Return of the plain edge?

We disagree on one point and that is that serrations add performance. I don't think they do when compared to a properly maintained plain edge. I do agree with you about the sharpening and control issues. It is possible to hone a plain edge like a razor, a saw or anything in between. For my purposes serrated edges have no place (even though I do own some) and I wonder why combo edges have a place with anybody. It all gets down to personal preference, doesn't it? Take care.


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Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
 
Never liked serartions always thought they made a knife look like those cheap giveaways gas stations in the 60's would give you for filling up your tank and never in all my years of collecting have I bought one. The only exception is the seratted sheepsfoot on my multi-pliers which I had no choice.Plain edge back in style? I never relized they were out of style except with the faddists who like all the new gizmos. If I want serrations I have a couple of bread knives in the kitchen draw.Remeber what Joe T say's put a rough edge on your blade and it cuts just as well as any serrated knife
Bob
 
I'm still relatively new to knife collecting, as you can tell by my start date in these forums. When I first became interested in collecting, I thought the combo edges had an appealing look to them, kind of aggressive, like the teeth on an animal. But over the past few months my taste has changed, now I find the plain edge blades much more elegant looking. I also haven't found much use for the partial serrations, which take up a very short portion of most blades and I think is more a function of fashion than utility. I agree with some of the other posts, if I needed serrations for an application I would look for a fully serrated blade. Every new knife I order over the internet I now get in a plain edge. I occassionaly consider partially serrated knives when I see them on sale in the local shops, but otherwise I hold out for plain edges.

-Badger
 
I don't carry any serrated knives nor are any of my 'outdoor' knives serrated, but I do like our serrated bread knife for use in the kitchen and have found another serrated bread knife handy in the garage. I've used one serrated bread knife extensively to slice batts of insulation, and discovered that it also works well at other tasks such as slicing dirt, root and sand encrusted landscaping fabric that has been buried for 10 to 20 years. The bread knife is a decent one from Solingen, a gift from my wife's family, and my wife protested until I told her that I'd either use the Henckels or buy another instead. I was using a Chicago Cutlery paring knife on the fabric, one that is getting narrow as it's been sharpened so often over the years, but it was only good for about 5 or so feet of fabric until it dulled and quit slicing. The bread knife finished up the rest of the job with no problem. Considering that they're both made of probably similar stainless steels I was surprised at how much more effective the bread knife was.

I recall another comment awhile back about a similar experience, where a gentleman was cutting sand encrusted synthetic rope and found that a serrated knife did the job when a plain edge dulled almost instantly.
 
i use a fishhook diamond rod from bass, and a gatco trihone, they work just fine, just like sharpening a staight edge!..if you know what your doing you'll get a good edge!!!...if not then well????????
 
i use a fishhook diamond rod from bass, and a gatco trihone, they work just fine, just like sharpening a staight edge!..if you know what your doing you'll get a good edge!!!...if not then well????????
 
JB,
We have no reasons to start a huge debate because I do not like serrated blades
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I have only SPYDERCO stainless Calypso Jr. with fully serrated blade and two Dyads (full sized and jr. ltw.) with serrated blades among my knives.
But I had to mention the good side of this idea simply because I do not like quite simplified single-sided suggestions like George Orwell's "two legs are bad, four legs are good" even more than I do not like serrations
wink.gif

All things in this world have their two sides at least, with no exceptions.

Fred,
I think some manufacturers are quite liable for lack of alternative to their partially serrated blades. The man who likes this particular design is forced to by partially serrated blade because this is the single version available. I'm quite far from knife selling, so I can't consider is the demand from user side the reason why they do so or inversely...

As to knife performance, in my experience serrated edge keeps cutting ability much longer than coarse finished plain edge. The opposite side of the coin is lack of cutting accuracy and worse control. Having appropriate tools the sharpening is not an issue for both.
For me the comparison "plain vs. serrated" looks quite similarly to comparison "handgun vs. short barreled shotgun" in close combat...

 
>> How do you sharpen the serrations when they get dull

If it's a cheap China rip off knife, you throw it away and buy a new one. If it's a good knife, you should never let it get dull enough that it needs sharpened. You should keep it honed with a round or a triangle ceramic rod that fits your knife. Also the Smith PowerHone does a nice job, and works off of batteries so you can take it with you. Thanks, JohnR7 www.BalisongKnife.com
 
I say good riddance to partially serrated blades. (I hope the SOG and Emerson guys are reading this!) Most 50/50 serrated blades look like the serrations were added as an afterthought, and when given a choice the plain always wins in my books. Although a fully serrated Spyderco or two belongs in everyone's utility arsenal.

Take the Microtech Vector, for example. The serrations on it are very vulgar and poorly done, totally ruining the lines of what is one of the coolest blade shapes in recent memory. Same goes for the upcoming SOG Recondo. I would like one of these (so I can get a nice handle material and replace the bolted-on Zytel scales), but I refuse to buy knives that only come half-serrated. Oh well. Such is life. Maybe I'll get a maker to do me a knockoff of the design, (with a few personalized adjustments) but probably not...

PM
 
I have said since the beginning of time that the best edge is a straight one and that serrations are for people who cant sharpen their knife and then when the serrations get dull youre screwed...but now you have some accessories that cost more than your knife so you can sharpen the serrations...LOL
smile.gif


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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
I never buy serrated blades! I do not want to hassle with sharpening the serrations. Of course I just ordered a Ryan #1 with serrations to be used on my kayak rescue vest as the hook shape of the blade with serrations will allow me to grab and pull at rope or other cords that I may need to cut to free myself or others. In this case I think serrations will help and since I hope I don't have to use the knife very often, they should not present a problem.
 
Those of you who "hope SOG and Emerson are listening" are encouraged to post on their forums since both of them have them here on BF. I think Emerson just looks at numbers and demand and will likely catch the trend in time. SOG, for some reason, seems pretty steadfast in their desire not to offer plain edges. I'm not sure I understand it. I know we'd sell their Vision series very well in plain edge. It's a super line of knives and the Arc Lock has made it more popular than ever.

I second Tom Mayo's comments. Folks like me (and Tom, of course, and most of you) who sharpen our knives regularly have no use at all for serrations. Well, maybe a little. I do like serrations on my bread knives and all of mine have them. The other requirement for a bread knife, by the way, is length. Be sure you buy them at least 9" in blade length. The shorties aren't long enough to slice bread easily. Take care.



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Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
 
I like serrated and plain edges but definitely not the 50/50 blade.
I also think black and camo knives are only useful to commando-types who have to kill people in the dark (and how many of those can there be?). Otherwise, the black or camo blades are just plain easy to lose.
 
Tomaaaatoe or to-matoe, that is the question.

I like plain blades for just about everything I do with a knife but a small (not 50% or even 40%) section of serrated can be useful. Rope, carboard, sheet metal and nast stuff that you may not want to mess up your "slicing" blade on are uses for a "small" section of serrated.

Serrated is not necessarily "harder" to sharpen, it just takes more time. But it also needs less sharpening, a "push" as they say in blackjack. My favorite knife, the Chris Reeve Project 1 seems to have it right both in percentage of blade that is serrated and in the type of serration.

Could never figure why someone would want a hunting or camping knife to be black/camo/stealth/special forces hard-to-see/easy-to-lose-in-the-woods colors. A shiny blade could be used for signalling and a safety orange handle (Kraton or similar) would be easy to spot, but stag is prettier.

I guess there are many armchair commandos out there who buy a lot of knives.

Gotta go, just been dispatched; I am on a mission. I deploy in 90 seconds. I will rapel to the LZ, rondezvous with recon personnel, ascertain and acquire the target and neutralize as needed. IN OTHER WORDS: I am going downstairs in a minute or two, go to the kitchen, meet my wife who went out to buy bagels, locate the bagels (probably on the counter, they are so predictable) and cut a few for her and the kids. The Project 1 or the Wegner, Jr.?

[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 09-24-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 09-24-2000).]
 
I'm not much of a serrated blade fan. I've got a few blades with some serrations but not many. My Spydie navigator is fully serrated and is a fun little knife but I haven't found a many uses for it. In fact, I'd love to get a plain, because I love the size, look and feel of the knife. One of my Wegner Jrs is PS and for my money, there are TOO many serrations on the blade. In contrast my miniAFCK is PS and about right. About 1/3 of the blade is serrated. I've found these serrations handy when cleaning squirrel. I use them to "saw" a good "nick" in the legs so I can snap them off. But I can do about the same thing with a plain edge too.

In general, serrations just get in the way. It's nice to have the option but in overall I haven't found much use for them. The proverbial cutting of cardboard and seat belts, I suppose, are their mainstay. Make good bread knives too but you should see my Opinel #12 slice bread!


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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I think (i think) we are missing the point here.

Maybe KnifeOutlet is telling us that they have a huge overstock of serrated and 50/50 blades that he would like to sell to us at DEEP, DEEP DISCOUNTS!!!!
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EXCUSE ME WHILE I WHIP THIS OUT.
**Blazing Saddles**

[This message has been edited by aflatfoot (edited 09-24-2000).]
 
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