Serrated vs. Straight

tim8557

tim8557

Joined
Nov 13, 2004
Messages
878
If you were limited to only one EDC folder, would you purchase a straight blade or serrated blade and why?

Thanks in advance

Tim Dowling
 
Plain edge- Much easier to sharpen and just as effective a cutter.
 
Straight blade. Easier to maintain edge and a better slicer (fruit, veggies). It open packages (cardboard) and envelopes smoother. Trims plants cleaner. Carves better. Looks less aggressive to sheeple. These things tend to be the deciding factors for my EDC. Guess it depends what you do everyday.
 
Ready for some flogging?

dead_horse.jpg


Just kidding with ya. :D

Give me a plain edge over a serrated any day. There's not much a serrated edge can do that a well sharpened plain edge can do. I hate combo edges.

However, there is something to be said about serrated edges, especially full ones. If you're doing cutting that doesn't require precision, finesse, or clean cuts, a serrated edge excells.

That's why I carry one of each. My main folder is usually a $150-400 auto or balisong with a plain edge, but I also have a humble $50 Spyderco with full serrations as a secondary. I use the Spyderco most at work, opening bags of food, cutting boxes, that kind of stuff. The serrations make very quick work of boxes and plastic wrap. Yes, the plain edge works fine too, but for this work, the serrated is my choice.

If I could only carry one, it'd be a plain edge. But I can carry two, so I do. The Spydercos are so thin and light I never know it's there until I need it.
 
I would choose a serrated edge. It's also easy to sharpen (with the right sharpener) and I just like the cutting power of a serrated blade. I also think of a possible emergency. Some people say that a plain edge cuts just as well, but if I'd have to cut a thick rope or a seat belt I'm pretty sure a sharp serrated edge (preferably a Spyderco edge) would cut them faster.
 
I should add that a serrated edge lasts longer between sharpenings than a plain edge, so there's that benifit.
 
Hands down choice for The One Blade is plain

Serrations provide brute tearing force even when a blade is poorly maintained. This may be helpful to a small number of folks in a small number of situations.

A plain edge, on the other hand, is infinitly useful. It can function well in a wide variety of jobs, precision and brutish.

A plain edge is much much easier to maintain. Anyone who has spent some time with a cone or profile hone, and a serrated blade would have to agree. Serrations can be hell to recover when the tips start shipping off.
 
if it was for sd id take a se (a spyderco civilian)
but if it was for general use id take a pe
 
I don't like serrations aesthetically but today I had to cut open a PET bottle (Pop/Soda) the serrations on an old SOG Powerplier ripped through it with the greatest of ease. I dont like them, but you cant deny their usefullness.
 
My choice would have to be for a plain edge. A plain edge knife is easier for me to sharpen, and for what i use a knife for a plain edge just seems to work better for me.
 
Plain edge for sure. One reason is that a plain edge is easier to maintain than a serrated one. Secondly, a plain edge can handle 99% of what a serrated edge can do but the same can't be said of the reverse. PE all the way. ;)
 
I agree with most of the people here. Plain edge. Serrations are very useful but they are a pain in the butt to sharpen, and maybe it's just me but whenever I sharpen serrations they look like crap afterwards. I guess if you don't sharpen your own blades or do it very often, serrated would be a better choice. A properly sharpened plain edge will rip through a rope or seatbelt with absolutely no problem.
 
Plain edge, hands down (although I carry both regularly). As has already been mentioned, a plain edge is a better precision slicer, and an all-around more versatile blade. Additionally, I enjoy sharpening my plain edges a hell of a lot more than I do my serrated blades, particularly because I sharpen freehand.

I've been looking at that nice new Buck Crosslock with both a modified spear point and a serrated blade lately; it would certianly make this debate a moot point!

Cheers,

Mike
 
Sometimes I just get tired of maintaining a blade all the time so I carry full serration blade. Either my old Delica or my new Salt 1. (the only two serrated knives I own.) But most of the time I prefer plain edge knives. Kind of hard to sharpen a pencil or do carving with a serrated edge.
 
I doubt that cutting thick rope is better with serration - does anybody tried to test well sharpened normal edge against that things? I may expect linger cutting ability without sharpening, because it is mostly cuts like saw, but kind of cut it makes - limit use significantly for me at least.

I think advantages of serrtion is to make anything cut for sure. Even low end steel will cut the rope if blade is serrated and no need to sharpening.

If you do not cut anything often and don't want bother to sharpen your knife and don't want pay for premium steel - just something inexpensive which may be needed once in emergency situation and shoud cut for sure even in bad condition without maintenance.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
nozh2002 said:
I doubt that cutting thick rope is better with serration - does anybody tried to test well sharpened normal edge against that things? I may expect linger cutting ability without sharpening, because it is mostly cuts like saw, but kind of cut it makes - limit use significantly for me at least.

I think advantages of serrtion is to make anything cut for sure. Even low end steel will cut the rope if blade is serrated and no need to sharpening.

If you do not cut anything often and don't want bother to sharpen your knife and don't want pay for premium steel - just something inexpensive which may be needed once in emergency situation and shoud cut for sure even in bad condition without maintenance.

Thanks, Vassili.
Click to expand...

for cutting rope, especially synthetic rope, I find a serrated edge infinately better. It takes less cuts to part the rope, and it retains an edge much better. for example, I've used a PE knife, with a plain ats-55 blade, and an identical knife with a serrated ats-55 blade. The plain edge, after cutting 1/2 inch polypropylene floating rope, used as a groundline for a trawl of lobster pots, took two pulls to cut through the rope, and it was a freshly sharpened blade. It was quite dull afterwards. The serrated blade took one pull to part the rope, and retained its edge almost perfectly.

I tried the same with two knives with blades of vg-10 as well, and had similar results.
I've found that serrations, when sharp cut cloth, leather, rope, nylon webbing, cardboard, paper and other fibrous materials just as well as, if not better than, a plain edged blade. The key is to keep them sharp, but that is true with all knives.

Pete
 
By nature the serrated will cut and last longer. I love watching the sales guys selling those serrated kitchen blades. They take the brand new knife out and slice a tomato. Then the guy starts cutting into a hammer head with the knife marring it all up and beating on the thing hard making it really dig steel in to steel. Then he is still able to slice a tomato like it is some miracle. These are a prime example of why serrations cut longer. It is the nature of the design.

The serrated knives cut the hammer riding on the points of the edge only and this abuse never even affects the upper portions of the edge in the small and larger serration parts recessed in and up from the points so the knife still slices the tomato just fine for a very long time because the fact is those upper parts of the blade serrations never cut anything but the tomato in the first place. Those parts of the edge are still intact and unaffected by the hammer abuses so of course it still cuts the tomato just fine.

Serrations have their place. I like them for rough tough repeatitive jobs like box opening, paper cutting stuff like that. For rope they are great also.
 
Pete1977 said:
for cutting rope, especially synthetic rope, I find a serrated edge infinately better. It takes less cuts to part the rope, and it retains an edge much better. for example, I've used a PE knife, with a plain ats-55 blade, and an identical knife with a serrated ats-55 blade. The plain edge, after cutting 1/2 inch polypropylene floating rope, used as a groundline for a trawl of lobster pots, took two pulls to cut through the rope, and it was a freshly sharpened blade. It was quite dull afterwards. The serrated blade took one pull to part the rope, and retained its edge almost perfectly.

I tried the same with two knives with blades of vg-10 as well, and had similar results.
I've found that serrations, when sharp cut cloth, leather, rope, nylon webbing, cardboard, paper and other fibrous materials just as well as, if not better than, a plain edged blade. The key is to keep them sharp, but that is true with all knives.

Pete
Click to expand...

How do you compare sharpness of serrated ws plain?

Thanks, Vassili.
 
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