What good is serrations on blade?

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psp7

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Dec 12, 2010
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Hi all, I'm considering an HK-Benchmade auto spring blade, but unfortunately, to me, the blade has a large serration section covering nearly half the lengh of the blade. I've always known serrated blades as only good for cutting rope. What else is it good for and do you care to have it on your blade? Can theybe a challenge to sharpen? thanks
 
ok first ? do you know how to sharpen a knife? if yes, get a pe version and keep it sharp. if no, by all means by a full se version and enjoy ripping threw materials vs slicing them . hope that helps
 
if you can kee em' sharp then their amazeing! but you will need a serated knife sharpener
 
When it comes to folders, I like either all serrations or all straight/plain edge. A combo edge just isn't useful in my opinion. For serrations to be truly effective, you need to use them like a saw. An inch or two of serrations doesn't do much IMO.
 
Are serrations generally a novelty for the most part? I mean a plain edge will cut rope fine also, so why do companies put half plain and half serrated on their blades?
 
I can't figure out why some companies advertise their serrations as being ideal for cutting rope or fabric or some such. Every time I've tried the generic 'three point' serrations that almost every freaking company from Spyderco to Benchmade, Gerber, and Smith and Wesson put on their knives, they've been totally useless for roping, cutting old shirts into rags, etc. As soon as they touch any vaguely fibrous material, they just get snagged, tangled, and end up doing fork-all. The only things I've found they cut well are a) foodstuffs, and b) my hands.

The only decent serrations I've yet found are Kershaw's scalloped serrations and Kabar's serrations, which I've found to to cut materials instead of tear.

tl;dr: I've found that serrations are best left on bread knives and kept far away from pocket knives.
 
the edge lasts longer overall i would say but cant be resharpened so...serrations are overall very poor
 
While pe knives cut/slice many things better, serrations cut other things better, even better than a really sharp plain edge. They are NOT hard to sharpen, they dont need to be sharpened as often, & you dont have to sharpen them perfectly to be effective. I have both plain edge & combo edge knives and like them both, no need to pick just one. The serrations have come in handy many times and 1-2 inches of serrations can accomplish quit a bit. And I often use the whole blade and utilize both the pe/serrated edge in one swipe.
 
Good serrations infrequently need sharpening. On the other hand, a well sharpened plain edge can do anything serrations can do . . . and more!
 
Nikkogi said:
When it comes to folders, I like either all serrations or all straight/plain edge. A combo edge just isn't useful in my opinion. For serrations to be truly effective, you need to use them like a saw. An inch or two of serrations doesn't do much IMO.
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yep small serr on any blades is useless..
 
They have their uses. It makings cutting plastic and plastic like materials pretty easy. I really don't like the partial serrated blades with the serrations towards the back. I do like the ones on the SAK One Handed Trekker at the front for that sort of stuff and it leaves the ability to do some proper work at the best.

Serrations also work well on a fishing boat and a few other places, but have become way more popular for those that don't bother sharpening very often.
 
I guess one thing I can think of good about serrations is that technically you get more blade due to the fractioning(curves) of the serrations. So then it does make sense you wont need to sharpen as often.
 
Serrations are no different than any other knife edge. If you keep 'em sharp, they're very effective (even when limited to 1" - 1.5" of a combo blade's edge). If they're dull, they'll snag & pull, more so when cutting fibrous material like rope. A plain edge, intelligently sharpened to an appropriate 'toothiness', can do just as well. And it'll be simpler to keep it that way over the long run.

The one, SINGULAR advantage I see with serrations, is that if you do have to cut rope or a seat belt or other similar material FAST with only one hand, a moderately sharp serrated edge can both grab & hold that rope while you cut it. It might be tougher to do that with a plain edge, without the rope slipping off the edge before being fully cut.
 
Serrations.... I generally dislike them after buying maybe five knives with the partial serrations. The only one I really like is the Spydie Endura with the fully serrated blade which stays in my work bag for special use.
 
Dorito Monk said:
tl;dr: I've found that serrations are best left on bread knives and kept far away from pocket knives.
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exactly how i feel. if you're going to go serrated, get full serrations, combo blades are just something thats marketed to appeal to non-knife people. they think they're getting " the best of both worlds" but you get better cutting performance out of one type of edge. for me, a nice sharp plain edge slices better than any serration will and is easier to maintain.
 
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