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Why serrated edge blades?
- Thread starter yankytrash
- Start date
I've never cared for partially serratted blades on carry knives. They seem to be a compromise that failed.
From the 1996 Spyderco catalogue, "Serrations work especially well for agressive jobs such as cutting rope, seat belts, cardboard, rubber hose and leather. ...Plain edges generally perform best for chores like wood cutting, fileting and caping."
All things being equal, a serrated edge will cut longer after it begins to dull than a plain edge and it will gain between 10% and 30% more cutting surface. Conversely, plain edges are eaiser to sharpen, they are legal in more jurisdictions and they look less "menacing" than serrated knives in the eyes of most people.
I believe that a knife carried for defensive applications must be kept razor-sharp and not used for daily chores. I carry a Leatherman SideClip and a Micra in addition to my defensive knives. Those are the blades that get used and abused through daily use. I carry my Leatherman Micra on a splitring with an ARC light. The ARC light is my daily lightsource, thereby saving the batteries in my defensive SureFire E2e and the Micra is my daily tasks knife, saving the edges on my defensive knives.
Gomez
From the 1996 Spyderco catalogue, "Serrations work especially well for agressive jobs such as cutting rope, seat belts, cardboard, rubber hose and leather. ...Plain edges generally perform best for chores like wood cutting, fileting and caping."
All things being equal, a serrated edge will cut longer after it begins to dull than a plain edge and it will gain between 10% and 30% more cutting surface. Conversely, plain edges are eaiser to sharpen, they are legal in more jurisdictions and they look less "menacing" than serrated knives in the eyes of most people.
I believe that a knife carried for defensive applications must be kept razor-sharp and not used for daily chores. I carry a Leatherman SideClip and a Micra in addition to my defensive knives. Those are the blades that get used and abused through daily use. I carry my Leatherman Micra on a splitring with an ARC light. The ARC light is my daily lightsource, thereby saving the batteries in my defensive SureFire E2e and the Micra is my daily tasks knife, saving the edges on my defensive knives.
Gomez
If you're carrying a defensive knife, I think that you are better served by a plain-edge than a serrated one. Plain-edges tend to cut through clothing without the tendency to catch that serrated knives display.
It also comes down to the question of why you carry a knife. If it's for defense, use if for that task only to keep it as sharp as you can for when it's needed in that role. If it's a daily-use knife, use whatever you like.
If you need both a defensive knife and a daily-use knife--carry two. They're small, cheap and easy to come by...
That being said, a friend of mine often purchases combination edge knives. His stated use for a half-serrated, half-plain edge? He trims his fingernails with the serrations...
It also comes down to the question of why you carry a knife. If it's for defense, use if for that task only to keep it as sharp as you can for when it's needed in that role. If it's a daily-use knife, use whatever you like.
If you need both a defensive knife and a daily-use knife--carry two. They're small, cheap and easy to come by...
That being said, a friend of mine often purchases combination edge knives. His stated use for a half-serrated, half-plain edge? He trims his fingernails with the serrations...
My personal exsperience is that for most materails a factory serrated, either spyderedge or bechmade, edge will cut through faster than a factory plain edged. I have cut natural fiber, nylon and kevlar strap and line with both and have found the serrated edge to perform better and more consistantly.
My first experience that convinced me of this was with a 4 inch kevlar strap that had been used as a tow line to pull a heavy truck from the mud. The guys had knotted it around the bumper of a mobile drill rig and it was well and truely locked in place after hauling the thing up slope at a hazardous/radioactive waste site. The field manager and I watched these guys hacking and sawing at the strap with a variety of pocket knives (and these boys kept their Case and Buck folders sharp as razors) to no avail. Knowing that I carried more than one knife at any time he looks at me and the following exchange takes place, "They need a knife." "They got knives." "They need a SHARP knife." "Sigh". I squitch-thump downhill, did I forget that it had been and was raining at the time and that I was on a cane from having my ACL replaced, and after a brief and somewhat vulgar explanation from the driller he yanks the strap taught and gives me the "Ok techie puke, let's see what ya got" look. I pulled the Spyderco serrated Delica from my pocket, opened it one handed and cut the strap with one stroke. His, and his crew's, plain edges had been skipping off the strap fibers, but the serrated edge popped them like they were nothing. After that I almost had to buy another knife for them because they kept borrowing mine. I've repeated this with large and small lines and webbing of different materials over and over again.
I have not needed to "saw" with serrated edges, but I have had to take more than one pass at times for very thick materials. Sawing isn't needed and the back and forth motion subjects the user to the risk of cutting themselves. (For those of you that think that only an incompetent would cut themselves this way just remember the serrations are not teeth on a saw and anytime you push towards a blade you risk your warm tender pink parts being rudely introduced to the blade's cold hard silvery parts.)
If you carry a kife for defensive purposes you should never use this knife for other things. It should be left as sharp as you can possibly get it so that should it be needed to save your life it works a well as possible. Carry a second utility knife for the strap cutting, apple peeling, fingernail cleaning and leave the weapon of choice ready for it's purpose. This also gives you an excuse to have more knives, which is always a good thing in my mind!
My first experience that convinced me of this was with a 4 inch kevlar strap that had been used as a tow line to pull a heavy truck from the mud. The guys had knotted it around the bumper of a mobile drill rig and it was well and truely locked in place after hauling the thing up slope at a hazardous/radioactive waste site. The field manager and I watched these guys hacking and sawing at the strap with a variety of pocket knives (and these boys kept their Case and Buck folders sharp as razors) to no avail. Knowing that I carried more than one knife at any time he looks at me and the following exchange takes place, "They need a knife." "They got knives." "They need a SHARP knife." "Sigh". I squitch-thump downhill, did I forget that it had been and was raining at the time and that I was on a cane from having my ACL replaced, and after a brief and somewhat vulgar explanation from the driller he yanks the strap taught and gives me the "Ok techie puke, let's see what ya got" look. I pulled the Spyderco serrated Delica from my pocket, opened it one handed and cut the strap with one stroke. His, and his crew's, plain edges had been skipping off the strap fibers, but the serrated edge popped them like they were nothing. After that I almost had to buy another knife for them because they kept borrowing mine. I've repeated this with large and small lines and webbing of different materials over and over again.
I have not needed to "saw" with serrated edges, but I have had to take more than one pass at times for very thick materials. Sawing isn't needed and the back and forth motion subjects the user to the risk of cutting themselves. (For those of you that think that only an incompetent would cut themselves this way just remember the serrations are not teeth on a saw and anytime you push towards a blade you risk your warm tender pink parts being rudely introduced to the blade's cold hard silvery parts.)
If you carry a kife for defensive purposes you should never use this knife for other things. It should be left as sharp as you can possibly get it so that should it be needed to save your life it works a well as possible. Carry a second utility knife for the strap cutting, apple peeling, fingernail cleaning and leave the weapon of choice ready for it's purpose. This also gives you an excuse to have more knives, which is always a good thing in my mind!
Just my two cents:
While playing with my Benchmade AFCK, I managed to slice my finger with the serrated section. Jagged cut, bled profusely for half an hour despite pressure and elevation. Nasty.
I'd hate to be actually wounded in a knife fight by any kind of blade, but if given a choice, I'd rather be cut with a straight edge.
As mentioned earlier, the combo blade is a compromise. Some of us don't live by HK's motto. I'm sure it'll do what I'll need it to do should the need arise.
While playing with my Benchmade AFCK, I managed to slice my finger with the serrated section. Jagged cut, bled profusely for half an hour despite pressure and elevation. Nasty.
I'd hate to be actually wounded in a knife fight by any kind of blade, but if given a choice, I'd rather be cut with a straight edge.
As mentioned earlier, the combo blade is a compromise. Some of us don't live by HK's motto. I'm sure it'll do what I'll need it to do should the need arise.
I only carry one knife, and use it for general duty. I used to carry a sypderco delica with a full serated edge. I found that it cut very easily and stayed sharp much longer. It wasn't good at cutting paper -- it would mostly tear rather than give a nice cut. Unfortunately, once dull, it was very hard sharpen.
These days I carry a delica with a plain edge. It doesn't stay sharp as long, but it's quite easy to sharpen.
M1911
These days I carry a delica with a plain edge. It doesn't stay sharp as long, but it's quite easy to sharpen.
M1911
Actually, serrated wounds tend to close on their own because of the way the serrations tear through flesh. A plain-edge actually leaves a wound that doesn't close as well (on it's own, that is).
I tend to carry a defensive blade and save it for that purpose only. I use a secondary blade for general cutting tasks.
I tend to carry a defensive blade and save it for that purpose only. I use a secondary blade for general cutting tasks.