Serrated EDC

E

Emery E Mitchamore

Joined
Jan 16, 2021
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38
I own a tree nursery and need to cut a wide variety of materials on a daily basis. One of the tricky jobs is to cleanly "saw" a fibrous tree branch, which is done well by a sharp serration. I also prefer to carry my knife loose in my pocket, rather than clipped somewhere. It needs to be rather small - about 3 1/2" to 4" overall and with no exposed projections as you see on many opening mechanisms. I've purchased several and looked at hundreds online but have never found a well-regarded part-serrated pocket knife, so I'm asking for recommendations. It won't surprise the members here that it matters how it looks - I really like the Kershaw Blur but I'd like it a bit smaller.
 
The following have pocket clips, which can be quickly and easily removed:

Spyderco Delica 4 SpyderEdge
Spyderco Dragonfly 2 Salt SpyderEdge
Cold Steel Tuff Lite Serrated
Spyderco Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill SpyderEdge
Honey Badger Medium Claw Serrated
Spyderco Rockjumper SpyderEdge
Spyderco Lil Native SpyderEdge
Spyderco PM 3 SpyderEdge
Byrd Meadowlark 2 Serrated

If you are looking for a true traditional style serrated, it might help to state that. When you mentioned the Blur, I assumed that wasn't the case.
 
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Spyderco is your best bet for a serrated knife.

What size branches do you plan to cut?

Depending on the size, you might be better off with a small Silky saw.
 
If you are running a nursery then you know that clean cuts on small branches are necessary for proper healing. Best bet is the right tool, a small saw. Get a Leatherman Supertool. Over the years I have trimmed countless small limbs with mine. The saw blade cuts really well on most anything under 3". More than that just get a proper saw like a Silky Yamabico. It has fast cutting teeth on one side and fine teeth on the back.
 
I run my own lawn care and landscaping business and find the Spyderco Tasman Salt to be my go to knife while working. I find the hawkbill very useful for my needs. You also never have to worry about rust with the H1 steel.
 
maybe tiny thin and green twigs...but I've found trying to saw branches with serrations on a folding knife dont go well at all. small folding saw is far far better.

h1 will bend and roll the serrations on dead wood I've tried in the past. even thinner sticks.
 
When I worked in grounds maintenance, I used the saw on my Leatherman Sidekick countless times a day to trim stray branches and cut back weeds. The saw worked better than a serrated knife, though the knife could get the job done.
 
Yeah, for those with experience, I should have specified the branch size. I'm talking about under 1/4" living branches. They aren't hard but the fibers are still tough. A new boxcutter blade works well enough but I'd like to have something that's always in my pocket while I'm roaming the nursery. Felco and ARS pruners work well when nothing else is in the way but sometimes I need to cut from one side. I've used various ARS saws with complete satisfaction for a couple of decades but don't want to always carry them on my daily "walkabouts". The best compromise for my needs would be a SHARP partly serrated knife under 4" folded. I've used Leatherman, SAK and Gerber multitools; blades and saws aren't sharp enough. I have a small Cutco serrated that worked well for a while but it's all serrated. I dislike the Spyderco appearance but will try it if I can't find anything with a traditional knife appearance.
 
3.5-4" overall? Opened, measured tip to butt? That's a pretty dinky knife. If you mean the handle length, that's a different matter. Generally speaking you can assume the blade will be about 1" shorter than the handle's length, give or take a bit depending on design and company. If you want a 3.5-4" handle, that's gonna give you about 2.25-3.25" of blade depending on the knife in question.

Nobody does serrations better than Spyderco. They didn't invent serrations on a pocket knife, but it's not wrong to say that they reinvented it. The Delica's handles are about 4¼", perhaps a bit long for what you want. There's a number that are smaller. Here is why I suggest you look harder at Spyderco, even if they don't suit your aesthetic: a knife of that size really won't benefit much from a partially serrated blade, especially if you're using it to cut at awkward angles where pruners won't fit. I despise partially serrated knives for this reason. All or none for me. Spyderco offers fully serrated blades on many/most of their knives. You didn't specify a price range, but a Native 5 (particularly the Salt with rust-proof LC200N steel) would be a fine choice. There's also something to be said about a hawkbill blade for pruning, since most "pruner" blades are just that, in which case a Dragonfly Salt or SS Harpy would work nicely.
 
Emery E Mitchamore said:
Yeah, for those with experience, I should have specified the branch size. I'm talking about under 1/4" living branches. They aren't hard but the fibers are still tough. A new boxcutter blade works well enough but I'd like to have something that's always in my pocket while I'm roaming the nursery. Felco and ARS pruners work well when nothing else is in the way but sometimes I need to cut from one side. I've used various ARS saws with complete satisfaction for a couple of decades but don't want to always carry them on my daily "walkabouts". The best compromise for my needs would be a SHARP partly serrated knife under 4" folded. I've used Leatherman, SAK and Gerber multitools; blades and saws aren't sharp enough. I have a small Cutco serrated that worked well for a while but it's all serrated. I dislike the Spyderco appearance but will try it if I can't find anything with a traditional knife appearance.
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I would have seconded the Vic Farmer, a sturdy alox model with an outstanding wood saw, or the Forester, which has an even bigger saw. I struggle to imagine what foliage would be problematic for those saws. However, as others have said, Spyderco if your heart is set on a serrated knife. Happy hunting! :)
 
OK, a Spyderco goes on order. I can get used to its weird appearance if it works well. And, as Planterz advocates, it will be fully serrated, as I can see the point. Now, I still need a knife but don't want to carry two, in addition to my belt-mounted multitool. That's essential for the pliers but, though I like the Victorinox best, I often can't get the knife blade out without a tool, and it's not sharp enough (probably because I can't get it out without a tool). I've tried various lubricants but Lithium grease is next. I don't suppose there is a Spyderco with two blades? Oh, and the size mentioned is for the closed, pocketable position.

BTW, my current pocket EDC is an Opinel - no serrations but it's sharp, small, light and (mostly) smooth. Hate the locking mechanism!
 
Great suggestions so far.

I'd put out there the one handed Victorinox Trekker has good options, and the Leatherman lineup like the charge or wave. All these have saws, or serrated blades done well.
 
As soon as I finished my last post I realized that I haven't looked at multitools in a while. So, dang it!, there are a bunch of new designs that may be better for my use, so here we go again......what multitool to "better" my Victorinox, original Leatherman, Gerber, Crescent, ToolzAll, and a few other tries from several years ago?
 
Emery E Mitchamore said:
As soon as I finished my last post I realized that I haven't looked at multitools in a while. So, dang it!, there are a bunch of new designs that may be better for my use, so here we go again......what multitool to "better" my Victorinox, original Leatherman, Gerber, Crescent, ToolzAll, and a few other tries from several years ago?
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I don’t like to carry bits and extra stuff around with me, so IMO the ST300 is still the king of the multi tools.
 
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