Think about it...the serrations BELONG on the FRONT part of the blade.

L

Lavan

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Nov 8, 2000
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A few years ago when I first got "into" knives, I got a Victorinox One Hand Trailmaster (Trekker now) and after reading the review ....AND.... succumbing to my own ignorant prejudice from the way MOST knives were, I removed the serrations. I also skinnied the blade down to sorta Delica profile.
This week I got ANOTHER Vic SAK One Hand TREKKER and am leaving it alone.
When I removed the serrations on the first one, I did not pay any attention to the nice chisel grind on the original and I profiled it in a V-edge.
The new one works SO much better. (As the old one would have if I had let it alone)

BUT..... they have it RIGHT with the serrations on the FRONT of the blade. My Delica full serrated educated me to the advantages of a serrated rather than plain blade. However, plain is also useful.
And WHERE do you use the plain edge the most? Sharpen a pencil. Strip a wire. Whittle a stick. Do a pull cut. And WHERE on the blade is that usually done? Near the HAND....for control.

And what if you happen to cut something on a hard surface like a plate or tile or whatever? With serrations on the TIP of the blade, the peenty points take the friction and the edge doesn't go away.

And where do you NEED serrations? When you're REACHING to cut something with minimum effort. Cutting a line, a seatbelt, netting, etc. Having the AGGRESSIVE part of the edge at the FARTHEST arc of the knife makes more sense.

So I hereby announce the changing of my mind and the DEnouncement of the serrations at the back part of the edge.

RIGHT? WRONG? (check prejudice at door and consider)

:)
 
I agree. I think most companies place them at the the rear for looks and ease of production. Plain edge near the choil where leverage and control are the highest, serrations on the front for slicing. . .
 
I redid my serrated Salt one blade so it was a plain edge in the back for sharpening pencils and other such tasks. I left it serrated although less aggressive at the tip when I reground the blade.

I have suggested this tip serration pattern to Sal and others that make serrated edges in the knife world. It seems to make sense particularly on marine or sailing knives. I don't know why the option isn't available in all knives though. I know A.G.Russell sells one that has the serrations on the tip: the SeaMaster.

I guess if you own a multi million dollar yaught that $275 is a drop in the bucket but to most that is a hefty price tag on a user that could end up easily being a looser at sea should you drop it. Most boat owners I know prefer cheap knives they can afford to easily replace over a high dollar one.

http://www.agrussell.com/content/view/full/7576.html
 
No, they go on the whole blade, silly.

20008754et.jpg
 
Lavan said:
My Delica full serrated educated me to the advantages of a serrated rather than plain blade. However, plain is also useful.
And WHERE do you use the plain edge the most? Sharpen a pencil. Strip a wire. Whittle a stick. Do a pull cut. And WHERE on the blade is that usually done? Near the HAND....for control.
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You make some very good points, and I have to say, for urban utility use, you're quite right.

For outdoor use, though, you make more use of the tip (drilling, caping, detail work when whittling) and belly (skinning, gutting, food prep) of a blade. For that sort of use, serrations at the tip end would get in the way. So serrations at the front aren't necessarily better for *every* use. So I guess it depends on exactly what sort of materials you cut most often!

(You could also make an argument for putting the serrations towards the tang, in the more "traditional" location: to get more leverage when cutting tough, fibrous materials, which is what serrations are intended for.)

Considering the sort of use most people put their knives to in the Real World, it *is* surprising how few designs put the serrations at the tip end. I blame it on prejudice: the casual knife buyer is so used to seeing serrations at the tang end, that tip-end serrations just look strange. Gotta remember, most people buy a knife for looks, since they rarely know enough about their function to know better. Which explains why 90% of the knifes bought these days are P.O.S. Chinese crap. :barf:
 
Yeah, I think the SAK has just seduced me again for the "versatility." I have owned the new one for 2 days and have used the screwdriver 3 times, the awl (fingernail cleaner) a couple times, and the itty bitty screwdriver on the yard sprinkler. The blade has only opened a letter and a blister pak.

Fer duelin grizzlies, ah thank ah wud wont a heftier hunka blade, though.

:eek:

I don't think I have .....EVER....used the can or bottle opener.

But OH HEY...........that ......... SAW.....
Goody on the saw!
 
"You could also make an argument for putting the serrations towards the tang, in the more "traditional" location: to get more leverage when cutting tough, fibrous materials, which is what serrations are intended for."

That is my argument exactly and I make it so.... :thumbup:
 
Lil Timmy said:
You should let all the major knifemakers know that they have it all wrong. ;)
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The fact that Cola has been around for nearly a century or so doesn't make it any healthier. ;)
 
I hate to inform you that you're not the first person to think of this. It's been discussed many times and it does make sense. I've been trying to do something similar when sharpening, I put a high polish on the knife near the tang and leave the front part of the knife with an aggressive toothy edge. It actually works quite nicely.
 
You should let all the major knifemakers know that they have it all wrong.
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Gotta change that to "all the MINOR knifemakers" as I don't think there is ONE that can match Victorinox for "major."

And THEY'RE the ones puttin em on the front.

:)
 
Just to be the devil advocate I think a properly sharpened plain edge will do anything a partial serration will to anyway...I don't want them on my knife at all! :D
 
blades at the front should be available for stabbing, even though most of us dont use them for this anymore in our civilized daily lives, but maybe its just the history or essence of the blade which knifemakers are consciously/unconsciously trying to preserve when they put serrations towards the back.
 
I use the serrations primarily for cutting line and rope. I prefer them to be at the rear of the blade. And while it's true a plain blade can do everything a serrated blade can, the serrated will get the job done for a longer period of time between sharpening. Sure it may not be a pretty cut but....
 
I prefer not to have serrations at all- a 100 grit edge on part of the blade does that job for me. However, if I have serrations, I want them at tip. Easier to use.
 
Lavan, your observations remind me of an article in Tactical Knives magazine that I read a couple of years ago. The piece was about utility of edc knives and mentioned a French folding knife that had the serrations at the front of the blade. The author also stated that, in his opinion, serrations were best in front. His view got me thinking and I decided that I agreed with him, even though it was a rather novel concept. I agree with you now! The next step is to find a manufacturer who will agree... :D
 
I remember Spyderco made a Police model with a reversed combo edge (aka the serrations near the tip) a few years ago.
A friend of mine (and a gifted knife designer) also made an improvement: he put the serrations in the middle of the blade, so you can have an inch (or more, depending on the blade length) of PE at the tip and another inch near the choil.
 
in the middle? isnt that hard to sharpen?? sharpen 1 PE part, then the other, then the serrations?? i just cant picture that.
 
Wrong!

On a hunting blade you need the plain edge in the front to do fine caping (removing the skin from around the head for mounting) which is a somewhat delicate process (for me anyway).

The serrations are good for the major gutting but the plain edge is better for skinning.
 
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