? for Sal: Have you considered producing a knife w/ 'symmetrical serrations'?

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VigilantGuardian

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Mar 27, 2007
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A question that has been on the back of my mind for a long time is: Why hasn't Spyderco produced a 'symmetrical Spyder-edge' (for lack of a better term)? What I mean by 'symmetrical' is a serrated edge ground on both sides, like a plain edge. The only knife company that I am familiar with who use 'symmetrical serrations' is the manufacturer of the 'Miracle Blade' Knives (the ones sold on infomercials). For those of you who are not familiar with them; Miracle Blade knives are garbage. They use 'junk steel' that rusts like crazy, cheep plastic handles, and they fall apart over a relatively short period of time.

But the thing is, they cut very, very well:confused:.

I can only attribute their cutting ability to their edge geometry and their symmetrical serrations. I believe symmetrical serrations have a number of distinct advantages over serrations ground on only one side. The most easily noticeable one is that knives with 'regular serrations' pull towards the un-ground side of the knife when cutting. (The more dull the serrations; the more the knife pulls to one side) Symmetrically serrated blades cut straight down with no effort needed to produce a strait cut (Think cutting an apple, orange, or lime). In addition, IMO symmetrical serrations are more aesthetically pleasing as well.

I imagine that it would cost more to manufacture symmetrical serrations, and would certainly be more time-consuming for the end user to sharpen. But, I think the advantages they offer would be worth the trouble.

So my question(s) for Sal are:

Have you ever considered producing a knife with a symmetrical Spyder-edge?

If so, what factors caused you to choose not to (Does another company have a patent)?

If not; Would you ever consider producing one in the future?

I am also interested to hear what other forumites think about the possibility, especially ones who are familiar with the "Miracle Blade' knives.

Thanks,

~Philip~:)
 
Well actually Sal spent a lot of time researching the issue many years ago. He came up with the Spyder edge. People have cut through steel cable with it (yes the knife was toast but it did the job). If I'm not mistaken, serrations were not much thought of before Spyderco. For those who actually like serrations, many really appreciate the Spyderedge.

http://spyderco.com/edge-u-cation/index.php?item=6

Sometimes it is hard to improve the wheel by making it rounder...
 
I believe this question has been put forward in the past as well.
If I'm not mistaken, the answer was that it would be twice the labour with no gain in performance.
 
Hi Guardian,

We made a few samples to play with a few years ago. Yes there are some advantages to double bevel serrations, but at the time, the disadvantage of serrating both sides (additional operation and greater opportunity for mis-matches + higher cost) seemed to outweigh the advantages.

The knife you mentioned is made from fairly soft steel. The plot thickens geometrically when the steel is exotic (over 1.0% carbon).

I have a Dyad, linerlock (concept model) that I carry occasionally that is made that way.

sal
 
It would be really cool to see a sprint run of Delicas ground like this. Perhaps in a cheaper, easier to grind steel like AUS 8 or 440 C with a unique FRN color?
 
Thanks for the response Sal : ) With Spyderco's history of constantly improving its products, I assumed that you had already considered the option and probably had good reason not to use it. I didn't know the proper terminology for that edge configuration, so when I tried searching the forums, I had no luck.

It seems that double bevel serrations are more advantageous in food-prep applications than in cutting the things that are traditionally cut with serrated pocket knives (ie. rope, etc.)

Although a few on this forum regularly use their folding knives for preparing food, I would imagine that most ELU's would not. Therefore, it seems that the added costs and increased likely hood for QC problems would out weigh the advantages on folding knives.

Although in Spyderco's relentless pursuit of perfection, the performance added by a double bevel serration pattern on say, a Yin II Kitchen knife could possibly outweigh the added costs.

Mmmmmm....VG-10....Ebony wood....Double bevel serrations...and Spyderco's customer service standing behind the product.... might possibly be the best production serrated kitchen knife in the world : )
 
I believe that CRK Sebenza serrations are on both sides. I like the one sided serrations. Easier to sharpen.
 
I have resisted buying a serrated-edged Spyderco because the asymmetry of the serrations grates on my sense of...symmetry. :)

I would consider a large serrated Spyderco, such as a Chinook II, if it had symmetrical serrations.
 
I really love my Spyderedge Delica and Endura. My only (fervent) wish is that the serrations were ground on the other side of the blade. As is, they would seem to favor left-handed users.
 
mnblade said:
I really love my Spyderedge Delica and Endura. My only (fervent) wish is that the serrations were ground on the other side of the blade. As is, they would seem to favor left-handed users.
Click to expand...

Exactly my main issue. LH ground serrations cutting with the right hand tends to curve itself around a cut (especially with cardboard). It's not so bad when the blade has a dramatic V grind like on the salt models, because this centers the blade some, but on fully flat ground knives like a Military, chisel ground serrations on the LH side really irk me. Especially on kitchen knives (it's impossible to cut a thin slice of chedder with a LH chisel grind); so many are on the wrong side.
 
I agree with Planterz in that the serrations appear to favor LH users. I would like to see a model (Delica?) offered with RH serrations, if only for something new and different. I believe that a flat ground knife with RH serrations could quickly become my favorite, because I have noted a few times with regular serrations that it would be easier to use with the scallops on the other side of the knife.

Sal, is it at all possible for a sprint run to happen with the serrations ground on the other side, if only to let us ELUs see the difference... and of course for you to get feedback on a possible change?

Edit: Wait, I just realized if you are trying to peel an apple and you have RH serrations they might not work as well as LH serrations... What a dilemma! Now I'm wondering what Sal had in consideration when he decided which side to grind serrations on...
 
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