Serrations are OK I grudgingly admit

[smegs]

That was the experience I had with the Caly 3 SE. I just used the corners of the rods in the 40 degree slot (20 per side, as the edge was around 19 degrees chisel ground) and sharpened the scallops until I raised a burr, and the used a nearly flat to the stone (maybe 5 degrees) pass on the backside and the knife was nice and sharp again. I then did the same with my Ultra Fine rods, and that knife could pushcut newsprint and the yellow pages very easily, well away from the point of hold. With PE I end up chasing the burr a little more (I try to avoid raising one in the first place), where the chisel grind of the SE makes it quicker (for me at least) to raise that burr on one side then just cut it off with a couple light strokes. I was surprised how quick and easy it was, as I rarely sharpen SE knives (just the CE portion of a couple knives that I very rarely use), so with the proper equipment a SE shouldn't scare you off due to it being hard to sharpen. I've also heard that Spyderco's Pro Files work extremely well at sharpening SE, for those more inclined to freehanding.

Mike

Those UF rods really put the zing back in those serrations. Do you do each serration separately? I do a couple of up and down swipes on each before sliding the knife back to the next one. I also do it backward too. I'll start at the front of the blade and work backward to hit the back of the scallop as I slide the blade to the next one behind it. Seems to have smoothed out that last little bit of snagging for me.

 

[gunmike1]

Those UF rods really put the zing back in those serrations. Do you do each serration separately? I do a couple of up and down swipes on each before sliding the knife back to the next one. I also do it backward too. I'll start at the front of the blade and work backward to hit the back of the scallop as I slide the blade to the next one behind it. Seems to have smoothed out that last little bit of snagging for me.

Actually, I just did the standard sharpmaker heel to tip stroke, though your suggestions sound very good for getting every nook and cranny of the serrations. I was just doing a quick job for the next guy in the passaround to not have a dull blade, and was very surprised how sharp it got with such minimal effort. I differ from what Sal recommends in the DVD by raising the burr and using the minimum angle to cut it off completely with a stroke on the backside of the serrations (in my case maybe 5 degrees, almost flat to the stone) to minimize how much I thicken the edge angle, though with Sal's suggestions in the DVD you can be very sure you have no burr left by using the 3/1 ratio.

As for the UF finish, I notice on my PE knives that when I go from fine to UF the sharpness rises pretty dramatically on my arm hair testing (note that I use the benchstones now, but the same applies for the sharpmaker obviously as they are the same grit). My knives will go from tree topping and grabbling a few hairs a bit above the skin to aggressively grabbing and popping off arm hairs well above the skin (even with coarse steels like my Manix's S30V, but I think the difference is even more noticeable with VG-10, it just takes a sharper edge than S30V for me). I think they are well worth the money if you don't have them yet and want to get a great push cutting edge (or just a showoff edge).

Mike

 

[oli]

I suspect that most people only have some type of flat stone for sharpening their knives. I am sure that some people are scared of a fully or partially serrated folding knife. The thought of opening and closing a sharks jaw everytime they want to use a knife would and should intimidate some people. If you have never used a fully Serrated Edge or a Combination Edge, then you don't know what you are missing. Some people really do not need serrations and would be better served with a Plain Edge. For the record; Goldylocks carried a CE. Don't believe it? Read the book.

 

[hawkinsa21]

I was recently reseating some coaxial cable at home on the outside of the house, I was up a ladder (very stable though!) and using a partially serrated blade to cut the old well fixed in place wall tacks... the blade was bending a bit due to them being wedged right in there, but the serrations ate the plastic like no tomorrow.

The definitely have their place

 

[Andros]

I used to swear by serrations, but I've found that on a properly sharpened knife (eg: proper finish grit for the work it sees, proper edge geometry) they don't do a whole lot ofr me. Then again, I haven't used any spydie serrations, but on a few other EDC knives in the past I've found the only reason they were worth a damn was because the blade steel was so shabby it wouldn't even take an edge like some of my better knives, let alone hold it.

All serrations are not made equal! In my opinion, based on my experience after handling many serrated blades from various makers, Spyderco offers thus far the most versatile, as well as, efficient serrations someone can find.

 

[Andros]

I suspect that most people only have some type of flat stone for sharpening their knives. I am sure that some people are scared of a fully or partially serrated folding knife. The thought of opening and closing a sharks jaw everytime they want to use a knife would and should intimidate some people. If you have never used a fully Serrated Edge or a Combination Edge, then you don't know what you are missing. Some people really do not need serrations and would be better served with a Plain Edge. For the record; Goldylocks carried a CE. Don't believe it? Read the book.

Very nice observation about the sharpening equipment:thumbup:. One needs to have special sharpening equipment for properly taking care of their serrated blades. I have found Spyderco offerings on the matter to be very effective. It does take more time to properly sharpen a serrated vs. a plain edge but, all other things being equal, I have found that the serrated edge will last about twice as much as the plain one will. Regarding the level of sharpness one may achieve, I can only say that I repeatedly make my serrated blades shaving sharp without any drag on the skin.

 

[coop1957]

I like the fact that a serrated blade seems to retain its sharpness longer. I've recently start using a Salt 1 SE as my truck knife. It is considered fully serrated but the tip has a large plain edge. I always envision that a serrated blade will cut a seatbelt (hopefully not mine) better than a plain edge.