Best Knife Design for Cutting Rope?

[HeavyTakeMusic]

Be it 550 paracord, marine rope, or fishing line, what type of knife is designed for this task? Do I need a straight edge or a serrated edge? Whats your favorite knife to make this happen?

 

[Spinerazor]

for small rope or cord i like straight edges, but for large cable or rope i like a combo edge.

 

[JTR357]

Be it 550 paracord, marine rope, or fishing line, what type of knife is designed for this task? Do I need a straight edge or a serrated edge? Whats your favorite knife to make this happen?

For those specific tasks,I would go with a serrated hawkbill.Throw in H-1 & you won't have to worry about rust...ever.

 

[Ankerson]

For those specific tasks,I would go with a serrated hawkbill.

Yeah, if that's all the knife will be doing that is the answer.

 

[kda89508]

A David Boye cobalt folder would do the job! That is what his knife is designed to do is cut the things you have listed. Plus if you are going to be around water with it you will not have to worry about rust! Good Luck! Kevin

Here is the web site. www.boyeknives.com

 

[jwaj]

I like combination blades for rigging / rope cutting chores. I use an old Spyderco Endura. In my experience; Scalloped serrations tend to cut slower but much cleaner and some of the more aggressive serrations will go through larger diameter ropes like butter. A plus to scalloped serrations for me at least, is they are easier to sharpen.

The Spyderco Salt series are very popular but any sturdy blade will work. You just have to decide whats important to you.
Fixed
Folding
Serration type
Line cutter (popular on fishing specific knives )
Scale color options (high visability colors)

 

[357fan]

Today, I used the clip blade on my Boker Plus Cattleman to cut 550 line that I was using to hang a promotional banner for a vodka I sell.

I find that the most important feature of a knife when cutting rope is sharpness. A good sharp blade will cut, where a dull blade will hang up.

I'd like to humbly suggest a plain edge in D2, like the Benchmade 710. D2 gets toothy when it loses it's polished edge, and it cuts rope like crazy for a long time.

 

[michaelm466]

+1 on the Serrated + Hawkbill, Serrations work best for fibrous materials and the hawkbill design traps the rope so it can't slide off before the cut is finished like a straight blade would.

 

[Big Barn]

+2 on the serrated + Hawkbill as long as your only talking rope type material.

 

[shunsui]

For heavy use, Spyderco also makes the Jumpmaster, a fixed blade version.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=371

 

[ConBon]

Use nail clippers, new ones for sanitary reasons, for fishing line if it is just mono or fluoro. Specialty made cutters are made for braid, and the only ones that cost more than $10 are those made by Abel.

 

[Hauling]

Spyderco serrated knives are awesome. I have an h1 salt hawkbill ladybug on my keychain that I use for string/rope.

 

[hank_rearden]

for long-stroke kinetic cutting of free-hanging rope like they do in those ABS competitions? they keep saying either a rolled edge or a second/third micro-bevel is best to prevent binding and too much friction (anything beyond the first 0.5 mm of edge is useless friction.)

 

[NightMare Silverado]

Yea I still hate serrated knives for fishing. My buck 119 sharpened on a smith field stone cuts every kind of fishing line without issue. Now for anything 1/4 inch thick + I agree a serrated hawkbill or any fully serrated knife is better.