the way to go. Most woodworking and food prep, and plastic cutting for that matter, work way better with a plain edge. Generally light cordage is easy to cut with a plain edge, despite any theoretical advantage of SE, and by roughing up the plain edge it will significantly close the gap.
 
JD Spydo said:
If you do take a plain edged Delica then you really should also take a Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker along to keep it sharp.
Click to expand...

Man, how much cutting do you do on your typical backpacking trips!? The longest I've even packpacked was for about 18 days straight and all I had with me was a SAK. By the end of that trip I was noticing it wasn't as sharp as I'd like, but I doubt a non "knife person" would have noticed. Given that, I can't imagine dulling a VG-10 blade on a normal trip.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Sharpmaker and think it's an outstanding product. Just not something I'd consider toting along in my backpack.
 
I agree with MNBlade. I like to sharpen knives but unless you are going to whittle or skin animals or something like that I doubt you will have to sharpen any Spyderco that was sharp to begin with. I was in Boy Scouts and most of them were able to go 1-2 years without sharpening their knife and that was not nearly as good of steel.

To your question.....I prefer straight edge. I feel that it gives a "straighter?" cut and it has always worked great for me.
 
Thank you all for your advice. I've settled for PE, although I'm not going to buy a Delica just yet. First I have to test my Caly3 in EDC. :) If I find that knive too precious to ruin in the backcountry, I'll buy a Delica (or Endura...)

Anyway, thanks again.
Bye,

Dries
 
Good decision, although I would consider buying both. PE for general use and SE for tricky stuff. Cheap, doesn't take up much weight and means you have a spare if you lose one.

IMHO combo edges are more of a compromise than a synergy.
 
Good choice man, if the money permits you should just pick up a SE and PE. Can't go wrong with two ;)

SS
 
PE will do better with woodworking and a lot of food prep. But the SE will continue to cut and will sustain less damage from heavy use, and will cut abrasives faster and easier.
 
The way I see it, I don't really give a rat's behind how straight my cut is while backpacking. IMO the SE can go longer without sharpening so seems like a good idea for backpacking, since I don't care to pack a stone around for any potential sharpening.
 
In general, I prefer the plain edge for just about everything.

But I love the SE on my Military. That knife is able to do things in the outdoors that I don't believe a plain edge knife could do. The "folding chain saw" is an excellent nickname.

And I'm always telling people not to buy a combo edge. There is one exception in my case. I have a combo edge Tim Wegner full size. That is my deer hunting knife. Lots of edge for 95% of the work. And that little serrated section helps me saw through the pelvic arch. I could take a small ax or something. But I've found the combo edge can do the job if you take your time.

Gregg
 
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