Serrated Knives

Plain edge, hands down.

Serrated knives cannot carve wood. I don't chop with knives unless what I'm chopping are vines, but though I really like the Cold Steel and Spyderco serrations, I just can't see how one could whittle with them.

I saw a show on one of these channels where a guy was trapped under a rock. It was raining and a would-be rescuer was trying to cut down a small sapling of some kind. He had a slip joint and it kept closing on his hands as he cut until his hands were slippery with rain and blood. I don't much care for slip joints anyway, but I couldn't help but think if he had a good locking knife with a good Zytel/FRN grip, that he could have cut the sapling without incident.

If I were out in the middle of nowhere, I'd have both, but if I could have only one, it would be a plain edge.
 
Confederate said:
Plain edge, hands down.

Serrated knives cannot carve wood.
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Have you ever tried? SE carved pretty well for me last time I tried, though if you're trying something like a caged ball it's probably not the best choice. But carving a spoon or making fuzz sticks either edge can do.
 
I'd get plain edge. A plain edge can do all that a Serrated can do if it is sharp enough. At least in all of my own experiences.
 
I like all my knives to be plain edge, which I find works just as well if it's kept sharp. Serrated is good for those who do not or will not keep a knife sharp and don't mind sawing through something to cut it.
 
If you watch Bear Grylls when he uses his combo edge fixed blade, or old Gator, he hardly every uses the serrations, and he has to make several short cuts because of them.
 
Jake Bauer said:
If you watch Bear Grylls when he uses his combo edge fixed blade, or old Gator, he hardly every uses the serrations, and he has to make several short cuts because of them.
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Because he mostly usees the knife cutting limes in the hotel? :p
 
or you can get a knife with the blade PE on one side, then SE on the other, i beleive busse has some good models in that category
 
It depends on what you will be doing. If you are going to be cutting fire wood a partialy serrated blade works prety good. Or if you were going to make traps the serrated part is great for it. It is also good if you want to travel light (you wouldnt need a seperate saw). But it is just as easy to throw a seperate folding saw into your pack.
 
I much prefer plain edge since I got my sharp maker. But if I was stuck on Giligan's island I prefer a serrated blade, because a dull serrated knife cuts/tears much better that a dull plain edge.
 
HotSwat said:
I much prefer plain edge since I got my sharp maker. But if I was stuck on Giligan's island I prefer a serrated blade, because a dull serrated knife cuts/tears much better that a dull plain edge.
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That is a good point. I read in a knife magazine article a long time ago about choosing the right tactical folder, and the author said even though he preferred PE, in tough environments you should always have serrations on your knife for the same reason as hotswat just explained.
 
Serrations are not a marketing gimmick that claim is false. A plain edge blade can not do everything a serrated edge blade can do, nor vice versa that is also false. Every design has it's strengths and weaknesses.

Serrations grab, rip, and saw they cut things things like thick leather or thick tough rope better. While a plain edge can cut these things well also it is more likely to do a fair share of glancing, sliding, and gliding requiring more cuts.

Serrations also offer more blade surface area due the curved scallops and when those scallops get dull you can still use the points to do a fair amount of sawing.

On the bad side badly dulled serrations are a nightmare to profile and sharpen. However if they are maintained properly it's no problem. In the wilderness I would not want serrated due to the fact I can run into sharpening problems if I lose my rods and most of my wilderness chores would not require serrations.

I wouldn't use serrations to baton and a plain edge is just as good and better in a lot of instances for whittling,food preparation, and skinning.

For someone like me in an urban environment who does not camp or do much fine whittling, or any skinning for EDC a serrated edge suits me much better. For rescue work I pick serrated hands down. For high adrenaline situations, I would rather rip away with a serrated than slice, glance, and prance with a plain edge. For just cutting things like boxes and stuff again serrated. There is a reason why sailers like serrations.

Partial serrations can be handy but I prefer either full serrations or plain edge. I think partial serrations on a plain edge cheat you out of the full capabilities of both, less so however with longer blades.

Don't knock serrations like a plain edge they have their uses.
 
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