Personal Preference Question - Partial serrations or no?

S

Speedemon93

Joined
Feb 28, 2011
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13
Hello everyone;

I've long had aspirations of purchasing a Benchmade 530, but I'm not sure whether I should get one with or without serrations (partial serrations, I suppose I should clarify, at the bottom of the blade, 60% plain and 40% serrated). I know that theoretically it makes the knife more capable of cutting rope or other sorts of fabric, but that's pretty much it. I can't envision too many situations where I'd need to do those sorts of things, anyway. I'm worried about the serrations compromising the blade's cutting ability.

I would primarily be using this for everyday things, and I would probably even take it camping with me. I confess, I haven't been camping much in the past, but I have several trips planned for the future, and I'm not exactly sure what I'll be using it for. So for this: I turn to your professional opinions and preferences

So what's your suggestion/preference, maybe not just for the 530, but for any knife in general? Do you prefer partial serrations or no serrations at all?
 
Personally I prefer plain edge over serrations. This is especially true for an EDC knife. A plain edge not only works better for most everyday tasks, it's easier to sharpen and looks cleaner too (IMO).
 
Hey man, i was in your boat at one point in time... as ive learned over the years serrations help with things such as rope and fabric.. leather.. ect..ect.. things that you really need to "dig in too to cut" now for camping.. u should have alot of knives with you...

starting with a battoning blade.. (for firewood) i would advise either the ka-bar "heavy bowie" its like $50 and its amazing =D... or the BM trial master.. more expensive but also AWSOME...

then you need a smaller pocket knife for practical uses like opening and preparing food, that is were the knife your thinking about buying comes into play... i would suggest NO SERRATIONS at all... for food such as meet you dont really want serrations and your gana need to apply more force and it'll just make things messy... in my opinion unless your job gets you cutting ALOT of rope... then just go with plain edge...

P.S. plain edge's have a + side aswell as you yourself can sharpen them :)...

P.P.S. My opinion on serrations are mainly for tactical use I.E. military or law enforcement.. i myself have a few knives with serrations and dont use ANY for EDC *but if patroling while on the job* then of course i have my BM mini-reflex black on black.. with combo edge =D.. cause you can cut rope just fine with a plain edge anyhow:)... thanks for wasting your time to read my boring messege i hope it helps ;)


P>P>P>S HAVE FUN CAMPING =D!
 
Nope Love serrations and I will tell you why. I use my knives at work in daily life. I am not going into combat, and dont expect to. However I do cut a lot of Fiberous materials, like Rope, web tow lines, radiator hose, and belts. And the plain edge just wont cut it. then that same blade goes with me to my camp on the weekends and does everything fromfood prep, cleaning fish and even making marshmellow sticks for the kiddos at the campfire. I fought serr. for years, I was told by everyone in the corp they are only good for cutting BDUs and rough work, but give them a shot, you will like them.
 
I find that plain edge is better. Most of the time when i go camping I use the part of the blade closest to the handle for cutting, for example cutting wet bark off kindling, making wood shavings and making fuzz sticks. For everyday tasks I find that serrations rip and tear too much and are a pain to sharpen
 
sgt244 said:
Hey man, i was in your boat at one point in time... as ive learned over the years serrations help with things such as rope and fabric.. leather.. ect..ect.. things that you really need to "dig in too to cut" now for camping.. u should have alot of knives with you...

starting with a battoning blade.. (for firewood) i would advise either the ka-bar "heavy bowie" its like $50 and its amazing =D... or the BM trial master.. more expensive but also AWSOME...

then you need a smaller pocket knife for practical uses like opening and preparing food, that is were the knife your thinking about buying comes into play... i would suggest NO SERRATIONS at all... for food such as meet you dont really want serrations and your gana need to apply more force and it'll just make things messy... in my opinion unless your job gets you cutting ALOT of rope... then just go with plain edge...

P.S. plain edge's have a + side aswell as you yourself can sharpen them :)...

P.P.S. My opinion on serrations are mainly for tactical use I.E. military or law enforcement.. i myself have a few knives with serrations and dont use ANY for EDC *but if patroling while on the job* then of course i have my BM mini-reflex black on black.. with combo edge =D.. cause you can cut rope just fine with a plain edge anyhow:)... thanks for wasting your time to read my boring messege i hope it helps ;)


P>P>P>S HAVE FUN CAMPING =D!
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Not boring at all, very helpful, actually! I'll definitely keep those things in mind.
That Ka-Bar looks like a beast, and at first glance, it's got some great reviews.

Thanks for the suggestions!
 
I like both, and use both. The serrations have come in handy many times and was glad I had them. They both cut and work and I have no reason to complain about either. I often use the PE and serrated edge in conjuction and that works great for many things. Oh, they are not very difficult to sharpen.
 
i detest serrations and i loathe partial serrations even more than full serrations.

the only time i would consider a serrated blade is if i were doing a lot of yacht sailing or in a dedicated abseiling/vertical rescue kit.

even then, i'd most likely stick with plain blades.

serrations have their place and they have their uses. but the disadvantages of serrations (generally when it comes to sharpening) outweigh the slim advantages in my mind.
 
Let me put it this way:
All but one of my knives have plain edges, and I have never once found myself in need of serrations in the past 3 years.
 
Noctis3880 said:
Let me put it this way:
All but one of my knives have plain edges, and I have never once found myself in need of serrations in the past 3 years.
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Profound. I can't imagine a situation where I'd need them, either.

I guess based on what everyone has said I'll go with the plain edge, though I'll consider a serrated Boker Subcom of sorts in the future, should I decide it proves necessary. I have a Titan and love it, but it has a plain edge.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, everyone.
 
I prefer plain edges but if I had to have serrations, I would prefer a fully serrated edge. Combo edges are my least preferred.
 
I prefer plain edge since its so much easier to sharpen and suits my tasks better. after that i would prefer a fully serrated blade. To me, partially serrated blades are like sporks. too spoony to be a good fork, and too forky to be a good spoon.
 
Speedemon93 said:
Profound. I can't imagine a situation where I'd need them, either.

I guess based on what everyone has said I'll go with the plain edge, though I'll consider a serrated Boker Subcom of sorts in the future, should I decide it proves necessary. I have a Titan and love it, but it has a plain edge.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, everyone.
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I dont know that there is so much a situation that you will absolutely need a serrated edge but rather that a serrated edge cuts many materials much easier and with less effort. Most people that I personally know that only carry PE knives dont have the benefit of comparing the edges as often as I do and base their decision on limited experience many years ago. When making cuts I will often use the PE edge and then the serrated edge to see which cuts better/easier. I would say its about 60/40 in favor of the PE. But that 40 makes having the combo edge so worth it. My son recently told me he only wants CE knives as he utilizes the serrated edge very often and couldnt imagine having a PE only knife. Yes, I am talking about properly sharpened PE knives so the properly sharpened knife argument does not apply . I honestly dont see any downsides to a CE. I will add that I have more PE than CE knives, again I like both! :D
 
Depends on whether I really like the knife or not.

Partial serrations are not a deal-breaker, they only get to be used in work (e.g. cardboard boxes), I prefer a plain edge for food preparation and other EDC tasks.

Sharpening serrations isn't too much of a problem for me.

Something cliched: "It's better to have something you don't need than to need something and not have it." This might apply to serrations.
 
For me, partial serrations is the worst option. You don't get enough of either type of blade to do anything with either one. I tried one and did not like it. I would never try another, no matter what other features the knife had.
 
Plain-edges for me. Have'nt needed serrations for anything, so I prefer the PE's.
 
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