Serrated Vs. Plain

L

LtUSMC

Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Messages
36
I'm sure this is a topic well covered, but please forgive me because I am still new here.

I want to get some feedback on serrated versus plain edges. I've never been a "knife guy" (just general weapons/survival interest), but am getting more into blades every day. In my experience, a serrated edge is better for cutting through things such as rope, where as a plain edge will be better for puncturing things, will also maintain an edge better, and is easier to sharpen.

I'm looking at the Spyderco Military model as my next field knife, and am attracted to the serrated model due to what I perceive as more functionality in field use. It also has a plain tip, which is a boon for puncturing through things.

Do most people here carry plain or serrated? Is there more than meets the eye here? Thanks.

Semper Fi.
 
You'll undoubtedly see a plethora of so-called "purists" who will trash serrations and claim that a well sharpened straight edge is as good or better.

I disagree. I may be a "knife nobody" but for me, Joe Average, serrations work better than a straight edge for SOME applications. NOTE: I said SOME applications for those of you who unfairly choose quotes selectively out of threads to bash.

There is a very interesting article at Mission Knives website: http://www.missionknives.com
which is based on a 1996 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED article with input from Spyderco's Sal Glesser. Please read it.

It basically breaks down and explains why serrations work.

I prefer work knives to have some serrations. 50/50 (straight/serration) is too much. I prefer 60/40 to 70/30.

For tac-knives, I prefer straight edge only.

Some say it's best to carry a one straight edge, and one serrated knife. Choice is up to you.
 
Lt,
I thought we told you to get a MicroTech- check or hold?
smile.gif


But yeah, you're right, the plain vs. serrated debate has been waged here many times. If you use the search function I'm sure you'll be able to dredge up a good deal of info from past threads that is still quite relevant. In the meantime here are some thoughts on the matter:

-I think it's fair to say that serrated edges tear better than they cut. Analyze carefully the type of cutting chores that you'll most likely encounter.

-As my ability to sharpen plain edges has improved, I find that there are fewer and fewer materials I feel I can cut more efficiently with a serrated edge.

-I'll readily admit that a dull serrated blade will "cut" better than a dull plain edge. However, if you're really using a blade, at some point you're going to have to sharpen it regardless of whether it's serrated or plain. Consider the implications.

One last point, when you're out in the field, any folder is a marginal (at best) substitute for a good fixed blade
wink.gif
.

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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
Bronco,

I think you'd find the article at Mission knives's website interesting as well.

I think Sal Glesser would disagree with you in saying that a serrated edge "rips". Nor does it "saw". As the article points out, a saw's cutting edge is the tip of each tooth.

Not so with a serrated blade. The serrations help grip the surface being cut, while edge actually does most of the cutting.

A good serrated knife will slice through a piece of paper at a given area of the blade; in between the serrations. That won't work with a saw.

Actually there is some sawing action no doubt. However, the blade is inherently sharp.

 
LT,
I prefer plain edge except for the Military. I love the serrations on that knife. You can not go wrong with a serrated Military in the field.

Semper Paratus!

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~Greg Mete~
Kodiak Alaska
 
Partially serrated edge is my #1 choice by far! (Gives me both edges in one blade, can do and makes my cutting tasks much easier!)
"Best of both worlds I feel!"

All plain edge would be my 2nd choice.

 
Hey Lt,

Copy and paste the link below, it will take you to FAQ section here at BF and more specifically to a very good article that addresses your question, but in the end you will need to make the call as to which you prefer after handling both (Serr & plain).
http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqser-plain.shtml

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-------------------------
Marine Sniper Motto:
There's no use Running, you'll only Die Tired!
 
Thanks for the feedback. I just read those two articles and though not revolutionary, they were good reading.

I feel more comfortable now with my choice of the (mostly) serrated Spyderco Military.

Bronco: I actually ordered BOTH the Military and a MT SOCOM Elite Auto (black Ti with combo edge). I'm going to use the Military as my primary field knife for now, but will experiment with the MicroTech to see how I like their design and to see if using an Auto knife is in my future.

Again, thanks for all the help.
 
Originally posted by LtUSMC:
Do most people here carry plain or serrated?
Click to expand...
I've a feeling most here favour plain edges. Most of the time they're the most useful, but I recently bought a 100% serrated small folder and have found it to be just as useful as I'd hoped to. A larger one could happen.
But combo edge: Never again.



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Urban Fredriksson
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
Latest update: A Russian hand made hunting knife

"I've always been fascinated by Scandinavian knives [...] they're simple, in an advanced way".
- Bob Loveless
 
Lt -

As an old 03, I suggest you reconsider Bronco's excellent advice. For the field, it just doesn't make sense to be discussing folders. Go look at www.striderknives.com and spend the money wisely.

If you really think a folder is worth carrying in the field, think big and brawny like an Emerson Commander or Recat. The knives you're looking at are great for liberty, but they seem at odds with my experience in the bush.

Semper Fi
 
I gave up on serrated edges 30 years ago when I was in college. I started a door-to-door sharpening business to earn money for school. I learned to hate serrations, which at the time were confined to kitchen knives. They are a royal pain to sharpen. About the only thing I learned to hate more were heavily chromed junk knives.

I ran some cutting tests and determined that I would rather use a coarsely sharpened blade than a serrated blade. It worked better on most materials and was a lot easier to sharpen.

My one question to you is, "what are you going to do with your military when it gets dull?"

The military has a very nice blade profile for a smooth edge as well as a serrated edge.
 
Get the combo edge. A happy medium is the best choice when your in the middle. The serrated part may come in handy when you need it. If your worried about re-sharpening the serrations. Have no fear Spyderco makes a stone form fit to the cuts on the blade.

I use a fully serrated merlin alot. The tool puts the edge right back.
 
Rather than a partially serrated edge why not use a full plain edge and have the spine or the other edge of a double edge knife partially or fully serrated ?
 
jbravo, no doubt a fixed blade is superior for serious field use. That is why I carry a bayonet. I would use a Chris Reeve or a Strider type knife, if I wasn't carrying an M16A2. I've always been a big admirer of the art of the bayonet.

My folding knife is there almost as an afterthought. It's ALWAYS on me (field, liberty, etc.). So although it's not a primary tool, it still might as well be the best out there.

I got my MT Socom Elite today. I'll get my military next week and compare the two.
 
I carry a little Cutco folder on my keychain, an astoundingly sharp little toy, and it has one serrated and one plain blade. It helps if you think of serrated blades like saws, when you're in a situation where you can rest the edge against the material and work it in a sawing motion, the serrated edge will go through it like water. If you need to make a straight slash, however, a straight edge works considerably better. If you can get a knife with both, more power to you.
 
I tend to prefer a plain highly polished edge, I cutting and slicing tasks tend to be push cuts, mostly food prep. When assigned to watercraft patrol I always carried a serrated Spyderco, usually a police model or delica. Rope (line in the maritime nomenclature) was the prime cutting material. There are a couple of people still alive today because my Spydercos could make fast clean cuts and could open quickly with one hand. (maybe I'll post the stories at the Spyderco Forum one day)
Either way you can't go wrong with military, it is a great knife, one of my very favorites. You're probably going to end up buying both eventually, might as well get it over with and order them both at the same time
smile.gif

Be safe,
Chad

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"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell
"Those who hold the thin blue line keep order, and insure that anarchy and chaos will not prevail."
 
My folder, a Blackjack Mamba, has a reverse curve blade. This gives an aggressive cut. Fifteen years on its still in use.

I had a spyderco, 50/50, which I liked very much. The serrations were great when your hands were wet, cold and dirty. Very good on those tough materials that you come across in the military. Though I did sharpen the serrations a few times, my thought was that after a few years of good use and the serrations were worn I would bin it and buy another. I lost it before my theory was put to the test.

Do not try to buy a folder to replace a fixed blade. They cannot compete. The folder is for those little everyday cutting chores. Go one step up from a SAK; (though I carry a SAK Huntsman as well). For example the Al Mar Sere 2000 is as big and as robust as you need to go.
 
All 5 of my Spydercos are serrated. I'm gonna have to get one in plain eventually! I must say that a serrated blade is really nice for cutting through tough materials. But for simple stuff like opening envelopes, boxes, anything related to food - it would be really nice to have plain. And since all I seem to carry my SAK for is the screwdriver(I hate digging my finger nail into the side of a knife blade... I'm addicted to the Spyder hole!
smile.gif
), I need to get another knife. Hmmm... Dragonfly or Calypso Jr? So many knives, so little money.


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John Rollins Jr KD7BCY
http://jrollins.tripod.com/
http://www.geocities.com/jrollins.geo/
 
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