Serrated or not

James w

James w

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Aug 6, 2015
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Anyone have the pros or cons of each? I personally prefer serrated on folders for cutting wet rope and such in a emergency and non on my fixed blades for chopping...

I'm thinking of getting a zt knife and don't want to regret getting it in serrated
 
I see it as a personal preference, someones pros and cons may not be the same for you. Personally I do not like them, in my daily EDC tasks I have never regretted not having serrations on my blade. I do have several knives with partial serrations and find myself not wanting to use them because I do not want to go through the hassle of sharpening them eventually (Kershaw Random Leek).
 
No serrations for me! Feel like they get in the way when I want to use a blade.
 
I prefer with. I am near lots of water in FL so I always have a big fear of needing to cut either rope or netting or a seat belt. Never know when someone or me is going to get into that kind of situation. That whole premise is what got my dad into knives and then collecting them to pass the hobby to me.
 
Not. How much rope do you cut in your daily life? A good sharp blade will usually cut anything serrations can, and probably better when compared to a combo blade that only has an inch or less of serrations. If worried about the emergency, get a fully serrated blade, like one of the Spyder rescue knives, and keep it in your car.

I should add that I have purchased many combo edges over the years (and still have a dozen or two). When I was younger I just thought, well heck, it's a combo, so it should do two things great instead of one. But found that for my needs, they just became half of a knife when I wanted plain edge (most of the time), and less than half of a knife if I really needed serrations. When I finally started to buy plain edges on most if not all edc's, suddenly my blades became more useful. Having access to the entire edge can be very beneficial for many cutting tasks. Not everyone just opens mail or packing tape. :D
 
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Not serrated for me.
I mostly just do small tasks or cut/carve wood and I like a plain edge for that.
Also I dont really like the way how serrated blades look and they are harder to sharpen.
 
bflying said:
Not. How much rope do you cut in your daily life? A good sharp blade will usually cut anything serrations can, and probably better when compared to a combo blade that only has an inch or less of serrations. If worried about the emergency, get a fully serrated blade, like one of the Spyder rescue knives, and keep it in your car.
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Agree.

If it's for EDC, get plain edge.
 
I own very few knives with serrations. I've always preferred plain edged blades. But lately I've been somewhat interested in getting more knives with half serrated blades. Definitely makes it easier for me cut through rope/line.
 
In most cases the cons outweigh the benefits for my needs. I have had both over the years, most being partially serrated, and found i prefer a consistent fine edge.
 
I prefer plain edges in satin or polished. I dislike the look of black painted steel. i think I only have two or three black blades and hardly carry them.

Serrations MIGHT be better on thick rope and similar but a plain edge will do the job too and I don't cut much rope. Plain edges just look so much cleaner. And as far as sharpening, forget it.......
 
Fully serrated knives are awesome, pocket chainsaws that can literally cut though just about anything and stay pretty sharp despite daily use. Nt all, but there are a few that are that good.
 
Personally.. I do not care for them. Other than my bread knife, :D I have only one knife with serrations, a SOG Daggert2
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I've tried knives with serrations and they work OK but they usually rip or shread and tear the things I wanted to cut. I only use normal blades now.
 
Serrations work best with a slicing motion, and are most often mention in an emergency situation. If I was not a knife guy I would want a serrated blade in an emergency... but given the fact that I keep my knives sharp I would definitely want a sharp plain edge blade.

Here is the scenario that we most imagine a serrated blade being involved in. A firefighter, police, sheriff or any other LEO comes upon a traffic accident. To rescue a trapped passenger they take out their serrated knife and with a pull cut the cleanly slice through the seatbelt. Perfect use for a serrated blade. The question is, would a sharp plain edge fail at the same task?

Now given another scenario, where you are in an emergency situation, and you cant use a pull cut would you rather have a serrated blade or a sharp plain edge. Give me the sharp plain edge any day.
 
James w said:
Anyone have the pros or cons of each? I personally prefer serrated on folders for cutting wet rope and such in a emergency and non on my fixed blades for chopping...

I'm thinking of getting a zt knife and don't want to regret getting it in serrated
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this was how I came to my rule of no serrations a few years back.....
1. Do you cut rope everyday? Like a LOT everyday? If so then serrations are for you. (and if you do marine work a spyderco fully serrated salt series knife may be as well)
2. If you are buying a quality knife then the knife in it's own right should be able to perform EDC related tasks without the need for serrations unless you work in the conditions described by #1. (you may also require a good sharpener though)
3. do you REALLY love the look/usefulness of serrations. If you don't love em or need em then why bother?

I have no need and personally think they detract from a certain aesthetic appeal of 99% of folders I see, with that in mind I am not as opposed to fixed blades with them. However if you think they will help, or aid in your everyday use then you should go for it.


RevDevil said:
Fully serrated knives are awesome, pocket chainsaws that can literally cut though just about anything and stay pretty sharp despite daily use. Nt all, but there are a few that are that good.
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Very good point. I've seen a few fully serrated knives I wouldn't mind carrying through the woods or while trekking around. But I don't think for office or any other EDC tasks they would prove helpful to me. But that's just me.
 
I own two folders with partial serrations; a combo Blur i use for work, and LionSteel work knife... 90%+ of the time I don't have a use for a serrated edge and with a sharp steel blade serrations become redundant as the straifht edge will cut just as good if not better in most scenarios... At work however there are a few things that a serrated edge does excel at, namely cutting through thick nylon/plastic straps on some of the large sacks I need to cut open; the straight edge works great to cut the sacks except at the thick seams where it's folded over and embedded with rope straps and stitched together, the saw-like action of the serrations make easy work of it but the straight edge struggles through the multiple layers...

Now don't get me wrong, I still "can" cut through it with a sharp straight edge, but a serrated edge goes through 2-3x quicker then even a new razor/box cutter, so it really all comes down to what you're cutting, and what your preferences are... If you prefer a serrated edge for cutting wet rope and plan on using it in that capacity, then there's your answer.
 
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Serrations are great when they're sharp but once they're dull I just don't know how to deal. If I am in a situation where I have to cut a lot of cord or rope then I use a utility knife. In fact, when I've had jobs that required such, the company I worked for provided the utility knife and I found a quality blade on such lasts a long time if it doesn't get chipped. My regular knives are for personal use, but even if I'm off the job and found myself tearing down lot of cardboard or cutting cord and rope, I'm reaching for a utility knife.
 
Strategy has it right, most of the edc tasks are going to be done with a straight edge. But, its all about what you need the knife for. If it's strictly an EDC blade I'd say stay away from serrated, its just not needed (plus I think it takes away from the shape and beauty of a blade). But if you're using it as a hard use utility knife, than serrated would get the thumbs up.

Another con to think about for a serrated blade is that the serrations themselves can be a pain in the @$$ to sharpen. Just another reason why I choose non serrated blades.
 
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