Plain edge for me. I have a few knives with partial serrations and they can be handy. I much rather go with a plain edge because a sharp one will cut anything I need to cut and I can sharpen and/or touch up the edge easily.

Seems like the consensus is pretty clear. Straight it is.

Yup, for the vast majority of time spent on land, I like a plain edge. I've tried both serrated and partially serrated knives in the past and, after just a short time of hard use, they turn into plain edge knives anyway (as the serrations tend to break or wear away). I find it better just to start with a good plain edge and keep it sharp.

Now, when I'm on my boat or swimming/diving I carry a fully serrated blade. Simply because, out on the water, 99% of the time I'm cutting a line/rope. With that being the case, serrated edges work really well on line/rope.

bacpacjac - I like that Ruko. Serrations on the spine. Not THAT I can see a use for. The serrations don't interfere with the straight blade, but are there if you want them. I wonder if that Ruko knife is still available? I like the look of it.

Just some thoughts.

1. I never buy a knife that has serrations on the back edge of the blade. Can't even understand why they would be there. It just weakens the blade. Those kinds of blades remind me of the "Rambo" mentality - doesn't make a lot of sense.

2. Serrations are helpful if you are in a situation where you cannot sharpen your knife. The knife will retain cutting power with them - against softer materials like tissue and meat. A partially serrated blade (with the serrations on the sharp side, toward the handle) gives you options for this kind of outcome.

3. I agree that straight edges are easier to sharpen and generally work very well for most purposes. The only time I used to avoid them was on knives for skindiving - these knives were usualy made from crummy stainless steel alloys. The edge holding was so bad that serrations worked better for me. Eventually I gave up and just took a sharp knife made from 1095 steel into the ocean, and cleaned up the corrosion each time after I was done for the day.

Pete2

While I agree that putting serrations on the back side of a knife probably weakens the knife, so does putting an edge on it in the first place. It would be much stronger as a solid 1/8" thick chunk of steel with no bevel or edge. My thought would be that if you want a knife with both a straight edge and serrations, you will do better not polluting one blade type with the other with a "partial" thing. Instead, keep them seperate - on opposite sides of the knife. Or, as I mentioned in an earlier post, get one knife with full serrations and one knife without. That would be better yet. If you require a super strong knife (for batoning I assume), I would recommend getting an axe or tomahawk instead. A straight edge knife. A fully serrated knife. And a tomahawk/axe. And a saw. That's the ticket. No compromises by combining functions into one tool.

Plain edge for me. All day, every day. Serrations are useful on a bread knife and not much else.

For the last few years, I have used a partially serrated Bear MGC for deer hunting. I found the serrations helpful in field dressing the animal. For this years hunt, I have purchased a Browning game saw, so my last use for a serrated blade is gone. All of my other knives are plain edged.

+1 on straight edge for the general outdoor use, and easier to maintain that edge in the field. Serrations have their place and uses as well. I know a LOT of First Responders who carry a partly serrated or fully serrated blade for cutting seat belts and other tough materials. A serrated blade might also be useful if you cut a lot of rope or webbing on a daily basis. Just like a lot of things, it just depends on where you are and what you do (or expect to do) with the blade. If you think you might need a serrated edge at some point, consider a folder with a serrated blade, or one of the multi-tools that include a serrated blade (leatherman wave comes to mind). YMMV

Usual disclaimers apply.

If you do get partially serrated, make sure the serrations are not at the handle end. Close to the handle is where you have most precision, for carving etc. Serrations should be nearer the tip.

Although partial serrations can have a role, when a knife has them at the handle I suspect they are there mainly to make the knife look cool.