Does Anyone Prefer Combo Edge?

[Redmasta]

I prefer plain edge just because I like the looks better. Combo edge knives work very well though, at work it's really no contest when cutting heavy plastic straps and rope. Sharpening the serrations isn't that hard on the Sharpmaker.

 

[SliCed]

I thought the same thing when I was kid. Now I'm repulsed by them. I can't find an instance when I'd ever need one. Buy a good non-serrated blade and keep it sharp. That's my mentality.

 

[m woodley]

I never cared for serrated blades but found that if I wanted to own some hard to find knives, I may have to compromise. I found a new Microtech Socom Elite black, CF, DLC blade...part serrated clip point. It looks very good on the black blade and it opens envelopes just fine. Will not be a hard use knife and I can carry daily in slacks on my office job. Would have purchased a PE over this one...wasn't an option but I am happy with it.

 

[RedLynx]

I like a good combo edge for a general use beater knife.
I was carrying a CE Stretch until I lost it likkered up riding a gator through a swamp a couple of weeks ago. Pissed me off a little bit but I'll grab another.

That sounds like quite a story there man.

 

[evltcat]

It's all personal preference. I don't like combo edges, and avoid them like the plague.

 

[cchu518]

I like a good combo edge for a general use beater knife.
I was carrying a CE Stretch until I lost it likkered up riding a gator through a swamp a couple of weeks ago. Pissed me off a little bit but I'll grab another.

Please expand on this lol!

 

[stabman]

I prefer plain edge, but have bought combo edge when that's all there was (discontinued knives, that sort of thing).
The serrated part has come in handy for "sawing" through materials that a plain edge slides off of though...no matter how sharp.

 

[Barman1]

Please expand on this lol!

Ah, upon re-reading my late night post I understand the confusion.

2 weeks ago my boss sponsored an end of season party at his cabin.
These happen every year at the same time and are freaking epic.
Anyway, at some point around 2AM or so we commandeered his Gator and loaded six of the drunkest individuals you can imagine each with some sort of bottle of booze, weapons, and whatever, and headed out into the swamp for some fun in the mud.
My Stretch was clipped onto a cargo pocket when we rolled the Gator, I think.
I looked for it the next day just because but with the massive hangover I had it was fruitless.

Hope that explains it.

The Gator.

And the Stretch.
RIP.

 

[RedLynx]

Ah, upon re-reading my late night post I understand the confusion.

2 weeks ago my boss sponsored an end of season party at his cabin.
These happen every year at the same time and are freaking epic.
Anyway, at some point around 2AM or so we commandeered his Gator and loaded six of the drunkest individuals you can imagine each with some sort of bottle of booze, weapons, and whatever, and headed out into the swamp for some fun in the mud.
My Stretch was clipped onto a cargo pocket when we rolled the Gator, I think.
I looked for it the next day just because but with the massive hangover I had it was fruitless.

Hope that explains it.

The Gator.

And the Stretch.
RIP.

Epic coolness. I thought it might be a vehicle of some kind but when wrestling one in a swamp, heck, I had to check on that. Either scenario would have made for one interesting video.

 

[Barman1]

Epic coolness. I thought it might be a vehicle of some kind but when wrestling one in a swamp, heck, I had to check on that. Either scenario would have made for one interesting video.

Oh, we've got video. But we've been sworn to keep it among ourselves.

 

[bdmicarta]

That's sort of my feeling as well, even fully serrated has its uses, but half and half just cuts the use of each in half. No pun intended.

When I discovered combo edges over 20 years ago I thought they were the best of both worlds. I bought a couple and still have them, but in all the years I carried them I don't ever recall cutting anything with the serrated part. I understand how serrations will perform some tasks batter but it seems that in a CE knife there just aren't enough serrations to do the job. I decided I should try a fully serrated blade and I ended up with a SE Ladybug and a SE Byrd Hawkbill. I was showing my daughter the Ladybug while we were in a fast food restaurant so I rolled up a paper napkin and stretched it between my hands and had her cut it with the Ladybug. Then she cut another one with her PE Tenacious. The Tenacious cut the paper napkin much faster. I really should try the experiment with the Hawkbill though. I've been trying to come up with a test I could try that would point out where the serrated edges would work the best. I could also try the test with one of my CE knives.

These days I really try to avoid buying CE knives and the only one I've bought was a Benchmade Ares that I bought because any model of Ares is hard to find.

 

[jazub]

...I've been trying to come up with a test I could try that would point out where the serrated edges would work the best...

How about this: grab some nylon rope or 2 zip ties, wet them and wet your hands, grip them in a loop and try to pull both kinds of knives through them in a single motion. Try it dry, too. I'd be interested to see if you have the same experience I have.

Kind of a particular test but basically sums up the usability benefit of CE in a working situation [for me].

 

[Josifter]

my first "good" knife was a CE benchmade barrage. when I bought it I didn't know very much about knives and I wasn't willing to spend money to buy a fully serrated knife And a plain edge knife. im in the military and I wanted 1 knife that could perform in all situations and the barrage did everything I wanted it to. I also have to say that during work and in the field I use the serrations just as much as the plain edge. I would say a combination is good for someone who doesn't want to spend money on multiple knives and/ or doesn't want to carry multiple knives. I still carry the knife sometimes but I really prefer fixed blades now adays

 

[Kels73]

I don't care for combo edge. I prefer the cutting precision of the plain-edge portion and feel that the serrations just get in the way. I also don't feel that serrations give that much of an advantage over a properly sharpened plain edge. Yes, I can cut through certain mediums more quickly with a serrated edge, but I find that I can cut through the same mediums with a plain edge plenty quick enough.

If I do believe that serrations will provide a significant advantage in a specific application, I'll get a knife that's fully serrated, and carry a second knife that's plain edge.

 

[AntDog]

Here's an experiment:

Take a razor sharp (and I mean RAZOR sharp) plain edged knife and cut something. Anything - doesn't matter what it is, and doesn't matter HOW you cut it - you can even saw back and forth at it... Now take a razor sharp CE blade and do the same thing.... What did you find out?

I've done it and what I found out is that basically "sharp is sharp". If both blades are sharp, they will cut. If you have a razor sharp plain edged knife, it will cut most anything. (You may have to saw at it, but they will cut) Rope, strapping material, cardboard - anything. Sure serrations stay sharper longer, but is it worthwhile to sacrifice half of your blade?

I cut tons of stuff 5 days a week and I've done the experiments and such. CE blades fall behind for me because of the "half n half" aspect. They rip going into the cut, then slice. Rip, slice... If you try to use the sections of the blade separately, It's harder than hell to saw something you need to rip through with that little 2 inch section of serrations. It's also harder than hell to cleanly slice something with 2 inches of plain edge.

Full serrated knives are like pocket chainsaws. They're awesome for ripping through things. Just slash stuff to pieces. Plain edge knives are great for cleanly cutting just about anything. You might have to adjust your technique to the medium, but they will cut anything. The secret is they have to be sharp! CE knives just don't do it for me. They try really hard, but excel at nothing.

 

[davey_jones]

Quite honestly not a big fan of CE anymore. My first official knife was a Benchmade Griptilian with a CE. And of course like most knives the time came for the knife to be sharpened and let me tell you...its definitely a pain in the butt to sharpen a knife with a combo.


Now I use the Wicked Edge Pro setup to sharpen all my knives now for that showroom polished look but with CE added to the mix it definitely takes more time to sharpen vs a plain edge. Plain edge vs combo? Its really personal preference.

 

[Greykilt]

A combo edge knife seems to stay on sale in the exchange far longer than a plain edge knife of the same model for the same price. That alone tells me that more members of BF prefer plain edge. I hosted a GAW where the contributors got to build the actual BenchMade Griptilian knife from their custom menu. Everyday we chose a new feature; steel, shape, scales, bolsters, screws, clip, etc. At the end we had BenchMade build it. Some choices were pretty close but edge was overwhelmingly voted on by a landslide, PLAIN.

 

[CuttingTool User]

I prefer plain edge because it's easier to sharpen.

 

[MatthewSB]

Most of the 1 line responses to this are over-simplifications.

A combo edge is half serrated and half plain. You don't need to sharpen serrations as often as you do the plain edge portion, so saying "Plain edge is easier to sharpen, and therefore better than a combo edge" is odd, the plain edge portion of the combo edge knife is just as easy to sharpen as an entire plain edge. Not only that, the flat portion of serrations sharpen just fine on a flat stone (for example on an Emerson CQC-7). Also, if your cutting involves the top inch or two of the blade, like when opening packages, a combo edge will not be noticeable. The only time I dislike a combo edge is when I'm trying to carve something, which is pretty rare, and when I'm out in the woods I have a plain edged fixed blade.

The benefit of a combo edge is that the serrations stay sharp waaaaaaaaaay longer than a plain edge (if both are made from the same steel) and they cut through fibrous materials faster.

I use both, but a combo edge rarely stops me from doing anything, and has come in handy numerous times. I prefer combo edge on my folders and plain edge on fixed blades.

 

[jmclfrsh]

I'm a combo edge guy. Was walking the dog with a very sharp PE and went to trim back a branch (about as thick as a ring finger) that was hanging over the sidewalk. Thought it would be cake. Wrong!

Ended up sawing, and sawing, was not working. And this knife shaved hair, no problem.

Next day, brought my trusty Emerson CE CQC8 with me. Got to the branch, saw marks still there. Put the serrated portion on the branch about 4" away from my other "attempted" cut. One pull, branch was severed.

That's why I'm a combo edge guy. A knife is meant to cut stuff. Serrations can mean less drama, and a job done quickly.

Clamshell plastic packaging is another issue. Plastic-welded seams can be very tough. The serrations rip right through, then the smooth PE portion opens the rest of the plastic up smoothly. Again, no drama.

So that is why I'm a combo guy. Doesn't waste time in many instances I come across in life.

Zip tie? No question, serrations blow away PE every time. Go out to the garage and try it with some zip ties and a chunk of a 2x4. Slide the blade in until the serrated portion (back side of the serrations, the flat side) is engaging the zip tie, twist the handle and "pop!" the zip tie is severed. No damage to the packaging or the item itself.

Now compare that with a PE. If it does not cut it the first time, and the knife slips out of the ziptie loop quickly off the point of the blade, anything nearby (including flesh) could get cut pretty easily.

Big difference than "pop!," job done. And that is why I'm a CE guy.