Serrated Edge for Hunting?

[Doc Dan]

Replaceable blade hunting knives have been made by a number of companies over the years. The advantage is when you need a sharp blade, you can have one real fast and easy. Some that have a lot of game to process really like them. I've never used one, myself.

[N. Brian Huegel]

Not to promote another knife company, just the conversation:

https://www.havalon.com/havalon-redi-orange

https://www.cutco.com/p/hunting-knife Cutco has been making this serrated hunting knife for over 40 years! I have sharpened dozens of the original serrated model in the same time span.

nb

[nontypical1]

I have tried serrated or part serrated edges a few times on a filet knife and a little bit on knives used for hunting (Spyderco Impala, SOG, Browning). I prefer a fine edge for the reasons identified in some of the posts above, it seems to offer more control and predictability. Presumably, this relates to the "wavy" nature of a serrated edge, I am guessing that as you work with a fine edge your mind can predict where it will cut, whereas the points on a serrated edge lead to more unpredictability. I found that a serrated edge was great for heavy work like breaking apart leg joints, but for skinning it makes it a lot tougher to avoid holes in a cape. Don't get me wrong, I have EDC carried a combo edge a lot, and found it is hard to beat for some cutting tasks (para cord comes to mind).

I haven't been impressed in my limited experiences with replaceable blade knives as I had them dull on a big project (like breaking down and boning out an elk), necessitating a blade change or touchup. Might as well spend that time touching up an edge on a regular knife. I have also heard that people sometimes break them off, creating a dangerous situation where a sharp blade is floating around somewhere in your work area. No thanks.

Having started using knives for skinning chores 50 yrs ago, I am very impressed with the modern steels now available. Although I have often enjoyed stopping and standing up for a break to touch up an edge during a project, there are also times when you want to finish as fast a possible (e.g. impending weather, darkness, grizzly country; sometimes all of the above!). S30V, ZDP-189, S90V have all gotten me through big animals (elk, moose) without needing a touchup (although they benefitted from a touchup before next use). I could see that if you wanted to just work fast and didn't care about the details (or cape), a serrated edge might be great.

Among the Spydercos I have tried, a ZDP-189 Stretch 2 has been hard to beat. I have had it hold an edge that will cleanly cut paper after skinning and breaking down an elk, and show negligible signs of corrosion after being forgotten and left bloody in the pack for a couple days. All in a package that weighs less than 4oz. The one glitch I found with the Stretch is that all the extra clip screw holes may help meat travel into the pivot area, fouling up the works. This kind of thing is always a problem with using a folder hunting. I covered the extra holes with a bit of epoxy, but haven't yet used it to see how much that helps. Although I have less experience with it, an S90V Siren is also showing promise after having used it to break down a couple critters.

But, I'll watch this thread, keep an open mind, and keep experimenting with knife options!