Serrations and what they do

Haze said:
I think most people that like serrations have just never used a sharp knife. :p

Yup, I'm not a fan, especially of partial serrations. To me they take ~1.5' of perfectly useable blade and make it next to useless. I have used a vast array of serrated knives and I see no benefit in performance from them at all. If you were to really twist my arm to get me to dissagree with myself, a bread knife would about the best counter to serratins being usless I could think of. :D At the end of the day good geometry is what cuts, serrated edges just last longer because of increased surface area of the edge and decreased point(s) of contact during use, they do not cut "better". :)
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You are correct Sir. Serrations do not cut, they tear.

I've always kept my knives sharp and have not once had difficulty cutting through an object I needed to cut through. Every CRK I have would slice like butter through even the thickest cardboard.
 
Haze said:
I think most people that like serrations have just never used a sharp knife. :p

Yup, I'm not a fan, especially of partial serrations. To me they take ~1.5' of perfectly useable blade and make it next to useless. I have used a vast array of serrated knives and I see no benefit in performance from them at all. If you were to really twist my arm to get me to dissagree with myself, a bread knife would about the best counter to serratins being usless I could think of. :D At the end of the day good geometry is what cuts, serrated edges just last longer because of increased surface area of the edge and decreased point(s) of contact during use, they do not cut "better". :)
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I'm not sure "useless" would be accurate, maybe "less useful for your needs"?

I agree that they don't cut better, but they do saw better, and serrations definitely tear better long after the plain edge goes dull :D

Ian Minton said:
Every CRK I have would slice like butter through even the thickest cardboard.
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I don't appreciate serrations until I have to cut something difficult, like plastic shipping containers, plastic barrels, or zip ties. Serrations allow me to get a cut started, without aggressive push cutting that could lead to stabbing or cutting whatever's behind the tough material.
 
The arguments for and against serrations are endless, and feel most at home on the Spyderco forum. Anyways I wanted to add one tidbit for contemplation that I don't see mentioned too often. The inclusive angle of the blade at the serration is much lower (steeper?) than a normal blade (IE it's less blunt) due to the extra grinding of the scallop. This may be why those that find the serrations "hook" on material and then slice it so easily and well, feel that serrations are so great. I'm not talking sawing here. I'm talking those videos where people are breaking down plastic bottles etc with a serrated knife. So if you can get the curve of the serration to be the point at which the material is being cut, you actually have a very sharp and thin blade.

Myself, I don't care for them, but would like to own a fully serrated Umnumzaan because I think it would look badass. Just wanted to add this point to contemplate.
 
One other point I'll make about serrations. For cutting "tough stuff " like plastic straps or packaging, It seems when you have to force the blade , that's when bad things happen... like loosing control of the blade. If you've never had it happen, good on ya... as for using serrations on steak... then you're in the wrong restaurant! :-)
 
It does look like CRK makes it easy to sharpen them.

I think a factory edge will have trouble cutting though zip ties and other hard plastics. But when you put on your own edge, you can just tap/pushcut the zipties with ease and it'll pop.
 
kidcongo said:
The arguments for and against serrations are endless, and feel most at home on the Spyderco forum. Anyways I wanted to add one tidbit for contemplation that I don't see mentioned too often. The inclusive angle of the blade at the serration is much lower (steeper?) than a normal blade (IE it's less blunt) due to the extra grinding of the scallop. This may be why those that find the serrations "hook" on material and then slice it so easily and well, feel that serrations are so great. I'm not talking sawing here. I'm talking those videos where people are breaking down plastic bottles etc with a serrated knife. So if you can get the curve of the serration to be the point at which the material is being cut, you actually have a very sharp and thin blade.
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Exactly! Each serration is like a tiny hawkbill in the middle of the blade :D
 
When I've had jobs that required opening lots of boxes or cutting lots of strapping I run with a razor utility knife, usually supplied by the employer. Saves wear and tear on my good knife and those razors last a long time if you don't mess up and chip or break them.
The problem I have with serrations is sharpening, I know there are special rods for sharpening them but it just seems clumsy and I can sharpen a straight blade so easily. I'll put a razor sharp blade against any serrated blade on almost anything.
 
I typically don't resurrect old threads but this is worth it...

With Crk terminating production of serrated 21's I got to thinking [emoji848]. Do I need one, am I missing out, will I regret this? So I called a good friend and asked his thoughts. He insisted to send me a serrated Crk to try out and decide for myself. Only one problem...it's wrong handed but I took the challenge. He only agreed to send it if I promised to carry the knife while in my possession.
I've carried the knife for 3 days and I LOVE IT...I'm upset Crk won't be making anymore and I will most likely purchase one ASAP.
I've owned all kinds of serrated blades and I've never been a fan. IMO Crk nailed it with the placement and design of the serrations on the 21. Works amazing for everything I threw at it:
Sharpening pencils, cutting rope/string/mule tape, cutting pipe thread protectors, clean up, cardboard breakdown, etc.







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Even though I personally don't care for serrations too much I really do wish CRK wouldn't discontinue them. Reason is, I love CRK serrations. The way they are done is unique and they also work extremely well. I agree with Terry, mule tape always seems to leave that last uncut strand of nylon... Not with a serrated CRK though. Not to mention, CRK leaves plenty of "straight" blade to strip wire with as well. Best of both worlds IMO.

Next in line for my EDC is a Classic Micarta with serrations, if they ever made such a thing. otherwise, a 21 will suffice.
 
Corytr said:
Even though I personally don't care for serrations too much I really do wish CRK wouldn't discontinue them. Reason is, I love CRK serrations. The way they are done is unique and they also work extremely well. I agree with Terry, mule tape always seems to leave that last uncut strand of nylon... Not with a serrated CRK though. Not to mention, CRK leaves plenty of "straight" blade to strip wire with as well. Best of both worlds IMO.

Next in line for my EDC is a Classic Micarta with serrations, if they ever made such a thing. otherwise, a 21 will suffice.
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Oh they made such a thing! I happened to stumble into a lefty micarta Classic serrated just about exactly a year ago. One of the favorites of my collection!
 
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For me, a serrated blade is like a tanto, some don't care for them but it does serve a purpose. I used to not like tanto's, but now I have several. I just ordered a large serrated LH micarta.
 
T.K.C. said:
I am NOT a fan of serrations, at all.
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I used to say the same thing, until I tried CRK's serrations. I'm still not a fan of other brand's serrations. If you've never tried a serrated CRK, I think you would be surprised at how well they work. Just my .02
 
I gave Crk serrations a try. I figured if anyone could make me like a partially serrated blade it would be Crk. I still didn't care for them... The only Crk I've ever sold. However, I got 115% of my investment back.
 
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