The case for a fully serrated Byrd Meadowlark
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:30 am
Hi guys,
First thing, great to see this new Byrd sub-forum. For someone like myself, who only buys knives that I will actually use, the Byrd line is truly excellent. I only have direct experience with a couple of models so far (Cara Cara 2 FRN Rescue is my sailing knife, and just acquired an FRN Robin 2 fully serrated) but they are quickly proving themselves. They are ergonomic, the FRN grips well in the hand, the steel liners make them really strong and give them good feel in the hand, and the blade steel seems great.
My question is, will the standard Meadowlark 2 FRN be released in a fully serrated version?
Obviously there are already several Meadowlark sized Byrd's which are fully serrated - the Hawksbill and the sheepsfoot bladed Rescue model - and the standard Meadowlark also comes in a combo edge. However, I really believe there is a case for a fully serrated standard blade Meadowlark 2 FRN. These are the reasons:
1) Byrd serrations are, in general, excellent. Unlike some serrated edges, the serrations on Byrds are small enough that they do not catch in material (which seriously detracts from cutting ability). They also do not make the knife less versatile than a plain edge (which is typically why plain edges are often preferred over serrations)
2) On a blade that is relatively short, effective serrations massively increase the cutting power of the knife. With a plain edge blade, tough material sometimes has to be really heavily sawed at in order to get through, and on Meadowlark sized knives the blade is not long enough to safely perform that kind of vigorous sawing. My fully serrated Robin 2, despite having only 48mm in blade length, can chew through tough material like hosepipe quickly and safely.
3) Meadowlark / Delica is the perfect size for an EDC. I use a Cara Cara 2 Rescue for sailing because I'm often wearing gloves and the extra handle length is very useful for grip. The Robin 2 is also great, particularly when real discretion is required, but I can only get 3 fingers on the handle unless I use the choil, which is ok but does put the thumb in a bit of an awkward position ahead of the jimping on the blade. In my average sized guy hands, the Meadowlark is the perfect size for an EDC, allowing a full bare hand grip without being unnecessarily large.
4) Finally, the sheepsfoot Rescue and the Hawksbill are specially shaped blades, for special purposes. If you have one of those purposes (like I do, when sailing) they are great, but they are not general purpose EDC blades. As for the combo edge, as has been said many times, there is simply not enough serration on them to be useful, and what there is is at the wrong end of the blade. Serrations are for sawing cuts, and you saw with the length of the blade beginning at the tip.
For all these reasons, I believe the Meadowlark 2 FRN (and probably the Cara Cara 2 as well) should be released with full serrations.
First thing, great to see this new Byrd sub-forum. For someone like myself, who only buys knives that I will actually use, the Byrd line is truly excellent. I only have direct experience with a couple of models so far (Cara Cara 2 FRN Rescue is my sailing knife, and just acquired an FRN Robin 2 fully serrated) but they are quickly proving themselves. They are ergonomic, the FRN grips well in the hand, the steel liners make them really strong and give them good feel in the hand, and the blade steel seems great.
My question is, will the standard Meadowlark 2 FRN be released in a fully serrated version?
Obviously there are already several Meadowlark sized Byrd's which are fully serrated - the Hawksbill and the sheepsfoot bladed Rescue model - and the standard Meadowlark also comes in a combo edge. However, I really believe there is a case for a fully serrated standard blade Meadowlark 2 FRN. These are the reasons:
1) Byrd serrations are, in general, excellent. Unlike some serrated edges, the serrations on Byrds are small enough that they do not catch in material (which seriously detracts from cutting ability). They also do not make the knife less versatile than a plain edge (which is typically why plain edges are often preferred over serrations)
2) On a blade that is relatively short, effective serrations massively increase the cutting power of the knife. With a plain edge blade, tough material sometimes has to be really heavily sawed at in order to get through, and on Meadowlark sized knives the blade is not long enough to safely perform that kind of vigorous sawing. My fully serrated Robin 2, despite having only 48mm in blade length, can chew through tough material like hosepipe quickly and safely.
3) Meadowlark / Delica is the perfect size for an EDC. I use a Cara Cara 2 Rescue for sailing because I'm often wearing gloves and the extra handle length is very useful for grip. The Robin 2 is also great, particularly when real discretion is required, but I can only get 3 fingers on the handle unless I use the choil, which is ok but does put the thumb in a bit of an awkward position ahead of the jimping on the blade. In my average sized guy hands, the Meadowlark is the perfect size for an EDC, allowing a full bare hand grip without being unnecessarily large.
4) Finally, the sheepsfoot Rescue and the Hawksbill are specially shaped blades, for special purposes. If you have one of those purposes (like I do, when sailing) they are great, but they are not general purpose EDC blades. As for the combo edge, as has been said many times, there is simply not enough serration on them to be useful, and what there is is at the wrong end of the blade. Serrations are for sawing cuts, and you saw with the length of the blade beginning at the tip.
For all these reasons, I believe the Meadowlark 2 FRN (and probably the Cara Cara 2 as well) should be released with full serrations.