Advantage of Plain Edge, Serrated Edge, Combination Edge?

[SharpShooter901]

I am a beginning Spyderco knife collector. I like the small to medium length blades, and the costs under $125 (so far!). Almost all my knives are plain edged, with maybe 10% with a fully serrated edge. I have no combination edged knives at all.

Just curious what benefits there are to the various edges.....seems to me the serrated edges are better if one is cutting cardboard or ropes/straps, and the plain edge for whittling, etc. But I'm pretty ignorant beyond that. I cannot really figure out the usefulness of the combination blade, but then I tend to avoid anything that attempts to be a compromise: I've rather have one of each!

I'm curious about the popularity of the various edges.

Thanks for the info, ya'll.

[JD Spydo]

Brother I do indeed appreciate you putting this thread up>> but I do think it is a bit unfair to do this way. Because as much as I like the Spyderedge for certain jobs I still use a plain edge just about as much. I really don't think that one edge type is any more important than the other. To me that's like saying what's your favorite tool? then you give the selection of a screwdriver, hammer, pliers and then ask which is your favorite tool.

You see what I'm getting at? Because each edge type is truly just a completely different tool than the other. You can do some stuff with a plain edge that you can't do with a Spyderedge or combo edge either for that matter. They are all equally important when you look at the big picture. The reason many people are not fans of the Spyderedge is becausee they just don't understand it's intended purpose as a tool. Because no one tool is really any more important or better than another tool. They just have completely different intended purposes. I hope I peacefully and respectfully put that across right.

I can't vote on this because I deem all of those edges to be great in their own rite. And I'm sure that 80 to 90 percent of your responders are going to vote plain edge because they are apprehensive about sharpening and maintaining a Spyderedge. It's really just that simple when you look at the big picture. But it's good that we can talk about it.

[MattM68]

I voted plain edge, although there's nothing wrong with serrated knives. I'd actually love to see more of them. I'm positive plain edge will win my the majority of votes, just because it's a more versatile edge in my opinion. SE definitely has it's place, and it should always be an option, but for 99% of my uses PE is fine.

Matt

[Jazz]

Plain edge doesn't snag on stuff. Properly sharpened, they rule.

[JD Spydo]

Plain edge doesn't snag on stuff. Properly sharpened, they rule.

Spyderedges don't snag on stuff that they are intended to be used on. I know I use at least one of mine daily and yesterday I opened over a dozen packages with tough tape and cordage and I didn't snag on one of them. Spyderedges are like plain edges being that they need maintenance and constant sharpening. Any edge that's dull is going to give you some type of trouble.

Again Spyderedges are just completely misunderstood.

[On Edge]

I would normally have hit "plain edge" without even thinking about it ... but of late some of the folks on this forum whose opinion and experience I highly respect have me re-thinking the "only plain edge" posture I once held ... yes, that's right, I'm wavering ...

I think I might grab an SE model and try it out as an EDC for a bit ... (hard to believe I just said that ... )

~ edge

[bh49]

I strongly prefer plain edge. IMHO it is much more universal than SE.
Serrated blades are special tools, which excel in some cuts like ropes and bread. Without of doubts you can survive with SE. There is a forum member, who used to be very active years ago, Spydutch. He used to carry only spyderedged knives for years until he started to carry SAK and realized goodness of PE. In 2006 out of curiosity I carried SE Delica for couple month and didn't find SE much useful in my routine. I do not cut bread with my EDC and do not cut many ropes either. As for cardboard, PE does a great job, either you push cut it or slice. Even, if you cutting fibrous materials, you always can leave toothy edge, which will perform pretty good cutting them.
CE is a combination of both. Some people saying having CE like having the best of both worlds. I kind of disagree. May be this is true. But not for me. First of all, I do not need SE. Second, in my personal life I met three people, outside the forum, who EDC CE. All three of them bought these knives, because they were on clearance and cost much less than PE. Al least two of them do not cut that much. BTW, I carried CE for few month as well. I also bought it because PE was more expensive.
Anyway, without doubts SE and CE has their uses and there are people, who prefer them. You can peel the apple with SE. It is just easier with PE.

[bh49]

I think I might grab an SE model and try it out as an EDC for a bit ... (hard to believe I just said that ... )
~ edge

This is a good idea. Nothing better than personal experience.

[JD Spydo]

I strongly prefer plain edge. IMHO it is much more universal than SE.
Serrated blades are special tools, which excel in some cuts like ropes and bread. Without of doubts you can survive with SE. There is a forum member, who used to be very active years ago, Spydutch. He used to carry only spyderedged knives for years until he started to carry SAK and realized goodness of PE. In 2006 out of curiosity I carried SE Delica for couple month and didn't find SE much useful in my routine.

Hey Brother like you said it's just a different tool. And maybe I'm a weird duck for using Spyderedges as much as I do. But I'm here to tell you that I have a lot of uses for them and carry at least one SE blade daily>> and use it much of the time as well.

Oh yes I remember Brother Spydutch and I can assure you that he is still very fond of Spyderedges. He is one of the Brothers in the early going that pointed out the great potential that Spyderedges have with certain cutting jobs. He is one of the key people that pointed out the great tool value they have and played a part in making me appreciate them as much as I do. I actually still talk to him on occasion and wish he would come back to Spyderville more often.

Another thing you said that was a key to why you tend to like plain edges better<>> you said you just didn't find much use for them. And not everybody does. But I sure do and especially with the job I'm on now because I'm dealing with packages coming from everywhere and every type of bonding you can imagine. There isn't a day go by that I don't NEED my Spyderedged blades.

So I can appreciate someone who simply has no use for them. But the more I use them the more uses I find for them. Spyderedges are indeed a different tool all together and they are not for everyone >> I'll be the first to admit that. But the jobs they work on they work very well I can assure you.

[tvenuto]

I agree with JD, this poll is going to come out heavily in favor of plain edge. It's not because people are apprehensive about sharpening SE (some certainly are), but a plain edge is just generally more versatile. If people are backed into choosing only one, it's going to be a plain edge.

Not sure how we could improve on the poll, maybe just discuss SE vs CE?

[Holland]

I would normally have hit "plain edge" without even thinking about it ... but of late some of the folks on this forum whose opinion and experience I highly respect have me re-thinking the "only plain edge" posture I once held ... yes, that's right, I'm wavering ...

I think I might grab an SE model and try it out as an EDC for a bit ... (hard to believe I just said that ... )

~ edge

Good idea! I would recommend a salt knife for your first serrated model :D

[bh49]

with the job I'm on now because I'm dealing with packages coming from everywhere and every type of bonding you can imagine. There isn't a day go by that I don't NEED my Spyderedged blades.

Joe,
I would absolutely hate to clean spyderedge from glue, tape and so on. There is much easier to clean PE :)

[SharpShooter901]

...The reason many people are not fans of the Spyderedge is becausee they just don't understand it's intended purpose as a tool. Because no one tool is really any more important or better than another tool. They just have completely different intended purposes. ....

What tasks are best suited for the Spyderedge? Seems like cutting ropes, etc? I'd like to hear folks' opinions on that.

[SharpShooter901]

Plain edge doesn't snag on stuff. Properly sharpened, they rule.

.... I know I use at least one of mine daily and yesterday I opened over a dozen packages with tough tape and cordage and I didn't snag on one of them. ...

Again Spyderedges are just completely misunderstood.

I can see where the serrated edge is better for some tasks. For instance, I have a little Byrd Finch on my desk that is great for opening letters and cutting/chopping parachord.......I don't think a serrated edge could do the paracord as well, and maybe not the envelopes either. However, I am getting ready to give it a playmate, probably a serrated edge Ladybug because some tasks, like that horrible "blister pack" would succumb easily to the SE where I think it might not as well with a PE.

A dumb question from a noice: is SpyderEdge just the name Spyderco gives its serrated edge, or is it significantly different from the other serrated edge pocket EDC type knives?

[SharpShooter901]

...
I would absolutely hate to clean spyderedge from glue, tape and so on. There is much easier to clean PE :)

Never thought of that.....good point. Anyone have suggestions HOW to clean gunk of a SE blade? I think I read somewhere alcohol worked well.

I'm the OP.....and my intent with the poll was to just see which blade type is more poplar, nothing else. I think the large majority agree each blade type has it's good and bad points. I was just curious to see which type if more popular among responders. It's by far PE, which I figured, but I thought it would be closer to 75% than nearly 95% at this point.

[The Deacon]

Plain edge for me, thanks, and preferably one with no concave curvature. It's the easiest edge to sharpen and works as well or better than serrated for 99% of my cutting, since I rarely cut rope or netting. Plus, it doesn't create a bunch of chaff when cutting opening envelopes or plastic bags.

[SharpShooter901]

Plain edge for me.....Plus, it doesn't create a bunch of chaff when cutting opening envelopes or plastic bags.

I didn't realize SE could do that. I plan to add a SE to my desk for cutting open those annoying blister packs......wonder if that will create that "chaff"?

[bh49]

Never thought of that.....good point. Anyone have suggestions HOW to clean gunk of a SE blade? I think I read somewhere alcohol worked well.

I tried alcohol and considering it is pain in the neck to use it for glue cleaning. I use a Tidy pen to remove a glue and than wipe it with alcohol.

[Surfingringo]

Plain edge for me.....Plus, it doesn't create a bunch of chaff when cutting opening envelopes or plastic bags.

I didn't realize SE could do that. I plan to add a SE to my desk for cutting open those annoying blister packs......wonder if that will create that "chaff"?

It doesn't. Paul just needs to sharpen his spyderedges! :p

I like having a se around for certain tasks but I would agree with pretty much everyone else that pe is the go to knife most of the time. As far as what a se knife is good for, I would say anything that requires more "bite" to penetrate. Think about it...a polished plain edge (no matter how sharp) will just slide across certain hard media because it is unable to "grab" enough to make a cut. The same edge finished at a lower grit (say 400) finish will be much more effective because of the micro serrations. A serrated edge is just an exaggerated example of a plain edge with a low grit aggressive edge.

[xceptnl]

I voted plain edge because it is my "favorite", but everyone should also carry a spyderedge to pair with their PE. I suggest you take the Evil D SE challenge.

http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... =2&t=66211" target="_blank