Partially serrated blade or plain edge?

[elkhunter2018]

I have always carried partially serrated, either Kershaw or Benchmade. Just this past year I switched to a plain edge Spyderco, and I love it. The resharpening issue that others have pointed out is my issue too. I have the same issue with the Tanto blades. My amateur resharpening messes up the first serrations or the Tanto transition, so I hesitate to sharpen them and wind up with a dull knife in my pocket. This plain edge is easy for me to keep perfect, even when I sharpen it. I'm also loving the Spyderco brand.

 

[walleyepw]

For my edc pocket knife is straight edge. I use it for cutting open packages, strings, tape, lunch, snacks.... But the the other knife I carry every day is for personal protection needs. This knife is partialy serated blade. So I carry both. each have their use and most used is the pocket knife.
My question is what about fully serated blades?

 

[drm-hp]

For EDC I prefer a plain edge.

 

[seedubs1]

Bead knives are the only knives that should be serrated

 

[Sniper 79]

Deal breaker for sure. I won't buy a knife that isn't half serrated especially for an edc. Serrated cuts with ease carpet, cardboard, rope....whatever. Smooth edge don't stay sharp.

 

[ditcherman]

I love my Spyderco Endura full serrations, but I am putting my knife to hard use nearly every day, cutting strings off rolls of tile and cutting the tile itself and general farm work. I have a partial serrated Endura for Sunday carry, you know, no work that day and all. I go through a knife every year or two, and have all my knives I've had for the last 15 years.

 

[Dead Duck]

I think serrations are useful for people who choose to polish the bevel and apex of the non-serrated portion of the blade. If not, I don't see a point, unless you're not comfortable with sharpening. My non-serrated edges will cut webbing, rope, and other fibrous materials as well if not better than any serrations I have used because of the way I sharpen. They will also do things you can't do well with serrations like shear/push cut something that needs to be cut that way.

Serrations are a one trick pony, so if most of your cutting tasks don't align with what they do well, it's not a great choice. If you have serrations as a crutch for not being sharp, you're going to spend a lot of time sawing stuff. If you have something specifically intended for emergency use cutting cordage or webbing, then serrations do make sense as long as they are designed well and sharpened well from the factory. In those cases, a blade with the serrated cutting edge on the inside of a curve (like a hawkbill) will make even more different.

So Rhino....
Serrated or plain blade. Which one hurts more.

 

[rhino]

So Rhino....
Serrated or plain blade. Which one hurts more.

Serrated, by far. It's not even a close contest, unless the non-serrated blade is so dull that it's more of a laceration/tear than an incision.

 

[Oneto1]

I like the straight edge for ease of sharpening, and I don't really have a use for the serrations. I use a box cutter at work as we have stacks of replacement blades and I would much rather change a blade out than knick one of my favorite edc's

 

[rhino]

It's been a long time since I've encountered a new box cutter blade that I would consider sharp!

 

[Sylvain]

It's been a long time since I've encountered a new box cutter blade that I would consider sharp!

Box cutter blades are usually sharper than the average "non-knife-guy" dull pocket knife.It's why they consider box cutter blades sharp.

Of course if you keep your EDC blade razor sharp then no commercial blade is sharp enough to you.

I'm always amazed by the number of people who use dull blades everyday.But to them it's as sharp as a blade can be.
Then you give them your EDC knife to try and they are like "OMG that thing is crazy sharp", you test the edge and think "yeah, I need to sharpen that thing it's getting dull".

Also a lot of people injure themselves with dull knives.

If I see someone struggling to cut something with a dull knife I happilly provide them with a properlly sharp blade, before they slip and stab their leg.

 

[BillD]

If it stays in your pocket all the time because it's not a multi function tool and only there to stab people, it's not really important what edge it has.

 

[Selfpreservation]

Which type of blade do you like best for an EDC folder? Partially serrated or plain edge?

Sometimes you find a knife you like but they only offer it with serrations, or without serrations.

Is it a deal breaker for you?


I'm not sure which is the most popular in the industry.I've seen several knife models where the plain edge version was out of stock.

My EDC folder is also a back up weapon, so it's without serrations for me. It's a deal breaker for me to buy, but I do have partially serrated folders that were gifts.

 

[ditcherman]

Box cutter blades are usually sharper than the average "non-knife-guy" dull pocket knife.It's why they consider box cutter blades sharp.

Of course if you keep your EDC blade razor sharp then no commercial blade is sharp enough to you.

I'm always amazed by the number of people who use dull blades everyday.But to them it's as sharp as a blade can be.
Then you give them your EDC knife to try and they are like "OMG that thing is crazy sharp", you test the edge and think "yeah, I need to sharpen that thing it's getting dull".

Also a lot of people injure themselves with dull knives.

If I see someone struggling to cut something with a dull knife I happilly provide them with a properlly sharp blade, before they slip and stab their leg.

This is something I'd like to learn. Is it more of a quick tricks and tips thing or a lifetime to master kind of thing? Because I'm 50 and could just keep buying new knives... Seriously though, would you have any good links on where to start? I currently have the Spyderco Sharpmaker, a few stones and a steel but really struggle with getting the really nice edge you are talking about, especially with serrations.

 

[Sylvain]

This is something I'd like to learn. Is it more of a quick tricks and tips thing or a lifetime to master kind of thing? Because I'm 50 and could just keep buying new knives... Seriously though, would you have any good links on where to start? I currently have the Spyderco Sharpmaker, a few stones and a steel but really struggle with getting the really nice edge you are talking about, especially with serrations.

Sadly im not an expert when it comes to sharpening.I mainly use pocket sharpeneres that require no skills to use.

Buying new knives wouldn't be the solution since a lot of knives don't come as sharp as they could be from the factory.

You could start by watching some tutorial videos on Youtube to see if you are using the Spyderco Sharpemaker correctly.
If you are not happy with the edge it could be because of your technique but also because of the type of steel used in your knife.

 

[cosermann]

Deal breaker for me. Plain edge only.

 

[mrm]

+1 plain edge, but I'll consider a partial serrated if it's a good deal

 

[rhino]

Deal breaker for me. Plain edge only.

Me too. I've passed on some excellent deals because it was the partially serrated version.

 

[kolob10]

I like the serrations in the bush but find it too time consuming to sharpen in the field.

 

[tcause17]

It's not a deal breaker either way, but I typically go with a partially serrated one. I work with wire and cables from time to time and the serrated edge is incredibly helpful.