Partially Serrated Blades - Whaddya think?

Guyon

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After reading quite a few of the posts here on the forum, it's my impression that most Spyderco nuts seem to prefer the plain blades, with a smaller number voicing a liking for serrated blades.

Does anyone like / prefer the partially serrated blades? They seem like a nice compromise, especially for outdoors use. I'd just like to hear what some of you think about these half-breed versions, especially the Endura.
 
You got me there. I still don't know what I truly like. That's why I carry at least both styles. People tend to use the partial for multi-purpose tasks. You have the plain for precision and serrated for utility. My main carry knife/defensive is a serrated Military. It has about an inch of plain so I can use that for some minor tasks but also the serrated for the heavy duty type stuff.
Backup is a plain version.
I have several officer friends and they all prefer the partials. It gives them more power to slice and dice, mainly making dip juice cups out of tin cans.
Just go with what you are doing at the time. That's the only thing I hate about knives. They are addictive. You can't have just one. The Endura no matter what style kicks butt.
 
I prefer plain blades if I can only have one knife. Still, serrated and combo edge blades are good. I think 50/50 style blades are pretty handy for everyday use. I guess they are good for outdoors use depending on what you do. The Endura has a general utility style blade. It is not a blade specialized for skinning, fileting, or whittling etc. Given the general workhorse nature of the knife, I think that a 50/50 configuration fits well with the knife's conception.
 
Guyon,

A lot of people like partially serrated knives. Let me tell you why I don't. But first, let me say that I don't dislike serrations. I carry a serrated Endura every day along with one or more plain-edged knives. So please don't think my answer is a plain vs. serrated argument.

Okay, here goes.

According to my experience, the most useful parts of a "general use" blade are the extreme tip and the part of the edge nearest the handle. A partially serrated blade in the usual configuration, with the serrations near the handle, gives you a usable plain-edge tip for slitting open plastic bags, opening letters and that sort of thing. The drawback is that sometimes, quite often in fact, you will want the plain edge near the handle. For example, when whittling sticks (sharpening pencils), trimming fingernails, or cutting large sheets of paper off of a roll.

With a partially serrated edge I think you will often find yourself using either the plain portion or the serrated portion, which means a big knife like the Endura is really functioning like two tiny blades. You get tiny blade performance without tiny blade convenience or control.

Why give up half of a perfectly good blade? If you think you want the option of both plain and serrated, I recommend you get two Delicas, one plain and the other fully serrated, rather than a partially serrated Endura. This will give you several advantages: (1) you'll have a spare knife if you lose or break one; (2) you can carry one on both sides, for right and left hand accessibility; (3) the serrations will be there when you want them, and they won't be in the way when you don't.

As you know, I usually carry more than one knife, so I can have both plain and serrated. If I had to carry just one knife, it would be plain edged.

David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.
 
dave rock hit the nail on the head..
with a 50/50 blade you are turning your 3 plus inch blade into 2 smaller half size blades. you have less cutting surface to use for any one task but you still have a larger handle and a large piece of steel to deal with. definately 2 delicas would be the way to go here if you want both blade surfaces.
I like the spyder edge. In fact, out
of all of the makers, I think spyderco serrations are the best. However, to me a serrated blade seems more specialized and for everyday use I prefer a plain edge.

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  • ch
 
1/2 and 1/2 = YUCK!

Serrated = OK for sawing stuff

Plain = what a knife should be

Again, don't get me wrong - serrations have a place, just not for everyday carry. Now, I use knives as tools, nothing else. I'll leave defense, etc to others.

Had two 1/2 and 1/2's - gave both away (new owners like them, so everyone's happy).

Have two serrated Delicas - 98 is my first Spyderco and sits in a drawer in reverence; SS Delica 2 gets used for construction-type work: trim saw, fiberboard, etc.

All the rest is plain edge - Dragonfly (now tight
wink.gif
) and Cricket for dress pant and backup. My everyday larger user is not a Spyderco
eek.gif
but a CRKT Mirage Wharncliffe. Gotta have my Wharncliffe.

When it comes down to it, buy what you like (you'll end up doing it anyway). For everyday use, I vote plain edge, unless you want a pocket saw...

RLR
 
Hey Guyon:

To answer your question on 50/50 blades...

I was cutting speaker wire a couple days ago with my Tim Zowada with a partial serrated blade...I used the Spyder Edge to actually cut the wire, and then used the plain edge near the tip to split the plastic that divides the postive and negative wires.

I would have used my Cricket 50/50, but couldn't find it at the time :,



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"To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him."
- Shunryu Suzuki
 
I've heard a couple of dealers say they sell more half serrated and full serrated knives then plain blades.I don't know if its true but I'm sure Sal does.
 
From a hunter's standpoint, the plain edge is the only way to go, but the serrated will do some serious cutting. Get a couple of each.

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Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be
changed regularly and for the same reason.
 
it has always been my impression that a serrated blade is a weeker blade. Most knives these days come razor sharp. Serrations are for ripping through things like rope. The idea behind serrations is that they still rip long after the edge dulls. But with as sharp as knives are these days and availability of quality sharpening systems (like the spyderco sharpmaker) I feel serrations are just for looks these days. I perfer the plain edge as it sharpens in 5 seconds and keeps the edge for a long time because spydercos edge geometry. Not built like a Busse but still a fine fine knife.

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If I'm goin down, I'm takin you all with me!
 
Robb,

I've heard that too, about dealers selling more knives with serrations than without. I wonder if that isn't because the customer who is deliberating the choice is told, "I sell more combo-edges than plain edges."

If you can't make up your mind, I suppose the combo-edge will seem like a viable compromise. In many cases, the dealer only has the combo-edge version in stock anyway. Perhaps people buy combo-edges for the same reason they buy MacDonald's Special Sauce: it's the only way you can get a Big Mac.

David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.
 
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