Serrations discussion.

[yog]

First off I’ll start by saying I’m more of a plain edge person, but I thought it would be interesting to get peoples thoughts on serrations, their uses and design.



I can see the uses of serrations (the points keeping the cutting edges away from anything too hard, more of a cutting surface, etc), but are the Spyderco serrations too pronounced ?

They do feel too pronounced to me, and although they work well on very soft surfaces (foam rubber, meat) and on hard surfaces (garden hoses) , I find they tend to rip more than they cut on medium density materials like cloth, paper, cardboard etc. The best all round serrations I have found are on my Leatherman Wave as they are far shallower.



Why are the serrations on that side ?

For daily chores I find there are two main cutting strokes, the straight draw as in cutting vegetables, and the away from the body slice as in sharpening pencils or a wooden stake. For the straight draw it doesn’t matter which side the serrations are on, but for the away from the body slice the serration points tend to raise and lower the blade all along the stroke making it very difficult to cut. Would the stroke not be cleaner for this type of cut if the serrations were on the other side ?



What would be the advantages / disadvantages of having a blade which consisted of just the smaller double serrations found on the current Spyderco serrations, but shallower so that they coped with the medium materials better ?

[ftkinney]

i sort of agree they work really well on very hard things, cutting open a plastic coke bottle or soft things the top off a thing of bread or fiborus things like rope or the stalk of a living plant, side cutting a round object like the plastic coke bottle etc. i like to think of the serrades as little knives cutting the way you push and pull the knife. i am in the forum minoraty and like a 60/40 or 50/50 if i buy a serrated the only fully serrated knife i own is the harpy which is great due to the specilised nature of the blade shape, i consider the serrated military to be like a 80/20 or 85/15 due to the large plain tip, it works pretty good for detail work.

i don't know about the optium agressivenes but i do know the spyderco serrates are perfict for pencil sharping the large for the wood and the small for the grafite. i've drafted a whole set of plans with a F lumogragh and a tim wegner to sharpen it on a vemco arm, during a trip this summer. i guess autocadd on a laptop would work but thouse buitifull line weights.

i think they used to put the serrations on the other side but i read on the forum where sal said it travels the way of the flat side and most people hold objests on that side, the left. he also said somthinkg about serrations on both sides but the cost was an issue. if i'm missunderstanding this please correct.

if i don't carry a combo egde then i usely have my gerber or SAK fireman close by wich has the shallower serrartions. once i got used to carring a toothed blade it becomes odd not to have one. very handy.

FTK

[haji]

I prefer the toothier serrations of Spydercos to every other version on the market, and I've used a vast majority of them. The reason behind that opinion is, if I'm using a serrated blade, I don't care much about clean cuts; that's what plain edges are for. For a general purpose edge, the full serrated blade is superior. Combo edges always have the serrations at the back, when I need them in the front. I would rather have a plain edged knife, rather than the combo, because they're easier to sharpen. Another factor is usable blade life. I've just about worn out my titanium Police after six ro seven years of daily use. The serrations now are about where Benchmade's are out of the box as far as length of teeth goes, for lack of a beter term. I'd waste the Benchmade in half that time, because they started half as long. For what they cost, that's not much of a value. A lot of people seem to find that it matters which side of the blade the serrations are cut on. Makes no difference to me at all. For the type of stuf the serated edge gets used on, I can't tell one iota of difference.

Its all fun and games til somebody loses an eye, then its fun annd games you can't see.

[James Y]

My favorite serration pattern is the Spyderco pattern. I was wondering if perhaps the serrations would remain pointier longer if, when sharpening, one sharpens each groove at a time?

I find the serrated blades cut cardboard fairly cleanly (not necessarily straight) on cardboard that isn't too thick. I just use a push cut rather than saw with it.

Like Haji, I also prefer a fully serrated blade (if I want serrations on a knife), although I personally like a plain edge for most tasks. Lately I've been carrying a fully-serrated Endura (or serrated SS Police) and a fully plain-edge folder as well.

I feel the Spyderco pattern is fairly ideal for serrations. I've used other patterns that are also effective (i.e., Leatherman, the serrations on my BM 710S, etc.). Believe it or not, I've seen some patterns that are way too pointy, more severy that Spyderco's, which I don't care for. I still feel Spyderco's pattern is ground as thin as possible without becoming weak, for excellent cutting/edge-holding.
Jim

[vampyrewolf]

I own 2 spydies with serrations...
wegner jr, 40/60
Cricket fully serrated!

I find the cricket gets the most use and it's on boxes... even if the plain edge had a more pronounced inner-curve(just add the first large serration at the tip) it would do well on boxes.

I just use the first large and the tip to zip through boxes... the base of the blade only gets used to start some cuts.

[Jeff/1911]

VampyreWolf,

How do you like your Wegner Jr.? I believe you wrote about awhile back, but I can't find the thread.

Did you consider buying the full sized Wegner, & if so what made you choose the Jr? How much smaller does it seem than the other?

Just wondering, as I am considering the purchase of the Wegner Sr.

Jeff/1911.

[vampyrewolf]

I got my Wegner Jr from a manager that found it. paid $50 for it... middle of July I think.

I find it has one of the best shapes for daily use. Gets a good pile of use in the kitchen(the thick blade is sweet).

I looked at the full-sized Wegner lately, and don't like it as much as the Jr, only a inch or so difference but it didn't feel right in my hand.

We all start with 10 fingers. Those with Spydies have 9 to spare, Still need a thumb. Good thing I still have 8 to spare...

[ftkinney]

VW i remember your post about your manger finding it what a great deal $50 that is a great price.

FTK

[vampyrewolf]

I don't think I would have bought it if I had to pay the $130 we sell it for at Cutting Edge(ok, mind's gone, talking like I work there, just spend too much time there). It has a great shape and feel, but the price seems expensive for carry(when I got it). Now looking at a couple MicroTechs in the 400-500 range <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> so the 150 is nothing.

The beauty in the 48/49 isn't in beholding it, it comes in using it. It's curve is graceful, yet holds your hand well.

We all start with 10 fingers. Those with Spydies have 9 to spare, Still need a thumb. Good thing I still have 8 to spare...