Why do casual knife users like half serrated blades so much?

I never liked em. I think people like them because if you NEVER sharpen a knife they will remain usable for a very long time.
 
The Chef said:
It's all tools man...

I like a serrated, tanto point when I know that the day will have cardboard, twine and rope in it...

I love a nice non serrated recurve for general carry...

Some serrations are better than others too imo...those big serrations CRKT was putting on everything (it seemed) a couple of years ago were terrible, Spyderco's rock, BM's are good and Cold Steel, has some awesome serrations on the voyager line.
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A properly sharpened PE will outperform your CE tanto at each one of those tasks you listed... Plain edge is best at cardboard and twine, and will cut rope cleaner than a serrated edge... It's a misconception that serrated is superior to plain edge for rope. I find that I can cut rope better, cleaner, and with less effort with a sharp PE than with a CE. But I've only cut rope less than 1 in diameter with my knives so YMMV.

I don't understand CE blades. When I first got into knives tantos and CE seemed appealing but I haven't bought one in a year with either of those features.
 
I only got 'into knives' recently, but for quite a few years I have been EDCing a Leatherman Wave & a Victorinox Cybertool. I have also been using one of these: http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=LSLCKEY to keep the blades sharp (which works VERY well on these small blades). In the last 8+ years of keeping 2 tools on hand I have had 3 PE and 1 SE with me and the SE is still VERY sharp despite me never sharpening it. I know many will think that a serrated edge still being 'scary sharp' after more than 8 years is amazing, but it really isn't. It stays sharp because I never use it! I have used the plain edge blade on the Leatherman a bunch of times - it is really sharp and has a dangerously sharp point on the tip. I use the small blade on my SAK for opening boxes and keep the bigger blade clean and sharp for other tasks. With a total of three plain edge blades that are all 'shaving sharp' it is pretty rare to feel I need something else - hence the lack of use of the serrated blade on my LM Wave.

Since I got 'into knives' I have bought a few folders and a few fixed blades - all are plain edge and all are 'shaving sharp'. I have no plans to buy a serrated edge or combo edge knife at this point.
 
They have their place right along with tantos. Ask EMT's why they carry knives that are partially or fully serrated. I come in contact with a lot of those guys on a weekly basis and have yet to see any of them without a partially serrated knife. Likewise, police officers as well, I have seen many of them carrying partially serrated blades. Fire fighters? Doing what they do on a daily basis I wouldn't call them average joes carrying partially serrated blades that don't know any better.
 
I have a few combo edge knives and I find them useful if I can only carry one knife. At work I am often restricted as to what I can carry and a combo allows me to cut more rough things than a PE will. Even at it's sharpest I find that a plain edge doesn't cut bailing straps as well and they dull the heck outta a PE. In most everyday cases though I'd prefer having 1 of each....

It's really just personal preference. And lack of blade understanding in some cases.
 
Compared to most of you guys I'm a casual user. I prefer half serrated blades on purpose. I work with bundles of lumber, packages, and all kinds of other stuff in recieving dept. A plain blade wont cut through the plastic strapping, (holds the bundles of lumber together), on the lumber as quickly as the serrated part of the blade. On the other hand, the serrated part dont slice through plastic wrapping and boxes very smoothly at all. So I use a half serrated blade. Use it everyday all day long. Despite what peoples opinions on half serrated blades are, they are more usable, (depending on your day to day applications), for some people. And I dont want to carry 2 knives either. I know I'm in the minority here, but partial serrated blades have their uses!
 
GMWIGGS said:
Compared to most of you guys I'm a casual user. I prefer half serrated blades on purpose. I work with bundles of lumber, packages, and all kinds of other stuff in recieving dept. A plain blade wont cut through the plastic strapping, (holds the bundles of lumber together), on the lumber as quickly as the serrated part of the blade. On the other hand, the serrated part dont slice through plastic wrapping and boxes very smoothly at all. So I use a half serrated blade. Use it everyday all day long. Despite what peoples opinions on half serrated blades are, they are more usable, (depending on your day to day applications), for some people. And I dont want to carry 2 knives either. I know I'm in the minority here, but partial serrated blades have their uses!
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took the words right out of my mouth...and i think the response about EMT types, LEO's etc. using combo edges is spot on; you gonna call those people uneducated?

...a lot of you "educated" knife users are just too snooty about the PE vs. CE issue.
 
GMWIGGS said:
And I dont want to carry 2 knives either.
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Seriously dude - what the hell is wrong with you? ;)

TBH
I don't see what is wrong with carrying 2 knives - the right tool for the right job!
I have been carrying a LM & a SAK for most of a decade - they have different tools on them for different tasks. I now carry a LM K502x as well - basically 3 multitools with a total of 4 'shaving sharp' blades and 1 serrated blade.


Note:
I may have a slight addiction to equipping myself with a lot of gadgets for lighting, cutting, illuminating, etc.
 
Hence the name-Gadgetaholic!

To GMWIGGS, I suggested this earlier on-Spyderco Microdyad!

(Or Byrd wings if you're on a budget)
 
seeing as ive really only gotten into knives in the past year i think i can give a little noobie insight. from my perspective they seemed more useful. i didnt realize that a plain edge kept sharp can do almost anything a partially serrated blade can do without sacrificing useable knife real estate. the only time a serrated edge is desirable is when you're cutting through fiberous materials.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
Note:
I may have a slight addiction to equipping myself with a lot of gadgets for lighting, cutting, illuminating, etc.
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I feel ya, I'm a knife and light freak too. Well, just getting started good anyways. I do carry 2 lights, but dont want to carry 2 knives. I guess that would make me a hypocrite! :D:foot: Now for that first Sebenza....................................

Back to the discussion at hand. As previously stated, what knife and the blade style you choose is a very subjective subject indeed. I can see why some would think that a partially serrated blade is too little plain edge and too little serrated edge at the same time. But on the other hand, my personal everyday use tells me that combo blades can perform better when using the same knife for multiple tasks. Of course all this is IMHO!
 
sweet_hitch-hiker said:
i didnt realize that a plain edge kept sharp can do almost anything a partially serrated blade can do without sacrificing useable knife real estate.
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If anyone gets into knives in a reasonably serious way (even more so if they do it in an unreasonably serious way) then it makes sense to learn how to sharpen and get good at it. I consider sharpening a VERY important knife skill! I'll often pick one of my knives and strop it for a while when watching TV. Some of my knives sharpen so easily and so well I'm a little frightened of them! My carbon steel Mora can whittle hair and is just incredibly 'scary sharp' - not bad for $12.95! My BK9 is the scariest - should a knife that big really be that sharp? Not that I have gotten around to sharpening it yet, I suppose I'll have to take it out and get it blunt first.

Seriously:
If you don't know how to sharpen a knife - learn!
If you aren't good at sharpening knives - practice!
 
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