Serrated Knives

S

superflyafro

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For a outdoors/Man VS. wild type of kife is it better to have a partially serrated blade or plain and why.....
 
There is nothing a serrated knife can do that well-sharpened plain edge cannot do. Serrated knives are problematic to re-sharpen and I wouldn't use one for skinning. Try carving with a serrated knife or fine detail work with one.
 
If you're talking only carrying one knife, then plain. I personally carry a Busse NMSFNO (plain edge) AND a RAT RC-3 partially serrated. I find the serrations very useful in cutting rope and other such tough materials, but I still have the straight edge Busse for battoning, chopping, etc. I have also been lazy a couple times and battoned smaller pieces with the RAT and had no problems with the serrations, although I wouldn't really recommend following my lazy example. The serrations RAT is putting on their knives nowadays seem to me like they would be a little more rugged though. The points are more gradual and I don't think would be quite as fragile as pointier serrations, such as on a Ka-Bar (one of nearly endless examples). We're seeing these type of serrations more and more recently, e.g. Kershaw and ZT. I haven't done any testing or whatnot, it's just an anecdotal observation.

Anyway, if you are going to be using ONLY ONE knife, then go plain edge for the reasons mentioned by the other guys.
 
don't like how serrations work. The only time I think they are good is when you never sharpen a blade. They will be more usefull on a terribly dull blade. So for knife noobies they seem helpful. For anyone that takes care of their blades id say they are useless
 
Sorry to hijack the thread a bit here, but how DO you sharpen serrations? Is it terribly difficult and something you'd want to send out to a professional, or can it be done at home with a few tools?

-Zigosity
 
i prefer a well made Combo edge knife, Kershaws Combo is my favorite being that the serrations actually cut and slice cleanly instead of tearing like most others, but if i can have my way i prefer from any other company a good plain edge.
 
Zigosity said:
Sorry to hijack the thread a bit here, but how DO you sharpen serrations? Is it terribly difficult and something you'd want to send out to a professional, or can it be done at home with a few tools?

-Zigosity
Click to expand...

Spyderco Sharpmaker or something similar.
 
I only have one knife with serrations, a Spyderco Delica that rarely ever leaves home. For the aforementioned difficulty sharpening. I have several combo-edged knives, my favorite being the full-size BM Rukus. It is part of my EDC rotation. Its the only one though, all others are plain edge. I always carry two knives, one large, one small. I prefer both plain edge. I also keep a DMT gold handled fine/ultra-fine hone on me, so can sharpen at any time, but not serrations.
So the final answer, not a fan of serrations. You can have them.
 
If you get yourself a fine ceramic hone in a triangle shape (Lansky and Spyderco both offer one for about 10$) serrations are painless to sharpen. I learned to use on on a Dodo, and even with the weird blade shape I can get it hair popping sharp easily.

Don't see much of an advantage when cutting with serrations on most materials, but I'll still carry a SE folder. Fixed blades I don't care much for CE, mainly because the part I'd want to use to carve with would be serrated.
 
A plain edge that is properly sharp and has good geometry will cut most anything I've experienced as well as a serrated edge, while being much better for fine work, carving, etc. As has been said, serrations can be good for rope, and I've found them to be nice while doing pruning/garden work as they tend to grab hold of soft plant material, which does help cutting that. For wilderness/outdoors use, though, I would always say plain edge.
 
While I am in complete agreement with everyone about plain-edged blades, I do feel the need to add one comment. While I was on the force, I carried a little Spyderco Delica 3 with the SpyderEdge blade. It was a wonderful thing for cutting seat belts, clothing, and various other things that cops frequently encounter in an urban setting. It was my "rescue knife" long before any knifemaker came out with such a thing, and performed wonderfully.
 
Plain edge blades would serve better in a survival type situation, and, as a rule, are easier to sharpen.

That being said, I do believe serrated blades have their merits---several serrated knives are in my EDC rotation along with their plain edge counterparts. I carry a SE Spyderco Pacific Salt habitually, as well as a Civilian, and a Vaquero Grande---all are great knives, and all feature serrations. I also tend to carry a fully serrated Police, also by Spyderco.
 
SE knives also tend to hold the edge better then PE versions. Most of the SE Spyderco's have a good 1/2" of PE tip for detail work.
 
The reason for serrated edges seeming to hold their edges longer is because when cutting hard targets or accidentally glancing against glass, metal, etc. the points of the serrations will take the damage, leaving the interior surface sharp. This is the reason why most steak knives are serrated at the tip--for cutting against ceramic plates that would otherwise dull the edge. Serrations also excel at cutting fibrous materials. Sharpening them merely takes a hard angle on an abrasive surface. The side edge of a traditional rectangular stone can be used to sharpen them, for instance, although more dedicated sharpeners make the job easier. For most cutting tasks they merely get in the way, in my opinion.
 
Nearly all my blades are plain. In the summer time I work as a Landscaper and carry a SE Salt1. For some reason that blade stays sharp for a very long time and takes a lot of rough use. Maybe it is the H1 steel maybe its the serrations or maybe a combination of both.
 
I often carry both, a serrated knife isn't hard to sharpen with a Gatco triceps or similar rod.

Last trip I was on I took a Spyderco Moran and a partially serrated CRKT M16. I almost never used the Moran and used the CRKT for almost everything, the serrations dig in deep for taking off spruce boughs and such. I found it to work quite well. The single side edge grind leaves some to be desired in food prep mind you. I think the Bear Grylls knife is different though, I think I'd feel fine carrying The Man vs Wild knife Partially serrated.

That all being said my new Bushcrafter I made with a Progressively tempered Lauri blank.
 
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