serrated edge for survival?

Liam Ryan

Liam Ryan

Joined
Sep 26, 2005
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What are the merits of having at least a partially serrated edge on your survival knife? Cutting cord is the first thing that jumps to mind, and that it does do. But as I would prefer not to even cut my paracord if I can at all help it, cord cutting would be at a bare minimum. Also cardboard is another victim to a good serrated edge, but not too common in the wild,
yet, many survival fixed blades seem to have this serrated section

For me, I would prefer a plain edge for my blade, mostly because serrated sections are often at the base of the blade, by the handle, which is where I find the most amount of control is, and for tasks such as fuzzsticks and deadfall triggers I much prefer a plain edge.

I did use to own a parachutist sak, which had a terrific upswept serrated blade perfectly suited for cord cutting, and would make short work of a seatbelt i'm certain, but I have since given it to a knifeless friend.

What are others opinions on the merits of serrated edges?
 
I've never liked serrated blades, partial or not. But I am fond of the Vic OH SAK that I own and the forward 2/3 of the blade is serrated. But I won't own a fixed blade that has serrations.
 
Can't chop well with 'em either. Hard to sharpen if you don't have the tools in the field too. Not really useful
 
I understand that they are good for cutting rope, but so is my Opinel and I don't rock climb anymore.
Never have liked them.
 
Same here , not a fan of serrates , mostly because they are a PITA to sharpen.
They do have thier uses though ,for agressive cutting.
 
utting cord is the first thing that jumps to mind, and that it does do
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Ironically, my favorite knife for doing 550 cord is my Opinel. If I use a tactical folder, I will still usually use the plain portion of the blade, unless it needs a little help getting started.

I like having a partially serrated folder incase I need to rip through something, but the serrations do see very little use.
 
Serrated blades are great for tropical fruit but I think they get in the way more than they help in a general sense. Mac
 
Serrations are more difficult to maintain sharp than plain edges. They do require more specialized equipment to sharpen them too. However, once they are sharp, they will remain sharper than the plain edge by a ratio of about 2:1. This ratio holds true provided the steel is the same so is the heat treatment. The way to check the validity of this statement would be to buy say, a semi-serrated Spyderco (I am thinking of either a POLICE or an ENDURA) and try it yourself. I can sharpen serrated edges (be it either Spyderco or, Cold Steel type) to the point that they will become hair popping sharp fairly easily. Of course, I have to admit that it took me some time and effort to get to where I am now but I can easily sharpen a pencil with a serrated edge now. Also, aside of the fact that a serrated edge will outlast a plain one by a ratio of 2:1, they are also much more aggressive in terms of cutting through fibrous material. If I wanted to chop something though, I would choose a plain edge.

It is true that most serious survival types of knives have the serrations placed (that is if they have any serrations) at the bottom of the edge. CHRIS REEVE KNIVES have some excellent examples of this blade configuration. Others though, geared more towards fighting will have them in the front. BUSSE COMBAT has made over the years various limited edition models with this blade configuration. Both are correct for the intended use: when you chop you basically use the front part of the blade and therefore you want it plain. On the other hand, the serrations will cut more easily through clothing and flesh and therefore you want them in the front part of the blade for a knife made mostly for fighting.

I hope that helps.
 
I'll go against the grain a little. For my primary knife, I don't care for serrations or even "combo" blades, but I do carry a back-up folder - a Spyderco Military, fully serrated. It's come in handy at times. Is it a neccesity? Nope. Does it augment my fixed blade and/or primary plain edge folder?...absolutley.

Even the small Spyderco Native is a good, light option if you feel the need for a serrated blade. Again, I don't think it should be your primary, but I like the serrated option.

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
I'll go against the grain a little. For my primary knife, I don't care for serrations or even "combo" blades, but I do carry a back-up folder - a Spyderco Military, fully serrated. It's come in handy at times. Is it a neccesity? Nope. Does it augment my fixed blade and/or primary plain edge folder?...absolutley.

Even the small Spyderco Native is a good, light option if you feel the need for a serrated blade. Again, I don't think it should be your primary, but I like the serrated option.

ROCK6
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I'm pretty well the same. I never was a fan of serrated/combo edges for my EDC things. What really opened my eyes on SE was when I bought a Spydie Rescue 93mm. Is it part of my EDC - sort of - it's one of my backup blades that sits in my Maxpedition Jumbo Fatboy. I do carry a Delica 4 SE along with my PE one, though. A PE is more than adequate for most of the things that I do, and no, an SE isn't an absolute requirement for me, but there are those times when it works much better than a PE. Knocking down Dell Server boxes - Rescue pretty well glides thru that cardboard:) I have a couple of Enduras in combo edges, and I've found that on larger blades, the combo edge is not as annoying - doesn't hang up near as much. I've been eyeing an SS Police that last little while and I think it'll be an SE one:D


- gord
 
Liam Ryan said:
What are the merits of having at least a partially serrated edge on your survival knife?
Click to expand...

If the knife is small and has little to no chopping ability then a serrated edge can saw through light wood and a lot of brush more effectively.

-Cliff
 
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