Bushcraft/Survival knife question

Plain for me also... I never could get very good at sharpening serrated blades. Plain edge is no problem to sharpen up to a razor edge in no time.
 
CWL said:
Can't see how serrations would help if you need to work with wood.
Click to expand...

Well a serrated edge blade or partial se can make easy work of feather sticks. It can saw a notch into a fireboard. it can cut rope or vines for tying lots of things in asurvival situation. lots others too:thumbup:
 
1Tracker said:
Well a serrated edge blade or partial se can make easy work of feather sticks. It can saw a notch into a fireboard. it can cut rope or vines for tying lots of things in asurvival situation. lots others too:thumbup:
Click to expand...

??What??
Serrations are the worst type of edge for doing these things! I can do these much more efficiently with a sharp plain edge.
 
1Tracker said:
Well a serrated edge blade or partial se can make easy work of feather sticks. It can saw a notch into a fireboard. it can cut rope or vines for tying lots of things in asurvival situation. lots others too:thumbup:
Click to expand...

stingray4540 said:
??What??
Serrations are the worst type of edge for doing these things! I can do these much more efficiently with a sharp plain edge.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that, I wonder how many here have tried more then 1 or 2 times to make a fuzz stick with serrations on the knife.
The spyderco serrations might be a little over the top here but I have tried it with victorinox serrations......... and I do not find it hard to do!

When you made your first fuzz stick how many times did you try before you were satisfied ? I bet you did quit a few of them before you got the hang of it. The same thing applies to serrated knifes, you need to do it over and over for some time before you get the hang of it (Remember you have done this many many times with a plain edge and are used to how this works ).

Oh and I do like PE the best my self.

My point is ......Have YOU given a serrated edge a fair go? IE. used it as your main tool on 1 or 2 camp trips and NOT used your plain edge after the first try, because it was easier/or you were more use to it ?

That being said, I do believe that PE is the better choice for a bush craft knife.
But I would not feel severely limited with serrated knife either.
 
I prefer a plain edge yet still occassionally carry a half and half... go figure.
 
Hawkings said:
I don't know about that, I wonder how many here have tried more then 1 or 2 times to make a fuzz stick with serrations on the knife.
The spyderco serrations might be a little over the top here but I have tried it with victorinox serrations......... and I do not find it hard to do!

When you made your first fuzz stick how many times did you try before you were satisfied ? I bet you did quit a few of them before you got the hang of it. The same thing applies to serrated knifes, you need to do it over and over for some time before you get the hang of it (Remember you have done this many many times with a plain edge and are used to how this works ).

Oh and I do like PE the best my self.

My point is ......Have YOU given a serrated edge a fair go? IE. used it as your main tool on 1 or 2 camp trips and NOT used your plain edge after the first try, because it was easier/or you were more use to it ?

That being said, I do believe that PE is the better choice for a bush craft knife.
But I would not feel severely limited with serrated knife either.
Click to expand...

Thank you Hawking for reiterating my main point:thumbup: Now back to school for you Stingray:yawn:
 
Bumppo said:
Plain, if you need a rougher edge, sharpen it to a rougher edge.
Click to expand...

Huh:confused: You either have a PE or a Serratted edge friend, there is no such a thing as a 'rough edge'; dull edge yes. A 'rough edge' would just snag the heck out of material you are trying to cut. A serratted edge is actually multiple edges cutting as far as I know.
 
I was under the impression that serrated edges do just that, "snag the heck out of material you are trying to cut". I mean just looking at a serrated blade sort of gives you that impression. Yes, there are sharp edges, but they are more often than not punctuated by peaks of duller teeth. So, what you get is a cut,tear,cut,tear,et al action as you're going through the material.
Looking at a plain edge under a 100X microscope, it looks essentially the same as a serrated blade, and looking at something that has been cut by either blade will show differing degrees of a "clean cut".
Bottom line is, cutting is just separating material in such a way that you get two pieces. Whether you tear those pieces apart with large visible tears or small indistinct tears is mental masturbation.
The reason this works so well on cordage is that usually, there is no single direction grain. Think barber pole stripes. With a plain edged knife you aren't changing the "angle of attack" drastically to meet the "grain" of the cordage.
With a serrated edge, you are cutting, as well as "straightening the grain" as you pull through it, allowing the next cutting edge to make a purchase on it. Something that isn't necessary in wood, as there is generally a uniform, and unidirectional grain pattern.
Don't take my word for it though, get out a jeweler's loupe or a microscope and start examining these blades and mediums. Wood, metal, rope fibers(natural or manmade), etc.


Gautier
 
1Tracker said:
Huh:confused: You either have a PE or a Serratted edge friend, there is no such a thing as a 'rough edge'; dull edge yes. A 'rough edge' would just snag the heck out of material you are trying to cut. A serratted edge is actually multiple edges cutting as far as I know.
Click to expand...

I presume Bumppo was referring to a 'saw' type edge which can be produced by using a course stone as opposed to a fine stone.

Generally speaking, I use a course DMT diamond stone to sharpen my hunting and camping knives. It gives much more of a 'bite' than an edge sharpened with a fine stone, cuts through hair and flesh much more effective than a smooth edge.
 
Another vote for plain.

If you give a knife too many serrations, then it defeats the purpose of the plain edge of the knife, because there is not enough of it to use. If you have too little of serrations, then they aren't useful, and it defeats the purpose of having them, in addition to giving you the rear part of your plain edge. There is no middle ground with partial serrations. There are either too little or too many.
 
Plain edge for me, I was given a half and half blade as a gift and I tried it for one summer on all my camping trips. I think the knife is in one of my drawers but not sure.

For myself if I was to design a partial serated edge I would but the serrations near the tip of the blade. I think with most of the finner detail work I do with a knife, I usually do it near the base of the blade, and this is where a smooth edge really outshines the serrated edge.
Near the tip the serrations could probably be better used for cutting.
I have never handled an outdoor knife in this style so it is only my opinion based on using such things as steak knives.
 
My EDC is usually my SAK one-hand trekker. It has a combo edge that works OK, but I do hate sharpening it.

I was a suburban kid, so when I first started getting into outdoorsy stuff, there wasn't a lot of gear available to me. My Dad had a Cutco (Yes, Cutco) "hunting" knife and "fishing" knife that came with the set of kitchen knives he and Mom received as wedding presents. Both were fully serrated. Both sucked. I remember trying to filet a Crappie with that ridiculous, fat, wide saw of a knife and ending up with fish hash. The first time I tried to dress out a squirrel with the 4-or-5 inch "hunting" knife was little better. They did both have nice Thomas Lamb handles in molded Ebonite, though. :rolleyes:

The only advantages I can see for serrations, as already mentioned, are for cutting cordage. I would also add garden hose and hydraulic or air line to the list. I also think serrations are useful for defensive knives, based on nothing other than cutting myself with a variety of edges. A cut from a serrated edge bleeds at least as much as a cut from a plain edge, and darned if it doesn't sting quite a bit as well. :eek:
 
Hawkings said:
I don't know about that, I wonder how many here have tried more then 1 or 2 times to make a fuzz stick with serrations on the knife.
The spyderco serrations might be a little over the top here but I have tried it with victorinox serrations......... and I do not find it hard to do!

When you made your first fuzz stick how many times did you try before you were satisfied ? I bet you did quit a few of them before you got the hang of it. The same thing applies to serrated knifes, you need to do it over and over for some time before you get the hang of it (Remember you have done this many many times with a plain edge and are used to how this works ).

Oh and I do like PE the best my self.

My point is ......Have YOU given a serrated edge a fair go? IE. used it as your main tool on 1 or 2 camp trips and NOT used your plain edge after the first try, because it was easier/or you were more use to it ?

That being said, I do believe that PE is the better choice for a bush craft knife.
But I would not feel severely limited with serrated knife either.
Click to expand...

1Tracker said:
Thank you Hawking for reiterating my main point:thumbup: Now back to school for you Stingray:yawn:
Click to expand...


No thanks, I already went to that school and now that I'm out, I'll never go back!
Until I started on this site, the only knives I carried were serrated folders or half serrated folders. I was more familiar with doing these things with a serrated than a plain, but the first time I tried it with a nice sharp carbon plain edge, I immediately saw and felt the difference in how much easier and more efficient a sharp plain edge was. I'm not saying doing it with serrations is hard, there just not as easy or efficient as plain edge.

So much for assumptions huh?:jerkit:
 
valcas1 said:
I think that a better question is this. Other than cutting cordage, is there any benefit to carrying a serrated knife? I would like to hear form others. I can not think of any. I am wiling to learn form others experience.

Paul.
Click to expand...

Cutting all that bread you bake out in the woods?
 
I prefer a plain edge too. As for serations, I like a spyderedge for rope related rigging, Rappeling etc......
 
Definitely plain edge, although I'd pair it with a serrated edge folder if I was sailing or doing something else that involved a lot of rope, strapping, or similar material.
 
I would go plain because I can sharpen a plain edge .

I dont have anything other than that against a serrated edge .
 
I got a Gerber LMF II a month ago and so far I have not found any decent use for it, except chopping the pizza bakers finger. He needed five stitches.
If I end up in a survival situation I would pick a Fallkniven F1 or S1 anyday. They dont have any fancy gizmoes or "special effects".

So. Plaine edge enay day.
 
Serrations definitely have there uses, they are good on tactical knives, bushcraft knives IMO are better off without them. Yes you could make feather sticks and use them to saw stuff, in my experience you have to use more pressure to when cutting with serrations. Again this is all my opinion so take it for what its worth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top