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Any love for serrations?

EMT_Lee

EMT_Lee

Joined
Feb 6, 2009
Messages
2,281
I recently got a fully serrated Spyderco Endura and I've been trying it out. And, I've got to say, I really like the serrated edge. :o I find it actually cuts as well as my plain edge knives on most things, and better on some things. So, why is there not much love for serrated edges around here?

Thus far, I've found it capable of fuzz sticks, notch making, putting a point on sticks for spits/stakes. It also flies through rope and meat like they are butter. Granted, I'm not going to stop taking my BK7 camping with me, but I think I've found a love for the spyderedge when it comes to hiking and light-weight woodsbumming.

Any other closet-serration lovers?
 
For many years I used the Spyderco serrated edge on a Delica and it worked great. I cut a lot of rope on the farm and I also love it for that.
 
i just can't sharpen them on stones. so i don't bother with them. if i could sharpen them on a stone as easily as i find sharpening a plain edge then i WOULD likely edc a folder with a serrated blade (as well as a plain edge blade.)
they are very handy for a lot of general tasks, but i avoid them, for that reason.
 
I don't mine serrations on my pacific salt model, it helps when bar-b-q'ing on the beach. Keeps on cutting and never rusts :D

As for my EDC, I prefer plain edge, but combo is fine as long as the serrations don't eat up too much of the blade: example, 1/3 serrations and 2/3 plain edge.
 
Some time I'm gonna get a Spyderco Byrd Wings.
It's got two blades, one PE, one serrated.
That would make a pretty sweet EDC I think.
 
How do you plan on keeping it sharp in the outdoors?

Using a new serrated knife to play around with might be fine, but how do you keep the edge maintained if this is a work knife?
 
i don't necessarily dislike serrations, i just don't care much for fully serrated knives... i don't think that knives are meant to be fully serrated...my EDC Benchmade mini-griptillian is partially serrated and it works for me, for general day to day use.... i use the serrations fairly often..
when i used to do a lot of ropes work, i always had a fully serrated knife on me at all times... it was usually a Spyderco rescue knife clipped/tethered to my harness....
 
CWL said:
How do you plan on keeping it sharp in the outdoors?

Using a new serrated knife to play around with might be fine, but how do you keep the edge maintained if this is a work knife?
Click to expand...

You see this type of question put up often, or something similar. In all honesty, how often do you "field sharpen" your knives? I've been on pretty long treks and outings, and never once have I needed to sharpen a knife while out. People prefer certain steels, or dislike others, and they tout "easy to field sharpen" or "hard to maintain in the field" as their selling points. I find it irrelevant.

However, if worse came to worse, I do have a small diamond rod that I can easily throw in a pack that would maintain a serrated edge quite easily.
 
CWL said:
How do you plan on keeping it sharp in the outdoors?

Using a new serrated knife to play around with might be fine, but how do you keep the edge maintained if this is a work knife?
Click to expand...

serrations are fairly easy to maintain.. you could just give the back portion/non-serrated side a few swipes with a stone or rod, and it touches up pretty fast... even the bottom(non glazed) of a ceramic coffee mug will work... i also have a cool diamond rod that tapers down to a point, it works great for sharpening serrations....
 
I like them; but can't sharpen them worth a damn. I've never done any in the field sharpening, so that's not the issue. I don't like not being able to maintain my equipment, so serrated knives are typically not on my list of preferable gear. I do carry a ZDP Delica 4 with partial serrations; one day I'll have to send it to someone to have the serrations sharpened.

I think they're great for emergency situations where you need to cut something fast.
 
CWL said:
How do you plan on keeping it sharp in the outdoors?

Using a new serrated knife to play around with might be fine, but how do you keep the edge maintained if this is a work knife?
Click to expand...

Small ceramic rod works well.:thumbup:
Quite easy once you get the hang of it.
 
I like fully serrated but find it best suited for cutting fibrous materials. Certainly you can cut notches with them, but I don't think as well. For example, I don't thing you can make slip stick traps as nicely with a serrated where you want to smooth the locking joint between the two sticks.

The other thing I don't like is that it is hard to tell how sharp a serrated knife is. I mean with a plain edge, you sort of lightly brush the edge with your fingertips and get a feeling for sharpness, or clear the hair on your arm. There isn't any real need to be checking sharpness all the time on your knife, but I do it often enough because I ultimately admire a sharp knife. With serrated, its hard to judge sharpness apart from the serrations grabbing you.

Aesthetically, I like the look of plain edge better. I would never buy a good lucking serrated bushcrafter knife. It just wouldn't look good (to me). I think if you find that your serrated endura works for you as a bush tool then go ahead and carry it. The truth is a my SAK will work for many purposes of a bushy tool, but it has never stopped me from carrying 2 other fixed blades and using them to death.

The spyderco sharpmaker is perfectly suited to sharpening serrated knives. Like Lee, I find that I rarely need to touch up or field sharpen a knife so ability to sharpen in the field isn't something I really think about too much. If my using knife gets dull out there, I grab the other blade that I'm always packing and use it. Also the one huge advantage of serrated knives is that they take a lot longer to dull where usability is affected. This one reason why serrated blades are so widely popular to the masses (think Guinsu kitchen knives here with the guy screaming - they never get dull). Well they do get dull, but it takes a long time to do so.
 
Nope, I openly hate them! They do one thing well and hinder many forms of other work. Pain in the balls. Also I don't enjoy maintaining them, and they're usually (always?) chisel-ground. No thanks.

An edge with proper geometry that's sharp (well maintained) will do just as well.

But that's for me, I'll never in a million years decry what someone else uses. If it works for you, power to ya!
 
For me it depends where I'm taking it. At work, I like a combo edge BM Nitrous Stryker or Rukus and they work fine for me as do-all beater blades.
In the woods I don't want anything to do with a serrated blade. You obviosly can't carve and notch well with them and they chip easy.

When I think serrations, I think of a Marlin Spike knife. Spike and blade with combo edge for use on a boat for cutting line and loosening knots. Also I can see Emergency or LE folks wanting a full serration for cutting belts.

There's a tool for every job, choose the appropriate one.
 
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I don't like serrations...Just like I don't like leopard print leotards. They don't really fit my applications or style preferences.

Difficulty in sharpening (field or otherwise) is a major point for me...

I also avoid serrated knives for the same reason I avoid plain edge knives with dings in the blade: They leave ridges in a piece of wood that I cut with the knife. When I cut wood, I want a buttery smooth plane left behind, not a mini landscape. Just the way I use my knives.

As others have said, by no means let my opinion alter yours, unless you are somehow compelled by my logic.

Enjoy the new knife!
 
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