Serrations or plain edge?

palonej said:
I have one serrated blade, Spydie Pac Salt. I work with a lot of rubber tubing and soft rubber pipe insulation. Nothing cuts both like a serrated edge. Plain edge, no matter how sharp, has trouble starting the cut.
The only time I carry it is at work.....EDC is always PE.
I keep the serrations up with a small diamond rod. Works very well as H1 is pretty soft.
Joe
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I found that if you pierce it with the tip first (in order to propagate the initial crack), it's then easy to slice through things like garden hoses, irrigation line, and rubber tubes, with a non-serrated edge.
 
Usually for my cutting a plain blade with microserrations finished at like a 600 grit seems to do the best. For the rare times I think I'll need a serrated blade I'll grab the leatherman, or an Endura.

For a long time I really wished for a good ergonomic twin blade, one plain and one serrated. There was the buck crosslock....nothing anyone would would call quality. The Dyad is not ergonomic, and the serrated blade has no point. Buck had the selector, but it required exchanging blades. A larger version of the Cold Steel Lucky with locking blades might have a shot.
 
G. Scott H. said:
I have never done a side-by-side comparison, myself, but I think a really toothy PE would do just fine here, as well.
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I've been buying modern folders for a long time, many years ago I bought a Benchmade and before that a Spyderco, both with combo edges. I thought they were the best of both worlds but in the many years I carried them I never recall using the serrated part to cut anything. I started buying only plain edges and never missed the serrated part.

I got interested in testing a full SE blade after I bought a SE ladybug. My daughter and I were at lunch in a fast food restaurant, I was showing her the new Ladybug, and decided to do an impromptu test. I tightly rolled up a paper napkin and stretched in between my hands while my daughter cut it with the Ladybug. Then she did the same thing with her Tenacious. The Tenacious cut through the napkin twice as fast as the SE Ladybug. This is probably not a fair test because the Ladybug has small serrations. I decided that the Ladybug was too small for me so my daughter took it.

I bought a used SE Endura and sharpened it with a DMT diamond rod. Then my daughter borrowed it and hasn't returned it yet. But I haven't figured out what would be a fair test of a SE blade so my testing is on hold for now.
 
Though most of my knives are plain edge (just easier to sharpen), I'm a fan of properly done serrations. They really help make a small knife cut like a bigger knife. I have a couple partially serrated folders, and I'm likely to add more fully and partially serrated knives to my collection.
 
I'd go either all serrated or all plain edge. I carry a spyderco police all serrated and have since the 80's. I find it quite handy and work in the construction trade and have cut pretty much anything that I've needed too at one time or another. I've cut wire, pvc pipe, wood, sheet steel, ect. ect what ever I needed too. It's been a pretty tough edge for my needs. It has it's place just like a good plain edge does. I really don't care for both edges on the same blade though.
 
I generally prefer plain edge, but as a beater knife, I usually keep a mini grip tanto with partial serrations dropped in my pocket for scraping or cutting thru cables and ties. It's my least favorite knife as far as appearance, but I've found it really useful for work. I guess that classifies me as a knife nut tho who carries 2 knives.
 
Plain edge generally but on site an SE blade would cover most of everything since I don't always know what I will cut.

Knife of choice for SE is anything in H1
 
I only like Spyderco's serrations, very handy for general every day use. But usually I prefer PE since its easier to sharpen
 
I like serrated edges and usually carry a full SE and a full PE. I have been sharpening knives for 50 years using all different types of sharpeners and methods. There are hundreds of different ways to sharpen, and they all work if you can figure out how to do them. People who say that you can't sharpen or re-sharpen any blade style just don't know how to do it or don't have the ambition to learn. People who dissect more knowledgeable members posts and nit pick trying to justify their lack of skills are only digging a hole and proving their ignorance on the subject.
It also proves that these people are only looking for a fight. I wonder if they compose their post just for that reason. These peoples post are soon ignored by the very persons who can help them. It's all good, and works out in the end.
 
Dyad. Problem solved!
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