Serrated blades -NOW I get it!

A

audiopile

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Nov 2, 2007
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So three days ago we get a new couch from Ikea. As preparation for this I needed to cut up and dispose of the old carpet under neath the couch. Carpet needed to be cut up and then rolled up in bundles I could manage. Old carpet -turned out to be very gritty . I have a LOT of knives -so no problem -right ? I was really wrong. Lucky to get 18" cut per knife and they would get really ,REALLY dull. D-2 ,S-30, Benchmades ,Spyderco ,VG-10 ,went thru about 6 knives and none of them could deal with this gritty carpet. Hmm -I know I've got one or two serrated blades (partially) somewhere ? Couldn't find 'em.So Friday off to the Badger knife Show in Janesville :Mission-buy a fully serrated Spyderco of some sort. Ended up buying a C45Sor 79mm Rescue knife. Today I went to work on that carpet -wow-right tool for the Job ! Today I ordered a used black version of this design -first lockback I've used in 20 30? years. Lightweight -going to be interesting how a test period with a very aggresive fully serrated blade works for me -but it sure is the right tool for chopping up old dirty carpet.
 
Serrated spyderco certainly have their use.

But that sounds like the perfect job for this:

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Normally a utility knife would do the job -the problem was I didn't want to risk cutting into the very pretty hardwood floor beneath the carpet -and I suspect I would have gone thru a lot of blades on this stuff -even with being able to break a dull piece off and slide in a new blade surface ? I really haven't spent any time with aggresivley scalloped blades -for a guy with 60 plus years of daily knife use -mighta been missing something ? Obviously a carpet knife would have been handy-but I think that would of had the same issues with grit dulling it that all my conventional blades have. You have to understand that old ,used,gritty carpet is a whole 'nother thiing from new laid.
 
I hate utility razor blade holders. Uncomfortable and clanky. I remodeled my daughters bedroom using a manix 2 to score dry wall and a serrated blade to cut the carpet.

Serrated blade definitely have their place. They’re great for fibrous materials.
 
I helped a body do drywall. Cut the whole room in with a s30 Sage 5. He couldn't believe it.

I too would rather sharpen a knife, then use a utility knife.
I found the 20cv Kapara works great on carpet! As does a Magnacut Mule.

I've tested Many of Spyderco's models in a lot of different steels, in construction use.

Most think I'm nuts, using a "200$" knife, for such things.
Then they ask me to cut stuff because the utility knife is dull.. lol..
 
This morning tried cutting some carboard boxes up for recycling with the serrated Spyderco -OK not the strong suite of this blade type. One of the reasons I own too many knives is I use them for work-how they fit my individual hand and work as a general use tool can only be determined by using it for daily use tasks. BTW-to again plug knife shows - the ability to actually handle knives is well worth the minimal expense and time investment spent on knife shows.
 
audiopile said:
Normally a utility knife would do the job -the problem was I didn't want to risk cutting into the very pretty hardwood floor beneath the carpet -and I suspect I would have gone thru a lot of blades on this stuff -even with being able to break a dull piece off and slide in a new blade surface ? I really haven't spent any time with aggresivley scalloped blades -for a guy with 60 plus years of daily knife use -mighta been missing something ? Obviously a carpet knife would have been handy-but I think that would of had the same issues with grit dulling it that all my conventional blades have. You have to understand that old ,used,gritty carpet is a whole 'nother thiing from new laid.
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I worked for a mobile home dealer for a decade, did a lot of refurbishing of used homes (trade-ins and worse, repos). If cutting out and replacing 70's shag carpet that hadn't been cleaned in a decade didn't teach you why they sell utility knife blades in hundred packs, nothing would. I still hate those things.
 
Keep us posted about the Badger show, I always wanted to go..... :/
 
Sal -got one -but I think like a lot of folks I'm sorta intimidated by sharpening serrations. Might be time to read the instructions again :-) .
 
I been carrying a full serrated endelica and couldn’t be happier. It’s like having a pocket chain saw lol. Just eats anything I cut.
 
They make hooked utility knife blades for carpet. Work just fine.

However, then you don't get to buy a new knife. 😉
 

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So found another task a serrated knife works well at.Was cutting the chunk off a two wire extension cord that's designed to keep you from pluging in a three wire grounded plug into it -this is so I can plug a transformer/wall wort into it (the third safety ground pin on these transformers doesn't do anything except help hold the transformer into the AC outlet). So I start cutting this lug off with a Benchmade and it ain't easy -then it occurs to me that I've still got the serrated Spyderco in my pocket -made short work of that simple task . It's hard to get used to the sawing action that makes the serrated blades work so well-but I'm learning.
 
Ed Ricketts said:
Serrations really are "heck" on wheels for some jobs.
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I totally agree. Once I really discovered how useful that high quality serrated blades are ( especially Spyderco's) for the past 20 years I've been carrying one full plain edged blade and one fully serrated blade. At this time I'm carrying a Spyderco M390 Military (PE) and an older Spyderco Stainless RESCUE ( ATS-55 era)>> and in many cases I also carry a fully serrated Spyderco Hawkbill in many cases.

Carrying both a full PE and a full SE blade there is virtually nothing I can't handle. Not all serrations are created equal. Once I discovered how efficient that Spyderco's serrations are I never looked back.
 
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