Thursday, March 10, 2011

What I like and why: Plain Edge Blades

Spyderco Folders
  You send the little noisy food dumpsters to go grab the mail saying " there might be something in it for you". Good job, you got them to go outside at least once today. When they come back with all your bills and that rebate from your lawnmower purchase you whip out that trusty little pocket shank to start opening. The only problem is you bought a serrated knife that is now dull, it only tears the envelopes, no longer cutting.
  Yes we all like to think that our pocket/EDC knives save the world and protect us from unseen dangers but in reality they are just opening letters most of the time. I guess serrations have their place somewhere but when asked most people state that it is good for cutting rope. The only problem is that serrations don't cut as much as they do tear/saw. When was the last time you cut a rope? How often do you do this? To be more precise what percent of your cutting is comprised of rope? I am going to guesstimate less than 5%, and that is being generous. Here is a visual.
Cutting Pie
Benchmade 
  Yes you can add more things to cut but why complicate it any more. Most of your actual cutting power comes from lowest part of your blade near the choil or handle. This, the most used part of the blade, becomes useless for normal cutting when serrations are added. Yes there is more blade that can be used but the leverage is lost and cutting surface is decreased. This really hurts the knife if you plan on using it to baton larger pieces of wood, if it is a fixed blade. I would never recommend doing so with a folder, not to say you can't. Lastly, have you ever tried sharpening them in the field with a stone? Not fun and doesn't work so well.
Busse
Busse
 










 So, in my wonderfully opinionated view, serrations are more of a fad item that people want because it is an added option and sometimes looks cool. I do own several knives with them but they sit in my safe nowadays. You will only find me carrying a plain edge, sharp enough to cut rope.
Grayman

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