serrations or not to be

snorkem said:
thats something i didnt think of beofre, serrated knives are MUCH harder to sharpen then plain edges and im more wiling to ship them back to the manufacturer. you need a set of diamond rods and even then it is possible to mess up the angle
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Actually they sharpen up just fine with the Sharpmaker. The dvd that comes with the Sharpmaker explains how to do it. But it's very simple and by using the preset angles of the Sharpmaker you won't mess up. I've never had to spend more than a minute or so touching up my SE Spydercos.
 
Serr knives if the whole blade is serr then i can edc them for cutting task,bm has the blade half serr i hate that knife design,what use is that...
 
I'm glad we're given the choice, but personally don't need or care for serrations. My two major objections to them are a) not good for making clean, precision cuts, and b) since they're ground on only one side and more acute are much easier to damage or even break a "tooth", and pretty much impossible to restore after that happens.

But, like recurves, if you do a lot of that kind of hard cutting on a draw, I can see where they have their place. That place just isn't in my pocket. :)

And BTW, Merry Christmas!
 
With most knives I will try and get them without serrations. If the knife is a major investment I will always get them without if that is what I want. If I'm spending that much I will get exactly what I want. Often partially serrated knives are more available and less expensive than their plain edged counterparts so going partially serrated is always a temptation.

Sometimes I want a partially serrated knife. I just picked up a Blackhawk Garra II and I decided to go with partially serrated. I think I liked the look of the plain edge better, but a number of factors made me choose the partially serrated. One consideration was that it was 25% less expensive than the plain edge. Also, the addition of serrations, at least to me, makes it look more like a working knife. In my state a knife cannot be carried for offense or defense, so those serrations take what looks a lot like a slashing blade (hawkbill, although it actually is also a working blade) and gives it a "work-like" look, or more of an argument that it is carried for work. That may or may not be true, or relevant, but along with price (although the plain edge was in my budget) I gave the nod to the serrated despite the plain edge also being available.

I carried an all serrated Spyderco Endura and Copilot for many, many years, so I do appreciate what good serrations can do.
 
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Serrated Spydercos is the only way serrated knives should come.
I think that one of the only thing one won't be able to use a serrated knife for, is shaving! :D
Also, I've found serrations a pain when whittling/ carving wood.
Otherwise, a serrated knife (a good one, alas Spyderco) will outperform any plain edge knife. It also keeps the edge for noticeably longer. Sharpening is easy, when using the Spyderco Sharpmaker.
However I must admit, I do like the simplicity of PE more.
 
Razorsharp1986 said:
...a serrated knife (a good one, alas Spyderco) will outperform any plain edge knife...
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I'm curious how you came to this conclusion.

My experience has been the opposite. I have been able to succeed at cutting tasks with a properly sharpened plain-edged blade when serrated knives, including Spyderco, have failed to do the job. I have even ground the Spyderco serrations off of my one knife that had them. I don't find them to outperform a plain-edged blade, unless that plain-edged blade is dull.
 
What tasks could you not do with the SE blades?

Regarding sharpening, I find it to be quite easy using the sharpmaker rods. Doesn't take me any longer than my PE knives, and I've gotten my Manix 2 and Spyderhawk both hair whittling sharp using the white rods.

With a well sharpened SE edge I don't find some of the more precise cutting I do to be difficult at all, and in some cases it's easier. Trimming finger nails, opening mail, cutting out newspaper articles, trimming a small thread, cutting up leather with the tip and finely slicing foods are some examples I can think of.
 
On our CATRA testing, our serrated edge will generally stay sharper longer by about twice as much as a plain edge given the same steel, heat trreat and edge thickness.

sal
 
Kbrasmodeler said:
I have been able to succeed at cutting tasks with a properly sharpened plain-edged blade when serrated knives, including Spyderco, have failed to do the job.
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Just curious please what those tasks might be. Not disagreeing - just curious as I am a fan of the serrated edge.

And thanks Mr. Sal for that info.
 
OK, I'm interested. I generally prefer a plain edge, but Spyderco serrations work very well also. My biggest gripe has been that the serrated knives are often not that sharp, and some require special stones to sharpen.

I will say that some jobs like cutting sheet plastic are a dream with a sharp serrated blade. Of course, a sharp plain edge works well too.
 
powernoodle said:

Just curious please what those tasks might be. Not disagreeing - just curious as I am a fan of the serrated edge.

And thanks Mr. Sal for that info.
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Mostly anything fibrous, like rope or fabric. I found the serrations snagged on the fibers, whereas the plain blades sliced through. I also find that plain blades cut more cleanly.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Try to keep in mind that "Not all serrations are created equal".

sal
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Thank you Mr. Glesser!! :) Because I had tried quite a few serrated blades over the years. But when I got my first Spyderco knife which was a Mariner model back in 1995 I immediately seen that top notch, well designed serration patterns are the difference between day and night when you compare them to bargain basement crap that you would get at "rip-mart"

Even Spyderco's kitchen cutlery is head and shoulders over high priced, German made blades like JA Henckels ( who I think makes a good quality knife overall)>> but Spyderco's kitchen cutlery performs much better in my opinion.

I EDC at least one blade daily that is fully serrated. And I usually only carry something with Spyderco's great name on it.

Hey you guys and gals who have had a bad experience with serrated blades. Please just give Spyderco one try>> I think your mind will change quickly :cool:
 
Vivi said:
What tasks could you not do with the SE blades?

Regarding sharpening, I find it to be quite easy using the sharpmaker rods. Doesn't take me any longer than my PE knives, and I've gotten my Manix 2 and Spyderhawk both hair whittling sharp using the white rods.

With a well sharpened SE edge I don't find some of the more precise cutting I do to be difficult at all, and in some cases it's easier. Trimming finger nails, opening mail, cutting out newspaper articles, trimming a small thread, cutting up leather with the tip and finely slicing foods are some examples I can think of.
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Hey Vivi I'm curious as to whether or not you've ever tried Spyderco's 701 Profile set for sharpening serrations? I had used the 204 Sharpmaker a lot on serrated blades and had some success. But when I got a set of Spyderco's 701 Profiles and discovered how to match up the radii to fit the scallops and the corners to do the spike parts of the serrated blade with I discovered that I can get serrated Spydercos Spyderedges just as sharp as they come from the factory ( actually sharper if you have some patience)

I'm currently checking into getting one of Spyderco's "Goldenstones". I've heard it may even be just as good or better than the Profiles. But if you take the time to do Spyderco's serrations manually with those Profiles I think you will be rewarded nicely.
 
While I have not used them. I got too handle a partialy serrated kershaw zero tolerance 200 at a knife shop near me. They were nothing like i'd seen before. Almost looked like very uniformed teeth(they were all one size). Ground very deep I could not tell if they would work but they looked like they would cut very well.
 
JD Spydo said:
...Hey you guys and gals who have had a bad experience with serrated blades. Please just give Spyderco one try>> I think your mind will change quickly...
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I have actually used Spyderco serrated knives. Don't get me wrong, I love Spyderco knives, but I still prefer plain to serrated. My current is a Byrd Raven, which I bought as a combo edge, which had serrations just like the last Spyderco I had. I ended up grinding them off, and now I find the knife much more useful.
 
I used to carry with half serrations (large folders) but came to realize I just used it as a crutch for not maintaining the edge properly. The past 5 years or so I've stuck to a plain edge, and with experience on maintaining it I find that (for me) it does a much better job on everyday tasks.

I recently bought my son a new knife and chose a plain edge for him for that same reason, to teach him to upkeep the edge. And yes, serrations require upkeep too, but given the increased cutting edge and sawing motion it dulls much slower. That is also why cheap kitchen knife sets have serrations. Later if he wants one, that'll be his choice, but for now it is a plain edged Centofante 3 he gets. ;)

-MJ
 
In my opinion, a straight edge blade will slice through skin more easily than a serrated edge. Put the same amount of pressure on a blade and slide your fingers to feel the sharpness of a straight edge compared to a serrated edge of same brand/quality. I for one will more likely cut my finger from the plain edge than the serrated edge.

To answer your question. For self defense I will carry a plain edge.
 
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