Plain or serrated Spyderco Dragonfly 2

T

TTpower

Joined
Apr 20, 2007
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i'm thinking of getting a spyderco dragonfly 2 FRN vg-10 but i can't decide between plain or serrated. i already have a Delica 4 FFG (plain) and thinking of getting a serrated one this time. i see a lot of reviews on youtube but they are all plain edges. i feel there's no love for the spyder edge going around? and i have heard that when it comes to serrations, the spyder edge is one of the best ?:D

what are the advantages of the spyder edge over the plain one?
 
I avoided the SpyderEdge for a long time, but finally "saw" the light. Har har. I figured out that you can do virtually anything with a serrated edge, from sharpening pencils to peeling an apple. But it really excels at things like going through cardboard. It really eats it. Most of my knives are plain edge, but a serrated edge knife makes a great EDC as well.

So if you are interested in a serrated edge Dragonfly, you might give it a try.

enduraSE2.jpg

Endura.
 
I used to carry a serrated ladybug, but now only carry plain edge knives. It's mostly because I'm better at sharpening and touching up a plain edge. The serrated one was really useful for cutting soft plastic and string, though. I should try to hone (;)) my sharpening skills when it comes to serrated edges.
 
i have a spyderco sharpmaker and i think with the turorial dvd i can sharpen the serrations. i did some research on the different blade forums and they say that the plain edge is good for slicing and the serrated edge is good for cutting..... i really don't see much difference and i think in a edc role there will be more cutting.
maybe i should start a poll here :confused: is there a way i can edit this thread and add a poll? or do i have to start another thread?

Powernoodle: have you encountered any situation where you wish you had a plain edge rather than the spyderedge?
 
TTpower said:
Powernoodle: have you encountered any situation where you wish you had a plain edge rather than the spyderedge?
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I'm sure there must be circumstances where a PE is superior, but I have not encountered them yet.

But just to keep it real, most folks prefer a plain edge.

As for sharpening a SE, the Sharpmaker would make it easy for you. With other systems, like EdgePro, you sharpen the opposite (non-serrated) side, which is also easy. Another factor is that a SE will retain its useful cutting ability even after it loses its "sharpness".
 
Thanks Pnoodle i'm leaning towards the SE. like what you said... i'm starting to see the light :D LOL
 
I currently own 3 Dragonfly's- 2 ss: 1 se, 1pe and a ZDP189 pe. I got the ss versions first, and haven't had to sharpen the serrated one yet. Probably because I dont' use it as much as the plain edge. Usually, one of the three is in my watch pocket. I do like how the se eats cardboard, though.:p
 
Christian, since you have used both SE and the PE what do you think would be a disadvantage on the dragonfly with a SE (considering its a small knife)
 
I have both and truthfully prefer the spyderedge but only because I carry it as a secondary knife along with a larger plain edge knife. A properly sharp serrated edge cuts like a demon and I find having a little bit of serrated steel is exactly what you need in certain situations. A bit of advice though, if you go with the serrated edge, do yourself a favor and get the h1 version. According to Sal of spyderco, serrated h1 has been tested at up to a ridiculous rc68 hardness rating at the edge, which means you may not have to worry about sharpening it for a good long time.
 
mkjellgren said:
I have both and truthfully prefer the spyderedge but only because I carry it as a secondary knife along with a larger plain edge knife. A properly sharp serrated edge cuts like a demon and I find having a little bit of serrated steel is exactly what you need in certain situations. A bit of advice though, if you go with the serrated edge, do yourself a favor and get the h1 version. According to Sal of spyderco, serrated h1 has been tested at up to a ridiculous rc68 hardness rating at the edge, which means you may not have to worry about sharpening it for a good long time.
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thanks for the advice. but i'm a bit confuse on the part that the H1 is going to be harder.... isn't the H1 suppose to be softer because of the components that make it more rust proof? in my understanding the H1 is designed to be practically rust proof but at the expense of it being less hard? pls enlighten me :)
 
H1 is work hardened rather than heat treated due to its nitrogen content rather than carbon. It is pressed to a fraction of its original thickness in order to harden it. Serrated h1, because of the additional grinding needed, is much harder at the edge than its plain edge counterpart. This is the same reason that spyderco's h1 blades are hollow ground rather than flat ground. A hollow grind is done on both sides at the same time where as a flat grind is ground on each side one after the other. With h1, the act of grinding one side flat hardens the steel so much so that grinding the other side would be extremely inefficient in terms of production Costa. So in short, serrated h1 is much harder than plain edge h1 as well as harder than nearly any other cutlery steel out there. Both plain and serrated h1 will be much harder at the edge than at the spine which makes it quite tough as well.
 
mkjellgren said:
H1 is work hardened rather than heat treated due to its nitrogen content rather than carbon. It is pressed to a fraction of its original thickness in order to harden it. Serrated h1, because of the additional grinding needed, is much harder at the edge than its plain edge counterpart. This is the same reason that spyderco's h1 blades are hollow ground rather than flat ground. A hollow grind is done on both sides at the same time where as a flat grind is ground on each side one after the other. With h1, the act of grinding one side flat hardens the steel so much so that grinding the other side would be extremely inefficient in terms of production Costa. So in short, serrated h1 is much harder than plain edge h1 as well as harder than nearly any other cutlery steel out there. Both plain and serrated h1 will be much harder at the edge than at the spine which makes it quite tough as well.
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thanks for the explanation. that's what i like on this forum....
i hope you don't mind another question..... in case the time comes i need to sharpen the H1 steel, is it going to be hard to sharpen like the D2?
 
spydusse said:
Its really easy to sharpen
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Yup, as long as you know how to sharpen serrations its really easy to sharpen. H1 is really some interesting stuff. Also, you mentioned you have a sharpmaker to sharpen serrations with. I also have the sharpmaker and have used it to sharpen serrations, however, I would recommend using one of the sharpmaker rods and doing it free hand. You have much more control over the stone doing it free hand and can make sure you get into each and every serration. All of my serrated blades cleanly slice phonebook paper as well as any of my plain edges, a little time and attention to detail is all it takes.
 
TTpower said:
Christian, since you have used both SE and the PE what do you think would be a disadvantage on the dragonfly with a SE (considering its a small knife)
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It is a smallish knife- that would be my idea of a disadvantage, though if you wanted bigger, you'd just buy a bigger knife. I think it is a good sized, but serrated edges can be tricky to sharpen. If you are having trouble deciding which model to get, buy both.:D
 
I prefer the PE one as it will cut anything you throw at it as long as you keep it sharp. However, if I carried a second bigger folder that was plain edge like someone else mentioned, then I would lean towards the SE just to have my bases covered for whatever comes up.

I think the PE is easier to sharpen, stays sharp and can do anything I need. I also agree with the idea of buying them both! You could carry both and decide for yourself based on what you end up using your knife for.

I just picked up the H1 version with plans to carry it all spring/summer while I wear shorts. I wanted to try the "rust proof" one because I am always down at the beach so I dont have to worry about it.

If fall/winter I will go back to my Paramilitary 2.
 
ok here's another few question.... is the H1 blade steel worth the additional $12.50 over the vg-10? i do like the yellow RFN handles :p i haven't tried washing my delica with water and soap because i'm afraid the internals will rust if i don't dry them properly. how do guys wash you knives after using them on foods or other stuff?
 
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