# What's the advantage of Serrated vs Unserratd blade?



## stockae92 (Apr 17, 2008)

I am wondering whats the advantage of Serrated vs Unserratd blade over one another?

thanks


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## cdosrun (Apr 17, 2008)

Hi stockae92,

the answer depends on what you are trying to cut and how you are cutting it.

For straight chopping type cuts, a plane blade is better because the whole edge makes contact with the item being cut; i.e. try to julienne carrots using a serrated blade.

For slicing cuts, a serrated blade can be better because the blade presents a cutting edge from multiple angles as the edge is drawn over the item. If you measure the length of 'edge' of a serrated blade it will always be larger than a plane blade of the same overall length.

Serrations also help to protect the edge from contact with a hard surface; imagine cutting through something soft that is resting on top of concrete, the blade will sink through the soft item and then scrape along the concrete, the plane blade will scrape along its entire length but only the tips of the serrations will make contact with a serrated blade.

Another benefit of serrations over plane edges is when cutting something like rope, the edges help to 'grab' the rope and catch on it which draws it into the sharp serrated edges. This can also be detrimental in some circumstances, the teeth can grab too easily, leaving the tips stuck in something and making it hard to draw the blade over the item.

Serrated edges also seem to have finer (more acute) edges on them than plane blades, this is because they had hold the edge more easily than a plane blade owing to the latter's prepensity to be scraped along an edge as described above.

Serrated edges are generally harder to sharpen than their plane bladed counterparts because the edges are harder to access and have a 'circular' profile.

The answer is that it depends on your needs and circumstances. For a pocket knife, I keep a nice plane edged blade that I can sharpen easily and performs well in the majority of circumstances. I have a knife that I keep for cutting rope, and that has a curved and serrated edge.

The compromise for some, if such a thing exists, is a combination blade (consisting of both plane and serrated portions); this, at least in my opinion, is not a particularly useful solution unless you have a much longer knife than one is allowed to carry in the UK. A better option is to put a coarser edge on a plane bladed knife, leading to the much discussed benefit of 'micro-serrations' (there is no such thing as a truly plane edge).

I hope this is of some use but I think there are some real experts here who can give you a proper opinion.

Andrew


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## Any Cal. (Apr 17, 2008)

If both are shap, there is basically no advantage to a serrated blade, except for some theoretical extreme circumstances that would weigh in favor of the serrations. 

If they are beginning to dull, the serrations could concievably cut better due to their tearing action, as well as other properties.

There are also various types of serrations, each with their own pros/cons.

Typically, the serrated is not considered as good for some tasks, due to the shape of the edge. It is also more difficult to sharpen.

I don't personally use them, as my plain blades can make many cuts on rope easily due to their sharpness. The arguments I have heard for serrations were the ability to cut webbing, rope, seatbelts, etc. These are all easily cut by a sharp plain edge as well.

I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect that those who have a need for a serrated edge most likely would want a dedicated blade for that work.


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## CM (Apr 17, 2008)

google is your friend

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=serrated+vs+plain+edge&btnG=Google+Search


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## guyg (Apr 18, 2008)

I use a Vic Pickniker with a fully serrated lock blade. It performs as well as the plain edge knives I carry the other days of the week. The only disclaimer I would add is it doesnt hold as good an edge as blades in Damascus, BG42 etc. But no one expects it too.


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## xcel730 (Apr 20, 2008)

Before I knew any better, I thought serrated edge was great. It cuts ropes really well and cut even when dull. However, sharpening it's a real pain. Soon afterwards, I learned that a sharp knife cuts rope as well as a serrated knife. In terms of versatility, straight edge is best. But that's just my opinion.


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## j2coe (Apr 24, 2008)

serrated blades are for aggressive cutting fast, rope seatbelt anything that you want to cut in a hurry but don't care what you end up with. the advantage of the serration is that you get a "longer" blade in a shorter space. imagine straightening all the curve of the serration into a straight line. doesn't work exactly since you only cut with the leading edge of the serration so you can also imagine a saw where the point cuts not the edge, much more agressive. 
A blade will only cut as well as it can be sharpened, and some stels will take a much finer edge than others. they will therefore cut better serrated or not depending on the type of edge and how it is maintained and what is being cut. 
steel will cut fiberous material for quite a while without dulling, different types to widely varying degrees, glass or ceramic will dull almost instantly on fiberous material but will take an edge hundreds of times sharper and cut flesh much more cleanly. there are current microscalpels with blades of flaked ceramic for this reason. flaked stone tools were more efficient than steel for cleaning animals
this is all overgeneralized but hopefully there is a big picture in here that may be of some use


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## Any Cal. (Apr 26, 2008)

Interesting point on steel type j2coe. Thanks.

While I prefer the plain edged blades, I did notice that cutting 3/4" rope the other day was not as easy when my blade was not super sharp. The plain edge really needs to be very sharp to cut the fibrous materials well.


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## j2coe (Apr 29, 2008)

hope it was some help. 
I don't care much for serrations either, I prefer a clean cut. So I like to keep my knives in a category a lot of my friends won't touch "scarry sharp" by their standards.


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## KeyGrip (May 8, 2008)

Another compromise, if one wants some of the benefits of both edge types, it is possible to sharpen a plain edge blade so that it is "toothy." It will still give clean push cuts, but will bite into material easier. A good serrated edge (remember, serration pattern matters a lot) will still outperform in tasks like rope cutting, but a toothy plain edge will be more usefull overall and easier to maintain. Or you could just get a Spyderco Dyad and literally get the best of both worlds.*



*unless you're left handed.


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## HoopleHead (May 8, 2008)

serrated is great for specific purposes. otherwise, i go for plain. but my EDC is the best of both worlds - 2 knives, a large plain folder and a small serrated folder for those specific tasks! in this case, a small spyderco ladybug. very small, and it RIPS through cardboard and nylon straps and paracord etc so nicely. IMO, and not really a spyderco fan, they do have the best serrations out there.


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