Pro's and con's of serrations on RC3

S

simonyzer

Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
49
Hi fellows !
Greetings fron the cold north !

.......I already have a RAT RC5 and RC4..... I'm now on the market for an RC3 for a Car kit... What are the upsides and down sides of serrations on a short blade like the RC3 (They cover almost half of the cutting edge).

Thanks !

Simon
 
I personally don't like combo edges - for me they limit the knife's ability to cut rope, webbing, etc... due to the length of the serrated part of the blade, and it limits the knife's ability to do "hard" cutting because you've lost your sweet spot for leverage to the serrations. Doesn't affect fine point work, but you lose the ability to work with the blade close to the choil for a lot of the things I do with a short knife.
 
For a woods knife I do not like serrations.

For an EDC I do not like serrations.

For an emergency car kit, I think serrations are a good idea as they chew nylon material very well and stay sharp much longer than a plain edge. Even dulls serrations cut MUCH better than dull plain edge.

If its going to be sitting in the car unused for extended periods of time, make sure you get a good coating of oil on the blade to stop any rust.
 
Pros:

Great for cutting rope, webbing or if necessary, some light sawing duties.

Cons:

Harder to sharpen in most cases, loss of real estate for plain cutting edge.
 
No pros in my eyes as I maintain all my knives. I think they can be useful for people that dont use knives regularly.
 
adaman04 said:
Pros:

Great for cutting rope, webbing or if necessary, some light sawing duties.

Cons:

Harder to sharpen in most cases, loss of real estate for plain cutting edge.
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It's good for cutting rope fast but it usually makes a mess of it. The best way to cut rope is to whip it and then chop it with a strait blade.
 
I don't like serrations. A sharp plain edge can do what serrations can do. At least, they have been able to for me.
 
No serrations for me. Look into getting the Mil version for your car kit. It has the glass breaker pommel.
 
I use my rc-3 for a lot of rope cutting, so I picked up a combo edge rc-3 a year ago. Well after a year of use of cutting webbing, hose, lots of rope and also a good bit of fire building, I don't think I'll be getting another combo edged small knife. A course but sharp plain edge cuts much faster and is much easier to maintain than a combo edge.

Definitely go plain edge, the combo edge only made cutting thick webbing easier (vehicle recovery straps in particular)
 
I too have been on the fence about serrations.Everyone knows they are harder to sharpen.Lots of good advice about them.Just picke up a EDC folder in plain edge but almost went with serrated glad I didint.I think there are more cons at least for edc knife.
 
If you keep your knife sharp you don't need serrations - they are for people that neglect their knife and then need it to cut despite being blunt. I now prefer plain blades for slicing tomatoes, cutting steak, etc. That is I now prefer SHARP plain blades. I would rather slice a tomato with an Opinel than a serrated steak knife.
 
Just forget that the serrations are there!
They will cut some things better than a plain edge will...(Especially in cold weather) If you're not the type to constantly maintain the edge of your knife then they are really helpful. Just forget about them and make a normal cutting/slicing/sawing stroke and they'll be there when you need them and won't hinder a task when you dont need them.....

A lot of "knife-purists" dont like them and I can understand why...but dont let that influence your decision...consider your specific needs and your specific knife maintenence regime...and your cold climate.

If serrations totally sucked... RAT CUTLERY would'nt make so many knives with serrations!
 
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Wise choice,grasshopper!!!If you need a grabbier edge for rope,or emergency seat belt cutting,just finish your edge with a coarser grit stone,or compound.
 
The one place where I find serrations to have an advantage is when cutting very dirty rope, webbing, or cloth/carpet with long periods between sharpening. For general use, they are usable, but I find a well-maintained plain edge works better in my experience.
 
For bigger knives it's not a huge deal but with limited cutting surface, you sacrifice alot of useable edge for serrations. I really do like the RAT serrations, they are low profile but still cut efficiently. They aren't going to break off if you use it for battoning or chopping of some sort... it is a good solid design. Serrations are good for cutting fibrous materials, IE green vegetation, tape and line, and muscle and tendon tissue. It really depends on how you use your blade, many people think it gets in the way. I have a combo edge RC5 and personally I do not believe it does.
 
PayetteRucker said:
For bigger knives it's not a huge deal but with limited cutting surface, you sacrifice alot of useable edge for serrations. I really do like the RAT serrations, they are low profile but still cut efficiently...

many people think it gets in the way. I have a combo edge RC5 and personally I do not believe it does.
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most production blades i've seen with combo edges, have sharp serrations, which are difficult to resharpen, and an almost chisel grind on the plain edge. it's nearly unusable. i got an rc-6 with the combo edge for Christmas, and the serrations appear to be the most functional i've seen. they can be sharpened with a normal stone, and the plain edge is still the standard 20 degrees. i haven't gotten to really use the knife yet, but so far i'm really liking the RAT serrations.
 
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