Why serrated knife edge

Since actual tests confirm the truth of the conventional view, what more is there to be said? The problem is that the tests are often not as thorough as they need to be. That is, when testing plain vs. Given that, it is no surprise that the serrated blade easily outperforms the plain blade when cutting for example rope. A polished edge is not the only choice with a plain blade. One can get the plain edge to perform much differently when sharpened with coarser stone.

People who cut rope often use a plain edge sharpened on a file, to get an incredibly coarse, "micro-serrated" edge that performs wonderfully at slicing jobs. So the knife testers are testing with polished plain edges, whereas people experienced with cutting rope use coarsely-ground plain edges.

Whether or not serrated blades will out-slice coarse-ground plain blades seems to depend on the medium being cut. Harder materials or materials under tension do well for serrated blades. With softer materials, the serrations will sometimes catch and unwind the material rather than cut -- in this case, coarse-ground plain blades may easily out-slice serrated blades.

So the claim that serrated edges work better than plain edges for slicing needs to be re-examined. It appears that as materials get harder or put under more tension, the serrated edge may slice a bit better than a coarse-ground plain edge.

As the material gets softer and looser, the coarse-ground plain edge may slice a bit better. And as we go towards push cuts, the polished plain edge comes into its own. The user may want to experiment on those materials that he often cuts, before choosing the edge format. In addition, keep in mind that the coarse plain edge is much easier to sharpen than the serrated edge. Just grab your file or extra coarse stone, take a few swipes, and you're ready to go.

With the serrated blade, you'll need to find a sharpening rig with the special serrated blade sharpener. Balancing this is the fact that serrated blades need to be sharpened less often. Should you carry a serrated blade or plain blade for everyday utility carry? My experience has been that general utility work is usually general enough that either format works just fine, though these days I tend to lean towards plain blade pocket knives.

Also keep in mind that by changing your knife sharpening strategy on the plain edge, you can significantly change its characteristics. If you do a lot of push cutting, you want to go with a razor polished plain edge. If you do a lot of slicing, you'll need to decide between a coarse-ground plain edge and a serrated edge. I don't mind sharpening, so I lean towards plain blades, strategically sharpened to the right grit polished or coarse for the jobs I happen do be doing.

Occasionally, people mention that the serrated edge looks intimidating to the masses. This could be good if you're using this survival knife primarily for self defense and want an intimidation factor.

One of the questions we get a lot is whether plain or serrated blades are best when shopping for a new knife. The physical differences are obvious, but the answer to which is better is considerably more complicated; it depends on what you'll be using the blade for and in what situations.

Read on to learn more about the serrated knife vs. Plain Blade Knives Plain edge knives - blades that have one continuous sharp edge - are far more traditional. They serve a much wider purpose for EDC, outdoor and tactical operations. Their most useful application is what most of us think of when we think of using a knife: a strong, steady pressure.

This design has been proven for centuries to provide precision and control in a variety of environments. Another key advantage of a plain edge blade is that it doesn't snag or fray when cutting through some ropes and cables. A plain edge almost always cuts cleanly. However, with other ropes, such as those made of plastics or other synthetic materials, the blade may simply slip instead of cut. Sharpening these blades is generally easier, though it can depend on the type of material used for the blade.

Serrated Blade Serrated edges are blades that have some kind of toothed or saw-like edge ground into the cutting surface.

These are intended to be used much like a small saw with a back-and-forth motion. They're great for cutting through belts and ropes, fabric and various other textured materials.

Serrated blades also work great on substances that are soft, flexible or can be crushed easily with downward cutting. Great examples of materials that work well with a serrated knife are bread, cooked meats, soft fruits and vegetables. The downside to the serrated blade is that they can easily cause fraying, especially with ropes and fabrics. In addition, when the blade dulls, it's much more difficult to sharpen and requires specialty sharpening equipment. A serrated blade does not cut as cleanly as a plain edge knife.

Often, sharpening requires taking the blade to a professional sharpener, especially if the sharpening is long overdue. The following outlines and defines each:. If the teeth are more gradual and spread apart, this style of knife may be called a wavy edge or, if featured on a kitchen knife , scalloped. Combination Edge: As you might expect, a combination edge knife features a blade that is partially straight and partially serrated, giving the user the potential for a more versatile spread of cutting styles.

These are the three most common types, though there can be some variation therein — especially in regards to combination edge knives. So all types — fixed, folding, butterfly or balisong , or something entirely unique in the industry — and all blade materials can have a straight, serrated, or combination edge.

That being said, there are pluses and minuses to each, which should definitely be taken into consideration when selecting your next knife. You can find out everything you need to know and more on our complete guide to knife blade steel.

By and large the most popular type, straight or plain edge blades are easy to manufacture, easy to care for, easy to use, and easy to sharpen — making them a pretty versatile value proposition when it comes to EDC.

For most daily tasks, a straight edge blade is all anyone ever really needs. You see, there are dozens of commercial sharpeners — for all ranges of budgets — that will keep a plain edge blade razor sharp. And most of them are incredibly easy to use, requiring little if any prior experience. Even if you want to go so far as to keep your knife sharp with a whetstone, a plain edge makes for quick and easy work when compared to the other two types of knife edges.

Their biggest downside, however, comes when the cutting tasks get a bit tougher. While a straight edge is great for most simple cutting tasks, they suffer when the thing that needs cutting is on the tougher end of the spectrum. This tends to come into play most often with the great outdoors.

That being said, these tasks tend to be fewer and further between when it comes to everyday carry. A lot more common today than in previous years, serrated edges are king when it comes to hardcore cutting tasks. The sawlike teeth make quick work of things like small bits of wood, rope, fabric even things that are thick and durable, like seatbelts , and even animal skin and flesh for you hunters out there.

Serrated edges are king when it comes to hardcore cutting tasks. As a secondary note, serrations can come in many different patterns, but they all work basically the same. They do, however, require sharpening — which is definitely their biggest drawback. Sharpening a serrated edge is a good deal more time-consuming than a plain edge blade for several reasons. First, they require specialty tools — typically a honing rod but sometimes multiple rods to suit the different sized serrations.