Spyderedge vs. plain

W

WhyNot

Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
298
Can anybody explain this… People are talking all the time about advantages of spyderedge and yet, you can often see “highly desirable plain edge” used in knife description. What’s up with that?
 
imho most folks prefer the PE to the SE, its easier to sharpen, cuts just as well, and gen'ly PE knives are easier to sell, must say i agree i prefer the PE most of the time ( PE civilians just dont look right to me though, nor SE millies) though there is nothing wrong w/the SE, a lot of it is aesthetics i guess........
 
the spyderedges retain their cutting ability longer, but sharpening them is much more work than sharpening a plain edge

also as said aesthetics enters into it
 
Simple, a fair percentage of people who USE their knives prefer the serrated edge as they feel in increases cutting ability. Collectors, on the other hand, tend to favor plain edge because it looks prettier. The advertisments you are seeing that say “highly desirable plain edge” are either being aimed at collectors or (if used in connection with a knife that is neither rare nor in pristine condition) are just a case of someone parroting something they read which they feel will make their item sell better. In a few cases, such as the Mariner and Harpy, it is also an indictation the far fewer of the model were produced in PE, so they are also desirable (to collectors) from a standpoint of rarity.
 
Most of the people on this site are knife nuts and it seems that most knife nuts prefer the plain edge. Spyderco sells a ton of SE knives but they don't seem to play well with your average BF member.

There are some knives that I prefer in PE, some in CE and some in SE. I feel that any thin pointy flat ground blade should be PE. THe Calypso and the G-10 Police make great knives if they are PE. In SE, they lose something for delicate tasks.

Some knives are best in CE, esp larger knives like the Endura. It makes for what I think is a good all around working knife. It is something that you would carry at a job where you really had to use your knife every day. Sometimes, the PE part of the knife isn't as sharp as it should be and then it is nice to have the SE part to get through what you have to cut. Knives that I use at work, don't get treated as well as knives that I use on the weekends. My weekend knives are always razor sharp and keep clean and oiled. My work knives get abused and used.

SE knives are more for specialzed tasks IMHO. My Rescue that I use as my Kayaking knife is SE. SE is also good for self defense type knives like the Cilivian or the Police.

That is my take on it. I think there is a place for everything.
 
another one that doesnt look right to me in PE is the police, just doesnt look right, not that they arent a good knife.

i honestly dont see any need for combo edge in anything myself, usually there isnt enough serrations to really do anything, would much prefer SE or PE to CE in most any knife.
 
A lot of the hoopla and trash talking about serrated blades is just nothing but pure predjudice and lack of knowledge about the ability of serrated blades. I like both blade variations equally. I carry a C-44 big Dyad for most of my every day cutting chores. For you all who are not knowledgable about Spyderco's big Dyad it has one plain edged blade and one that is fully serrated. I use the big serrated blade on the Dyad about as much as I do the plain edged blade.

I also have been carrying a plain edged Merlin ( hawkbill) with me lately along side my big Dyad and there have been a couple of times I wished I had brought a serrated hawkbill instead. With Spyderco's serrations being the very best on the market ( my opinion and I'm not alone) I just think a lot of guys/gals are cheating themselves out of some great cutting tool value of the Spyderedge.

Like a lot of Spyderco's innovations you really have to use them to fully understand and appreciate them. I personally wouldn't want to do without either one of the blade varieties. I thank Sal Glesser from the bottom of my heart for having the guts to be different and the fortitude to market something out of the ordinary. But unfortunately a lot of people purely out of misconception and predjudice won't even try them. I was the same way with the Shabaria model. Then when I got one out of curiosity I found out that looks are indeed deceiving. Take a step forward and give the Spyderedge a try>> you will be pleasantly surprised. JD
 
"Like a lot of Spyderco's innovations you really have to use them to fully understand and appreciate them. I personally wouldn't want to do without either one of the blade varieties. I thank Sal Glesser from the bottom of my heart for having the guts to be different and the fortitude to market something out of the ordinary. But unfortunately a lot of people purely out of misconception and predjudice won't even try them. I was the same way with the Shabaria model. Then when I got one out of curiosity I found out that looks are indeed deceiving."

I know what you are saying JD but I don't think it is due to people not knowing what they are talking about as much as it is the fact that people use their knives in very different ways.

A hawkbill is great a certain tasks but it fails at others. I mostly use my knives at work and I need a tip that can puncture and not just cut. You can't stab with a hawkbill and that is the main disadvantage.

The serrated edge is often overlook I grant you but even it has a few drawbacks. It takes more effort to use a SE vs. a PE assuming both are sharp. For fine tasks a PE is often better. For example, I was having to cut small pieces of tape for a wiring job I was doing and all I had was my SE Rescue, it cut the tape but it was a pain because the serrations grabed the tape and ripped it as much as cut. A sharp PE would have been much better.

For me, a Warncliff blade of about 3.5" in either PE or CE is about perfect for my work EDC needs. I had a CE Benchmade 921 Switchback that was about perfect that I regret trading. That was about ideal for me. I wish Spyderco would make something like that but in G-10 instead of aluminum handles. Make it flat ground as well and omit the secondary blade and you have a winner. I guess the Centofante 4 is close but it is not flat ground and not an Axis lock. A liner lock or frame lock would work as well.
 
kgriggs8 said:
Most of the people on this site are knife nuts and it seems that most knife nuts prefer the plain edge. Spyderco sells a ton of SE knives but they don't seem to play well with your average BF member.

There are some knives that I prefer in PE, some in CE and some in SE. I feel that any thin pointy flat ground blade should be PE. THe Calypso and the G-10 Police make great knives if they are PE. In SE, they lose something for delicate tasks.

Some knives are best in CE, esp larger knives like the Endura. It makes for what I think is a good all around working knife. It is something that you would carry at a job where you really had to use your knife every day. Sometimes, the PE part of the knife isn't as sharp as it should be and then it is nice to have the SE part to get through what you have to cut. Knives that I use at work, don't get treated as well as knives that I use on the weekends. My weekend knives are always razor sharp and keep clean and oiled. My work knives get abused and used.

SE knives are more for specialzed tasks IMHO. My Rescue that I use as my Kayaking knife is SE. SE is also good for self defense type knives like the Cilivian or the Police.

That is my take on it. I think there is a place for everything.
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Agreed. My Calypso Jr is PE, my Pacific Salt is SE. Perfect combo for most chores.
 
Both good, but the SE will CUT faster and through more "stuff" than the PE. The effort required to "separate matter" is less with SE and ...stays....that way longer.
Sharpening with the Sharpmaker is no chore.

PE for whittling and slicing and SE for actually going THROUGH what a PE will just slip on. Cloth is non existant to the SE. It just goes through FAST! And the SE will do cardboard far longer than any other edge. Even if it dulls a bit on the tips. The serrations add cutting length to the blade so it cuts like a bigger knife.
 
Kgriggs now you and I really kind of know each other. I think you misunderstood the underlying message I was trying to get across. I am fully aware of different jobs requiring different cutting tools. And you are right to a degree saying that some cutting chores are just not right for the Spyderedge.

But the point I am trying to get across is that I have indeed met and talked to people who won't even try a serrated edge just based on what they look like :confused: . If a guy/gal can get all of their cutting chores done with a plain edge then more power to them. But in my daily endeavors I need both. I was just simply addressing a bunch of superstitious, pre-conceived non sense about the rumors you hear about serrated blades.

I would challenge anyone that if you would get a big double bladed Dyad that you would marvel at how much you would use the serrated blade. I know because that is how I became sold on them. And I still maintain that a serrated blade does better on fibrous material like rope much faster than a plain edge. I just at least want folks to give them a try.
 
I prefer PE, but when it comes to serrated edges, there aren't much in the same leagues as the Spyderedge. Bites on rope like a rabid wolverine.
 
I prefer fuly serrated knives all the way because:

1. I find nothing more appealing(and I'm afraid I'm the only one on this:grumpy: ) than a fully spyderedged blade :thumbup:

2. They cut much better and faster IMO.

Furthermore I can do almost everything with a serrated blade that most would think a plain edge would be better for. This includes cutting tape, news paper articles, sharpening pencils ect.;)

I won't even buy a Spyder if it isn't at least 60% serrated.
 
I am getting a large Dyad soon...but I'm going to end up paying so much for it that it is just going to sit in my collection! I used to carry the small version, so I appreciate the versatility.

The Spyderedge is definitely the best serration pattern I have seen. I have tried the serrated offerings from several companies (Cold Steel, Microtech, etc.) and the SE from Spyderco offers the best cutting power and ease of resharpening of all of them.

CG
 
spydutch said:
This includes cutting tape, news paper articles, sharpening pencils ect.;)
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The other day I noticed the fully SE is particularly good for cutting kevlar fishing line. This line can easily take the "razor sharp" off of any PE with one cut. With the SE, you can dedicate one of the small serrations at the tip as a line cutter and save the rest of the blade for later.

Also, those "zip lock" food packages that require the top edge to be cut off first are easily dealt with by one of the larger serrations near the tip. I find it more difficult to get a straight and uniform cut on these bags with a PE.

I helps to start out the day with all serrations sharp enough to push-cut paper, but keeping the knife that sharp isn't nearly as difficult as it may seem.
 
spydutch said:
I prefer fuly serrated knives all the way because:

1. I find nothing more appealing(and I'm afraid I'm the only one on this:grumpy: ) than a fully spyderedged blade :thumbup:

2. They cut much better and faster IMO.

Furthermore I can do almost everything with a serrated blade that most would think a plain edge would be better for. This includes cutting tape, news paper articles, sharpening pencils ect.;)

I won't even buy a Spyder if it isn't at least 60% serrated.
Click to expand...

You convinced me; I just bought my first fully serrated knife SS Delica 4.
R
 
Catustomus said:
The other day I noticed the fully SE is particularly good for cutting kevlar fishing line. This line can easily take the "razor sharp" off of any PE with one cut. With the SE, you can dedicate one of the small serrations at the tip as a line cutter and save the rest of the blade for later.

Also, those "zip lock" food packages that require the top edge to be cut off first are easily dealt with by one of the larger serrations near the tip. I find it more difficult to get a straight and uniform cut on these bags with a PE.

I helps to start out the day with all serrations sharp enough to push-cut paper, but keeping the knife that sharp isn't nearly as difficult as it may seem.
Click to expand...

I like that idea of dedicating individual serrations to specific tasks. I'm gonna remember that application. :thumbup:
 
Catustomus said:
I helps to start out the day with all serrations sharp enough to push-cut paper, but keeping the knife that sharp isn't nearly as difficult as it may seem.
Click to expand...

As a matter of fact, most of the times I get my serrations sharper than the PE part of the knife;)
 
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