I am in the process of upgrading my EDC for the sole purpose of having a stronger knife should I need on in an emergency or "survival" situation. I have selected the Benchmade 556 and am undecided about the plain or partially serrated blade. I have carried a knife for decades and have found little use for the partially serrated blade. Am I missing something?

Regards,

Al

ON a larger blade I suppose serrations can be useful but on a blade less than 3", to me it's a "why even bother?" type of question. I had a Delica 50/50 blade that sits in the box now after replacing it with a full plain edge Salt 1. The serrations always got in the way when I was slicing or spreading and they are a bit more difficult to sharpen.

Since I also have a Leatherman in my day pack which has a full length serrated blade and a saw blade in addition to the plain edge blade - I see it as being the best backup tool I've got.

That said - my MK3 is carried in my vehicle kit.

I don't think you're missing anything. The only serrated blade I have is a mostly serrated Spyderco Rescue that stays in the console of my truck, strictly for use on seatbelts should the need arise. None of the knives I carry have serrations.

Al,
The main thing that I personally find serrations useful for is cutting of strap,rope or fabric tubing.
Like many people if I could only choose one, it would be a standard or non-serrated blade.
Because some don't want to carry two knives (standard and serrated); the partially serrated was born.

IMHO the serrated knife is a rescue,escape (egress) or work item not a survival item.

No, you’re not missing anything. Blade serrations are mainly used for sawing fibrous materials such as rope, webbing, fabric, etc. It works great for that use, but makes the knife a complete pain in the butt for anything else. In an emergency or survival situation, you will likely need your knife for more than just cutting rope and so forth, so a plain non-serrated edge is better in my opinion.

Serrations may make cutting rope go faster, but plain edges can cut through it as well (with a little more effort) and are much more versatile and much easier to sharpen (especially in the field).

If you find yourself partial to having serrations, simply carry a multitool that has both a plain-edge and a serrated blade. That way, you can always pull out the serrated blade when it will count the most. Having one blade that’s partially serrated and partially plain-edge just makes a knife that’s kind of a pain in any situation, in my opinion.

I like partialy serrated works good less strain on your hand since you can do the 'saw' motion... there are times when you don't want it as well so it's a toss up

If your main purpose is to be able to cut cordage (or a seat belt) lightning fast, then a serrated blade might make sense. But it is my prejudiced opinion that serrated blades are primarily for people that don't know how to sharpen a knife, and that people that know how to sharpen a knife don't want a serrated blade.

Beyond the limited benefits of a partially serrated blade, you can always put a toothy edge on a plain edge by finishing the sharpening process on a coarse stone. This way you can have a polished edge near the hilt where you want to push cut and a toothy edge at the tip where you draw cut. $.02

Because of this site I bought the Benchmade 556s and I must say I love it. I got the serrated mainly for the seatbelt & rope options. (as has already been mentioned)

The main thing I use my knife for is cutting up fruit - 2 to 3 a day - the length that is non-serrated is plenty long enough for that. I keep the straight edge very sharp.

I guess the question I would ask is why not have the partial serrated?

is there some task/job that it isn't able to perform?

Sharpening is not a problem from what I can tell.

If you know how to sharpen a knife and keep it touched up, there isn't really any good reason for the serrations. I've found that they are really more of a hinderance when trying to get a clean cut. Cutting cardboard or paper just leaves a ragged edge and catches more than it cuts.

The serrations do work faster on a rope but they sure do screw up the ends that have to be repaired later lest your expensive rope starts to unravel. Only use it on lines you don't mind screwing up.

I consider a half serrate better on a survival knife.
The reason?
It's much better for shaving up kindling for a fire. My experiance is that unskilled people find fire building easier with a serrated edge.
I love a plain shaving sharp edge as much as the next man, but not in a TSHTF situation.

Feel free to go into meltdown

I agree with nearly everyone and even more so with Roarmeister. The shorter the blade, the less I want serrations. On a 5-1/2 blade and longer, serrations don;t much get in the way and are there if you need them. Even then, though, a longer, plain-edge blade is what I always opt for.

Earlier in January, we were digging up and moving a tree from the horse stables and had dug most of it up and cut most of the roots. We tied a 1-1/2" nylon braided rope around the hitch ball and the other end went to a huge strap around the tree at the base. Using a slipknot (against my friend's wife's advice - she knew what was going to happen), as soon as we started pulling on the tree the knot tightened up around the ball. We could not, against all efforts, get that knot loose, so the only alternative was to cut the rope. I used my BM-Nimravus, which is razor-sharp, but it wasn't making much headway on this old, dirt-embedded rope. Luckily, it has a partially serrated blade which sliced right through whith little effort. I was thankful that day that I had a serrated edge but it's the only time I can remember serrations being anything more than a pain in the butt.

Anytime I'm in doubt, I do without...... serrations of course

Thank you all for your response.

Regards,

Al

Okay, I have to wade into this.

The purist in me quests for the perfect edge on the perfect uncluttered blade. I want an edge you can *hear* if you listen carefully. I love the hanging newspaper test. I especially love it with the Cold Steel Carbon V folder, Opinel style, that I keep in the sacred vault. An edge to make angels weep, more or less.

But alas, down here on Earth, in the field, or even the yard, there are situations where the perfect straight edge just isn't the best tool for the job.

That's why I find, in field use, partially serrated blades have some value. Though art ain't one of them, and the choirs of angels stay away.

Situations where serrations may be worthwhile:

First is the situation where someone other than you needs to do the cutting. (We naturally assume that we, the well-prepared, will not be incapacitated -- not necessarily so.) They will abuse the blade. And they will not be able to sharpen it. In that situation, a partial serration will keep the blade usable (in the crudest "saw" sense) a lot longer than a straight edge. The "points" of the serration may be obscenely dull; but they do protect the "internal" scalloped cutting edges.

Second is a desperate, total-abuse-of-blade situation, where you are sawing away at something barely cuttable, to save your own or someone else's butt. What you have in your hand is all you get. A serrated blade will be able to chew through more "garbage" than a fine edge, including wire and cable.

(My situations have never been so desperate, thank heaven. They're more mundane. Like sawing weeds and twine and dirt out of the big rototiller before all that junk chews the seals out of the bearings. Or, boning out a deer -- the "toward the tip" serrations I added to my Moras with a chainsaw file keep me cutting when everybody else is whining for me to put their knives on the stone.)

The other big thing: not all serrations are created equal.

Some, in fact, are garbage. They grab and bind and hang up when they should enhance cutting. I suspect anyone who has experienced this would write off serrations entirely.

However, some aren't bad. It's as much design and execution as anything. Spydercos are pretty good, right from the factory.

For others, there's a definite wear-in, break-in period. I often accelerate this, being impatient, with a diamond file or chain saw file. I wear down the points and polish the edges where they would otherwise bind. With TLC and time, they cut amazingly well, but they weren't anything like that out of the box.

I must confess that my hard-working knives, including those with serrations, often get sharpened on a flat stone. This grinds down the points of the serrations. In time, surprisingly, they work better. With more sharpenings, though, the serrations are mostly worn to nothing.

I prefer base-model (400x steel) Gerbers to have serrations, for example, because it thins out the blade where the work gets done. Once those serrations wear in, often with a little help from me, it will cut better than the equivalent straight blade.

Anyway, that's my nickel's worth.