The Elitist's War on Bushcraft: Part II !!! SERRATIONS!!!

I thought of this thread the other day as I watched this "expert" show how it is done. :)

[video=youtube;szFcwBbaL8Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szFcwBbaL8Y[/video]
 
Carbon1 said:
Well, how about if your knife has actually been used, and the edge is actually dulled? Take your dull straight edge, and I will take my dull serrations, and I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that serrations will cut circles around the straight edge.
Click to expand...

OwenM said:
He didn't claim that a serrated edge was better than a plain edge for bushcraft, and has only shown that you can use one, while pointing out that in some circumstances serrations can be advantageous.
Click to expand...

He kinda did.

Anyhoo, I think he's doing himself a disservice by the argumentative tone and the name calling. If he were to just do the skills with random tools he'd more likely than not get praise for his ingenuity rather than an argument. Besides I have never seen anyone here say you CAN'T use serrations, only that most people wouldn't recommend it. And that recommendation is born from experience not elitism.
 
Ah, but one could use serrated blades and argue from their experience, they work just fine. And yet, there are those who would insist that they are wrong, not doing things their own way, but wrong, because it disagrees with "common knowledge', or that traditionally, such knives were not used -- ignoring that hand-forged blades would be very difficult to make serrated in any reasonable time-frame. A situation which changed with mechanically produced blades. Likewise, sharpening thise serrations became much easier with the advent of diamond and ceramic rod/cone tools to do so.

Likely these factors had more to do with the lack of serrated field knives than some mystical idea that they do not work.

Snobbery does factor in when you see people who launch accusations and character attacks when you disagree with them. They figure since their way works, it must be the only way, and anyone who disagree must be wrong.
 
And so, as with everyone of these silly dust-ups over inconsequential details, I can only come to the same conclusion yet again - I really don't care what anyone else chooses to use. Carry on.
 
pitdog said:
Totally agree with you buddy, why can Victorinox understand this but nobody else ?
Click to expand...

Serrations don't work so well for skinning game animals, which is why I wouldn't want them near the tip. I definately don't want them near the handle either. What about putting them on the spine near the handles so it wouldn't hamper batoning?

Hmmmm....
 
tiogatires said:
Serrations don't work so well for skinning game animals, which is why I wouldn't want them near the tip. I definately don't want them near the handle either. What about putting them on the spine near the handles so it wouldn't hamper batoning?

Hmmmm....
Click to expand...

Sharpened serrations there would definately keep your finger or thumb from slipping when you choked up on the blade. Better that we have some knives with serrations... partial or full... and some without. Then everyone can try and buy and use what suits them.
 
I hate the look of partial serrations, but they have their uses.

I think we can all boil this down to one, simple statement: "Knife is good.":)
 
Originally Posted by OwenM

He didn't claim that a serrated edge was better than a plain edge for bushcraft, and has only shown that you can use one, while pointing out that in some circumstances serrations can be advantageous.
Click to expand...
Shotgun said:
He kinda did.

Anyhoo, I think he's doing himself a disservice by the argumentative tone and the name calling. If he were to just do the skills with random tools he'd more likely than not get praise for his ingenuity rather than an argument. Besides I have never seen anyone here say you CAN'T use serrations, only that most people wouldn't recommend it. And that recommendation is born from experience not elitism.
Click to expand...

I said that a dull serrated knife will cut circles around a dull straight edge knife. I believe that is a correct statement, and will until someone demonstrates otherwise. Try cutting burlap, canvas, carpet or rope with a dull straight edge knife, and then do it with a dull serrated knife. It's no contest. Again, guys, try not to miss the humor here. And maybe no one has clearly stated here that you can't use serrations, but I am unaware of many, if any "bushcraft," not survival, knives that are serrated. There may be some, I just haven't seen a quality manufacturer put one out there. The fact that 99%, if not more, of so-called "bushcraft" knives are straight edged, definitely makes a statement about what some people feel a "bushcraft" knife should be. Again, serrations aren't my favorite either, but they certainly can be useful in the woods. And on a "survival" type knife, I especially feel some sort of serrations are useful, when you consider that it may not be timely or convenient to touch up a blade under "survival" type circumstances. And since I'm having so much fun using quotemarks, "oh" "yeah", "take" "that!"
 
stabman said:
I hate the look of partial serrations, but they have their uses.

I think we can all boil this down to one, simple statement: "Knife is good.":)
Click to expand...

I agree all day long. If I didn't love knives and using them, I wouldn't be doing this.
 
RogueBowie said:
Another awesome video. I second using a slipjoint for the next vid! A non locking folder for bushcraft!? Oh my heaven! Can I put in a request that it be a SAK? Vic Tinker maybe even? Those are like $16 at Target.
Click to expand...

I thought about doing this, but it's been done a number of times already. Plus, I don't know about many of you, but a SAK was one of my first knives growing up, and I used it to make countless fires, and an endless amount of whittling. I think they've pretty much earned a well-respected and well-deserved place in bushcraft already. I may use one as a support blade, though. I'm sure not every video I make in the future will be in the War on Bushcraft series, and may include just having fun in the woods. Without just doing the endless "Let's make coffee, bacon, and bannock over a fire while I process 3 days worth of wood with my $150 ax for a 1 hour fire while I make it a religious experience with soothing music in the background" type of videos. Keep the ideas coming.
 
Carbon1 said:
Without just doing the endless "Let's make coffee, bacon, and bannock over a fire while I process 3 days worth of wood with my $150 ax for a 1 hour fire while I make it a religious experience with soothing music in the background" type of videos. Keep the ideas coming.
Click to expand...

LOL! And yes, I did laugh out loud. I wonder if they get an extra manscout badge for layering Zamfir over the demonstration of a knee-high pile of wood logs split down to pencil lead size. You better put some Zamfir in the video when you're using the Bear Grylls knife. I need to see 3 buckets full of pencil lead sized wood, 3 buckets of pencil sized wood and 3 buckets of thumb sized wood for your 10 minute fire to cook bacon and boil water for coffee.
 
Last edited:
Carbon1 said:
"Let's make coffee, bacon, and bannock over a fire while I process 3 days worth of wood with my $150 ax for a 1 hour fire while I make it a religious experience with soothing music in the background"
Click to expand...

Haha....I also really liked the "one" where the guy gets a new knife and spends 20 (unedited) minutes making shavings with it, and then batons with it and then makes a spoon. He was also wearing a bushcrafty 'do rag, a la Cody Lundin, so you know the guy knows what he's talking about. It had a really good intro too, showing him hacking at vines and boiling water and making tent pegs over some Native American flute music. And I'm pretty sure you could see his parent's house in the background.
 
Smithhammer said:
Haha....I also really liked the "one" where the guy gets a new knife and spends 20 (unedited) minutes making shavings with it, and then batons with it and then makes a spoon. He was also wearing a bushcrafty 'do rag, a la Cody Lundin, so you know the guy knows what he's talking about. It had a really good intro too, showing him hacking at vines and boiling water and making tent pegs over some Native American flute music. And I'm pretty sure you could see his parent's house in the background.
Click to expand...

Oh I gotta see that. That one sounds particularly funny, although nothing you're describing sounds unusual for the typical 'bushcrafting' video.
 
Bushcrafting: Healthier than battling orcs in your parent's basement.

Seriously though, that Zero Tolerance video is hilarious. I don't even know where to begin...
 
Smithhammer said:
Bushcrafting: Healthier than battling orcs in your parent's basement.

Seriously though, that Zero Tolerance video is hilarious. I don't even know where to begin...
Click to expand...

Yeah that was pretty funny. It is almost so funny and so well produced that I wonder if it wasn't a spoof. It almost has to be, and it is almost certainly a work of genius if it is. He shows tacking a rat trap to a tree to 'get some food' and in the next he whips out a can of soup and eats it. Also, he says 'if I were really bugging out I'd look for stuff like this' while pointing to some tall grass about 3 feet off of a main road.
 
Last edited:
What the heck AIG !! In every other post/vid you put up in the past few weeks to talk about certs and badges? Did you fall from grace with ESEE or what? I am at a miss!!??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top