Serrations from Other Makers

[knivesandbooks]

Sorry if there is already a thread for this. I’m getting back into serrated knives and I am wondering if anyone has had good experiences with serrations or serration styles outside of Spyderco. I’ve spent most of my serration using time with Spyderco knives, especially Seki models, and don’t have any real reason to look elsewhere necessarily. The thing is, I really only ever hear about Spyderco serrations. I recently picked up a fully serrated Microtech MSI (in a nice FDE cerakote) and the serrations are very nice. Really reminiscent of Spyderco serrations. I’ll have to use them more to be able to say more but so far the knife feels like a tactical version of a Pacific Salt with a stock pocket clip that pokes your hand pretty good in one spot. Anyone have good experiences with other brands’ serrations? Emerson serrations?

[Ankerson]

Cold Steel has great SE knives.

[Evil D]

Seems like most other companies either copy what Spyderco are doing or they do the teeny tiny serrations that are practically impossible to sharpen without using very small files. I'm not a fan of these. My most recent disappointment was with a well known OTF brand that uses both tiny serrations and also grinds them at ridiculously steep angles.

Kershaw mostly do Spyderco style, though they also do a pattern that uses all the same size scallops and they're quite rounded, I haven't tried these but they probably cut pretty well. They seem to do mostly combo edges.

Basically I haven't had much luck outside of Spyderco. It's either a brand I'm not interested, an overall design I'm not interested in, or a serrations pattern I'm not interested in. It's a lot of things that need to align.

[brj]

Had good experience with Microtech's serrations, they are evenly ground, effective, and easy to maintain on the Sharpmaker (but then again they are also not too different a pattern versus Spyderco's own).

[Naperville]

Sorry if there is already a thread for this. I’m getting back into serrated knives and I am wondering if anyone has had good experiences with serrations or serration styles outside of Spyderco. I’ve spent most of my serration using time with Spyderco knives, especially Seki models, and don’t have any real reason to look elsewhere necessarily. The thing is, I really only ever hear about Spyderco serrations. I recently picked up a fully serrated Microtech MSI (in a nice FDE cerakote) and the serrations are very nice. Really reminiscent of Spyderco serrations. I’ll have to use them more to be able to say more but so far the knife feels like a tactical version of a Pacific Salt with a stock pocket clip that pokes your hand pretty good in one spot. Anyone have good experiences with other brands’ serrations? Emerson serrations?

In some of my backed up browser bookmarks I have a whole bunch of links on serrations. The bookmarks are not in my current browser so I cannot really help.

Testing different serrations is probably something that large knife manufacturers do, but nobody is talking about who makes the best serrations. You would need expensive equipment and repeatable tests to find the best serration for different materials and whether or not the knife was going to be pulled, pushed, etc.

For example, Tom Veff of Veff Serrations(CRKT) has good serrations but as far as I know they only cut on the pull or draw. He will put the serrations on a knife for you for a fee.

There are serrated knives that claim they are the best for cutting cardboard. The serrations on those knives look like they cut in both directions.

[James Y]

Here's some of my experiences with serrations from other companies. Some of the companies mentioned may have changed the way their serrations are ground; I don't know. I haven't bought any knives from Benchmade, Kershaw, or Emerson for around 20+ years.

Benchmade: A few combo edge blades, from the late '90s to early 2K. IMO, too much metal was removed to grind the serrations.

Kershaw: One knife that had reverse/convex serrations that weren't bad at all. I think that few Kershaws used this pattern.

Emerson: IMO, the "Dragon Teeth" pattern tended to rip more than cut, but would be okay for some purposes.

Cold Steel: I never cared for their tiny teeth pattern.

Victorinox: My favorite non-Spyderco serration pattern. Cuts nicely, resharpens easily, doesn't snag.

Jim

[Evil D]

For example, Tom Veff of Veff Serrations(CRKT) has good serrations but as far as I know they only cut on the pull or draw. He will put the serrations on a knife for you for a fee.

There are serrated knives that claim they are the best for cutting cardboard. The serrations on those knives look like they cut in both directions.

Veff's serrations will cut in any direction, just not quite as aggressively as they do in a pull cut due to having more of a pronounced hook at the front. Beyond that, the angle of the scallop doesn't really control how they cut, they're still a sharp edge and will cut in whatever direction you push them in.

It also seems to depend on if CRKT are cutting them or if he's doing them custom, some of them almost look like they don't have an edge at all on the back side of the scallop so maybe those won't cut much in a push cut.

Then there are some like this that are so shallow they're barely more than plain edge.

[Evil D]

IMO, too much metal was removed to grind the serrations.

Jim

Strongly agree with this one. Some of their combo edges look to be at least a quarter inch into the blade grind. I could see how this might help to lock material into them but also will make them much thicker and slice worse.

[Naperville]

For example, Tom Veff of Veff Serrations(CRKT) has good serrations but as far as I know they only cut on the pull or draw. He will put the serrations on a knife for you for a fee.

There are serrated knives that claim they are the best for cutting cardboard. The serrations on those knives look like they cut in both directions.

Veff's serrations will cut in any direction, just not quite as aggressively as they do in a pull cut due to having more of a pronounced hook at the front. Beyond that, the angle of the scallop doesn't really control how they cut, they're still a sharp edge and will cut in whatever direction you push them in.

It also seems to depend on if CRKT are cutting them or if he's doing them custom, some of them almost look like they don't have an edge at all on the back side of the scallop so maybe those won't cut much in a push cut.

Then there are some like this that are so shallow they're barely more than plain edge.

In my main email account on Google I delete all old email and non necessary email. I try to keep all email read, and I unsubscribe or label as spam anything coming in that should not be there to keep the account safe and secure so that I do not accidentally open something that will infect my systems. I also spent $1000+ on a Cisco Meraki security applianace to keep my systems secure here at home.

I deleted a conversation that I had with Tom Veff via email back a few years ago. I did not know that I would need it.

To the best of my recollection, (I am still considering it) I wanted a 12 inch or longer knife with Veff serrations the full length of the knife blade. He said that was fine he could do that. I asked him if his serrations cut well in both push and pull and he said no; then I asked if I could get serrations on the opposite side of the knife with serrations running the opposite direction, or to alternate the direction of the serrations on one side, and he said NO. I think that I told him that I wanted a knife with serrations that cut well in both directions and he said they only run in one direction, take it or leave it.

I think the knife that I was going to convert was a Bark River Knives 3V Bravo.

[Evil D]

For example, Tom Veff of Veff Serrations(CRKT) has good serrations but as far as I know they only cut on the pull or draw. He will put the serrations on a knife for you for a fee.

There are serrated knives that claim they are the best for cutting cardboard. The serrations on those knives look like they cut in both directions.

Veff's serrations will cut in any direction, just not quite as aggressively as they do in a pull cut due to having more of a pronounced hook at the front. Beyond that, the angle of the scallop doesn't really control how they cut, they're still a sharp edge and will cut in whatever direction you push them in.

It also seems to depend on if CRKT are cutting them or if he's doing them custom, some of them almost look like they don't have an edge at all on the back side of the scallop so maybe those won't cut much in a push cut.

Then there are some like this that are so shallow they're barely more than plain edge.

In my main email account on Google I delete all old email and non necessary email. I try to keep all email read, and I unsubscribe or label as spam anything coming in that should not be there to keep the account safe and secure so that I do not accidentally open something that will infect my systems. I also spent $1000+ on a Cisco Meraki security applianace to keep my systems secure here at home.

I deleted a conversation that I had with Tom Veff via email back a few years ago. I did not know that I would need it.

To the best of my recollection, (I am still considering it) I wanted a 12 inch or longer knife with Veff serrations the full length of the knife blade. He said that was fine he could do that. I asked him if his serrations cut well in both push and pull and he said no; then I asked if I could get serrations on the opposite side of the knife with serrations running the opposite direction, or to alternate the direction of the serrations on one side, and he said NO. I think that I told him that I wanted a knife with serrations that cut well in both directions and he said they only run in one direction, take it or leave it.

I think the knife that I was going to convert was a Bark River Knives 3V Bravo.

Maybe he meant cut as in ground/cut into the blade in one direction, like he can't grind them in different directions.

[Naperville]

For example, Tom Veff of Veff Serrations(CRKT) has good serrations but as far as I know they only cut on the pull or draw. He will put the serrations on a knife for you for a fee.

There are serrated knives that claim they are the best for cutting cardboard. The serrations on those knives look like they cut in both directions.

Veff's serrations will cut in any direction, just not quite as aggressively as they do in a pull cut due to having more of a pronounced hook at the front. Beyond that, the angle of the scallop doesn't really control how they cut, they're still a sharp edge and will cut in whatever direction you push them in.

It also seems to depend on if CRKT are cutting them or if he's doing them custom, some of them almost look like they don't have an edge at all on the back side of the scallop so maybe those won't cut much in a push cut.

Then there are some like this that are so shallow they're barely more than plain edge.

In my main email account on Google I delete all old email and non necessary email. I try to keep all email read, and I unsubscribe or label as spam anything coming in that should not be there to keep the account safe and secure so that I do not accidentally open something that will infect my systems. I also spent $1000+ on a Cisco Meraki security applianace to keep my systems secure here at home.

I deleted a conversation that I had with Tom Veff via email back a few years ago. I did not know that I would need it.

To the best of my recollection, (I am still considering it) I wanted a 12 inch or longer knife with Veff serrations the full length of the knife blade. He said that was fine he could do that. I asked him if his serrations cut well in both push and pull and he said no; then I asked if I could get serrations on the opposite side of the knife with serrations running the opposite direction, or to alternate the direction of the serrations on one side, and he said NO. I think that I told him that I wanted a knife with serrations that cut well in both directions and he said they only run in one direction, take it or leave it.

I think the knife that I was going to convert was a Bark River Knives 3V Bravo.

Maybe he meant cut as in ground/cut into the blade in one direction, like he can't grind them in different directions.

I just let it go. I then sold the Bark River Knives 3V Bravo....it was the larger Bravo knife, very nice knife. If I ever decide to do it I'll buy another Bark River Knives 3V Bravo or similar knife and do it. I should have done it and then tested it on material(jeans, meat man, cardboard,....) but I am not a perfect guy and I had some bills starring at me. I still do not know why large serrated knives are not a thing.

I have the Spyderco Jumpmaster and will never sell it. That is what I was thinking about.

[dsvirsky]

I was thinking of getting one of these, when they drop, just to try the serrations:

[SpyderEdgeForever]

David I agree with you. Guys, after all this time I still have not learned to sharpen plain edge or serrated well. I have been collecting knives since 11 years old. I am kindof ashamed saying this being such a knife lover. I have tried assorted serrations except the Veff. So far the Triple Point serrations are the best. I should learn from you vivi Doc and others how to sharpen but I lack the time and desire. Plus blade scratches as well as disposable blades are intolerable to me. I need a button touch auto sharpener that works like a Sharp Maker.

[Evil D]

I was thinking of getting one of these, when they drop, just to try the serrations:

I was just looking at this a couple days ago and seriously am considering it. One because it's just funny but also I bet it cuts like crazy.

[JD Spydo]

Not at all trying to steal anyone's thunder but I have brought up this subject on 2 other occasions in the recent past. I've been talking about the possibility of experimenting with other serration patterns on two other occasions in recent times.

But I am so glad that you bring it to the table again for further discussion. Because I truly believe that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as the potential of serrated cutlery is concerned.

I do still think that Spyderco is the current king of the serrated blade sector of the cutlery industry. But I also think there is a lot more to be discovered about serrated blades and serrated edged tools in general that we haven't explored yet.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

JD do you think a knife with movable serrated edge that rotates like a chainsaw would be good?

[JD Spydo]

JD do you think a knife with movable serrated edge that rotates like a chainsaw would be good?

No I really don't. But I do think that there are possibly at least a dozen if not more serrated patterns that could be tested for different cutting applications.

First off culinary uses (food service) of serrated cutlery have different needs than for those encountered by one who works construction just as a simple example.

No if you need a small chain saw then go check out the great line up of saws that STIHL has to offer. They have always filled me needs on those areas.