Serrations prove useless--I'm grinding them off

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Jeff Clark

Jeff Clark

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Apr 27, 1999
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I got my Adventurer SAK confiscated at a McCain-Palin rally last fall. Since I can never find one in town I ordered a replacement on the internet. Due to a bad picture and a faulty memory I ordered the Boy Scouts version of an Adventurer, forgetting that they come with serrations. Although I decided that I didn't like serrations 40 years ago I thought I would challenge my prejudices and carry this serrated knife as my EDC for a year.

Now at the end of the year I have determined that my assumptions about serrations were wrong, they are even less useful than I thought. I had thought that if I simply needed to slice through a fibrous material I would find the serrations had an advantage--they don't. I thought that maybe if I chopped into a material with a somewhat tough outer layer and a softer inner layer the points of the serrations would break the surface and cut easier--not true. I thought that if I used my various sharpeners I could improve the serrations sharpness and approach the performance of a plain edge--I couldn't.

What I found is that serrations drag so much that they torque whatever I am cutting and generally cause material to bunch up for reduced performance. I thought that maybe this reflected issues with the serration geometry of the Adventurer, but I saw the same thing when I tried a Spyderco kitchen knife that I own. The simplest things like cutting open plastic bags works worse with a serrated blade than with one of my razor-honed plain edges.

So my year long test is over. I am going to grind the serrations off this knife. I will try another experiment in the process. I have begun to think that a sheepsfoot blade shape is optimum for city boy useage. I kind of want an oversized box cutter. So that's how I'm going to regrind this blade. Take a look at this blade below. Next time I show it it's going to be a sheepsfoot:
 

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I think it has a lot to do with the design of the serrations.

For example, I've found my Endura ZDP-189 (fully serrated) to be an excellent cutter.
 
That's interesting.

Sounds like dull serrations, but I am under the impression you sharpened them.

Serrations can grab onto things, though.

I found I didn't like the sheepfoot blade for carry, since the tip gets much more wear.

Hopefully your experience will be better.
 
I'm with you on the serrations. I also like sheepsfoot blades. I've found over the years that I use the sheepsfoot on my stockman more than any other blade. I have an old Schrade 89ot that I have vacillated on regarding the serrations on the sheepsfoot. I finally decided to just sharpen it as I would a plain edge and let nature take its course.
Bob
 
rdg said:
I'm with you on the serrations. I finally decided to just sharpen it as I would a plain edge and let nature take its course.
Bob
Click to expand...

That's what I'm doing with an old PS Camillus USMC. I convexed the whole thing, including the PS section. I figure it will eventually take on a bit of a recurve shape. I'm okay with that.

Frank
 
My serrations are sharp. I have numerous tools just for sharpening serrations. The problems that I see are fundamental to how serrations work.

In general when I cut something I hold it or stabilize it with my left hand and cut it using my right hand. Serrations have multiple points of contact with material that I am cutting and cause increased drag on the material as I make my slice. A solid object like a stick will pivot from my left hand and cause the serrated blade to bind in the cut. With a straight edge I would be using somewhat more of a push cut and would have less drag for the slicing action and would pivot less and bind less.

I often cut material like cloth or plastic bags. Serrations sort of snag in the material and the increased surface area in the edge scallops increases the work to get through the material. I work harder to get a ragged cut than if I had a smooth blade. This is compounded when the material twists away from my left hand as I make the cut. Even rope does much the same thing if I don't have it secured to something. I might conveniently saw through a knot that pinned to the surface of a structure with a serrated blade, but if I cut a free hanging rope the serrations just tangle up the process.

I am spoiled by thin razor sharp plain edges. If I cut through plastic bagging it is effortless and smooth. If I cut through a rope the force gets high, but it takes only a single smooth push. I was particularly disappointed in the effort required to cut cardboard with a serrated blade. Again I am usually controlling a box with my left hand and cutting with my right. With a smooth edge I usually just zip through the cardboard with minimal smooth transverse action. It is slightly slicing and mostly push cutting. This works without binding with a thing smooth blade. With a serrated blade the box twists and the blade binds. The asymmetric blade grind and the serration points also make the blade wander off my target path. It was outright displeasing to use a serrated blade on boxes.
 
I slice bread with a plain edge knife. It helps if the knife has a long blade, like 10 inches so that you get extra slicing action. I also sometimes hit the blade with a 600 grit diamond hone if I'm going to do much bread slicing. I have some special bread knives that have about 18 teeth per inch (little notches in a smooth blade) that I like better than common serrations.
 
Now I understand why people always say something is "the greatest thing since sliced bread" ... they can get rid of those darned serrated knives, and enjoy owning only nice, keenly sharp, plain edged knives. :)
 
I reground my blade and got it back to razor sharpness. I had to remove a bit more blade width than I might wish and the edge isn't quite as straight as a true sheepsfoot, but it works great. I'll post some examples later. Anyway here is what it looks like now:
 

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I actually like CE blades. My favourite style so far has been the Victorinox One Hand trekker-plain edge close to the blade, serrations further away. The serrations were nice and shallow too, easily enough power to cut through a thick rope. A really sharp PE could have done it, but when (like me) you've been carving or whittling all day, the SE is more effective.
 
I'm not ignoring you Thom, but my reply will have to wait until my muse comes upon me.

WongKI, I don't see how you carve or whittle at all with the end-serrated blade on a Trekker. I would assume you have to have something like a stockman on you for those tasks and the Trekker is backup. If it is just backup then it might as well be PE and kept sharp for the an occasional rope. The serrations are only a theoretical advantage. I just keep a hone in my desk drawer and keep my single PE EDC sharp.
 
Jeff Clark said:
I reground my blade and got it back to razor sharpness. I had to remove a bit more blade width than I might wish and the edge isn't quite as straight as a true sheepsfoot, but it works great. I'll post some examples later. Anyway here is what it looks like now:
Click to expand...

It looks more like a Lambsfoot.
 
I'm going to have to admit that I just can't match Thom Brogan's pun. It's a good thing that my father is not alive to see this day that a Clark should be out-punned. What I will say is that I looked at the blade and was not so much reminded of a foot as perhaps a toe. I thought I might designate the style as a single "New Zealand Camel Toe". These are much like the common camel toes seen on beaches around the world only they are not found in pairs. Sometimes these are alternately known as Kiwi Kameltoes.
 
Jeff Clark said:
I reground my blade and got it back to razor sharpness. I had to remove a bit more blade width than I might wish and the edge isn't quite as straight as a true sheepsfoot, but it works great. I'll post some examples later. Anyway here is what it looks like now:
Click to expand...

Well, there's gotta be a straight man in here someplace. Might as well be me.

Jeff, that's a cool mod. I like it.
 
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