serrations on combat/military knives

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you people don't get it do you?? if you are out in the field and in a combat zone the Serrations will help you cut rope or vines or anything else that you need to cut but faster that just a regular blade will. this is not what you prefer this is what kind of knife you want in combat.
 
richard thurman said:
you people don't get it do you?? if you are out in the field and in a combat zone the Serrations will help you cut rope or vines or anything else that you need to cut but faster that just a regular blade will. this is not what you prefer this is what kind of knife you want in combat.
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Sorry. But I have to disagree with you even if that means I don't "get it," apparently. :cool: A well maintained plain edge will outperform a serrated edge anyday. And it is easier to maintain.

Oh, by the way, just a reminder, the OP doesn't care about cutting rope or vines.
 
thepatriotsoutherner said:
i was wondering what peoples opinions on having serrations on a combat/military knife are. bad? good? if not please explain why if so please explain why. every answer is welcomed.
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marcinek said:
Sorry. But I have to disagree with you even if that means I don't "get it," apparently. :cool: A well maintained plain edge will outperform a serrated edge anyday. And it is easier to maintain.

Oh, by the way, just a reminder, the OP doesn't care about cutting rope or vines.[/QUOTE]

Highlighting the OP's post, could you point out where exactly he states he "doesn't care about cutting rope or vines"?
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In a self defense situation I would rather have a fully serrated knife. Serrations do more damage and cut through clothing better. Surgeons use plain scapels for reason - a plain edge does less damage to tissue than a serrated edge. In a self defense situation there are two types of knife wounds - lacerations and puncture wounds. A serrated blade will cause more damage in both types of wounds.
Combo edge blades are better as edc carry than in a self defense situation. I prefer fully serrated edges.
 
I'm not a soldier or a law enforcement officer, so I might be way off, but from what I've learned reading threads here and from friends in the military and LE it seems that most of those guys (like the majority of people, actually) don't care too much about knives. They'll use whatever works, is affordable and perhaps cool. There's a brand of knives in my country that's marketed towards military/LE users and it's really quite bad and full of gimmicks, but they are affordable and tough, plus they do things like engrave the unit's symbol on the blade.

I'm sure there are very well informed users (and of course some true enthusiasts and collectors as well) in the military and LE communities, but they are probably in the minority. There is also a great variety of different jobs in each branch of the service, not all Marines are kicking down doors nor is every Air Force bloke a pilot, different knives might be better suited to each of their different tasks.

Personally, I like gleaming plain edges that allow clean and precise cuts. I haven't had any problems cutting rope with them, but then nobody was shooting at me. The closest thing to an emergency my knives have been used for has been cutting a horse free from some rope (he got frightened and made a mess) and working on SAR missions where I cut open a couple of riding boots off of injured legs. I recognize the superiority of serrated edges on things like plastic zip ties and similar stuff, but in my daily life a plain edge works better for most things. If I were in the army in a combat outfit I'd probably carry a fully serrated Endura or something like that, since cutting through something fast might be more important than doing it neatly.
 
Alnamvet68 said:
Highlighting the OP's post, could you point out where exactly he states he "doesn't care about cutting rope or vines"?
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Gladly.

thepatriotsoutherner said:
ok every one for a kabar that i want to buy souly for self defence.... should i buy it with combo edge or plain
it sounds like serrations are good for slashing but what about stabbing????
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Unless he's defending himself against vines! :D
 
To answer the OPs question, bc military knives are beaters..

And I like a little seration if my blade is long enough to house it without getting in the way.
 
Franciscomv said:
I'm not a soldier or a law enforcement officer, so I might be way off, but from what I've learned reading threads here and from friends in the military and LE it seems that most of those guys (like the majority of people, actually) don't care too much about knives. They'll use whatever works, is affordable and perhaps cool. There's a brand of knives in my country that's marketed towards military/LE users and it's really quite bad and full of gimmicks, but they are affordable and tough, plus they do things like engrave the unit's symbol on the blade.

I'm sure there are very well informed users (and of course some true enthusiasts and collectors as well) in the military and LE communities, but they are probably in the minority..
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This is very true, I recently got my partner & a few friends into BM & some other choices, but they still don't care all too much. Before, they carried a random S&W folder that probably came with their service piece. From what I've seen it's usually a gun manufacturers knife that they carry - at least in LE.
 
lets say that a blade was going to be thrust in to a zombie head...... serrations or plain edge
i know a zombie apocalypse is never going to happen but its fun to think about
 
thepatriotsoutherner said:
lets say that a blade was going to be thrust in to a zombie head...... serrations or plain edge
i know a zombie apocalypse is never going to happen but its fun to think about
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Since zombies are made of paper and cardboard, plain edge is best:

 
marcinek said:
Sorry. But I have to disagree with you even if that means I don't "get it," apparently. :cool: A well maintained plain edge will outperform a serrated edge anyday.
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LOL, really?? Just curious, have you actually done comparisons? I have more than a few times while at work, and truth be told, serrations cut faster and more efficiently in almost all the tests I've done. This includes things like hose, cable, rope (especially wet rope), petromat, among other stuff. And yes, my plain edge was extremely sharp while performing these tests. I guess for those guys that only need knives to open envelopes or cut the occasional loose string from their dress shirts then yeah, a plain edge can "outperform" serrations. But since I actually have to use my knife at work cutting things like those items mentioned above, serrations have always worked better. Again, thats just my experience from working out in the field and using a knife on an almost daily basis. But what do I know.

Anyway, these aren't my videos, but you might find them interesting.

[video=youtube;buGeulH2Llc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGeulH2Llc[/video]

[video=youtube;Hf0v-W9xICo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf0v-W9xICo[/video]
 
On cardboard, when reinforcing and sizing moving boxes (big, thick cardboard boxes), my Spyderco Urban (plain edge) outdid the full serrated Police.
Of course, the Urban has a slightly thinner blade...like a box-cutter.
And box-cutters are plain edged too.
Hmmmm...
 
I carried a Spyderco Caly 3 for several yrs that was half-serrated. When I needed to cut something "tough," I used the serrated portion. It cut more quickly.
I gave that knife away to a grandchild; still very sharp.
I don't buy half-serrated blades any more...as I turn my folders around rather quickly without using/carrying them...and serrated knives do NOT sell on the Exchange.
Took me months to sell an absolutely NIB Bradley Alias II half-serrated...at a 25% loss.
sonnydaze
 
Torlagh said:
If I am not terribly mistaken, the Geneva Convention says that knives with a serrated edge are not to be used. Personally, if I was captured and became a POW, I wouldn't want to bet on being able to explain that my knife was not meant to be used on people, and having my captors believe me. It could potentially lead to your being treated much worse, even to the point of being declared a war criminal. I personally never had a problem cutting whatever I needed to with a plain edge.
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You have to be making that up.

Serrations are not just for cutting rope and straps, though. Anyone seen a Spyderco Civilian? That is a single purpose knife, and it ain't for cutting a seatbelt. But out where sharpening is not a luxury, the serrations do stay sharper longer.
 
jonnyt16 said:
LOL, really?? Just curious, have you actually done comparisons? I have more than a few times while at work, and truth be told, serrations cut faster and more efficiently in almost all the tests I've done. This includes things like hose, cable, rope (especially wet rope), petromat, among other stuff. And yes, my plain edge was extremely sharp while performing these tests. I guess for those guys that only need knives to open envelopes or cut the occasional loose string from their dress shirts then yeah, a plain edge can "outperform" serrations. But since I actually have to use my knife at work cutting things like those items mentioned above, serrations have always worked better. Again, thats just my experience from working out in the field and using a knife on an almost daily basis. But what do I know.
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You and I have very different uses for our knives. On a regular day at the ranch I cut leather to repair horse harnesses (and I need nice clean cuts), perhaps skin and quarter an animal (and again, precision is important), open feed bags and stuff like that. A plain edge works best for my needs. I agree that a serrated blade will cut some materials faster, but in my day to day life (both in the city and outdoors) a plain edge has more advantages than a serrated one. However, I always have a multitool with a serrated blade handy.

I don't think there's a right and wrong answer to the plain edge versus serrated edge question, it all depends on what you want to do with your knives.
 
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