Plain vs Serrated knife
- Thread starter Flipper
- Start date
ESEE knives are excellent knives. I am NOT a fan of serrated knives, not even partially serrated knives. The knives that I used to build are utilitarian knives designed for hard use and ease of sharpening in the field.
Influencer II
Pretty much Ditto to @Jerry Lachenbruch
I've never been a fan of serrated knives, even though they can come in handy for certain tasks. The only knife I have with serrations is one of the blades on my Leatherman. That said, it's definitely a personal preference thing.
ESEE's are good, and will do exactly what you need. I also like Ontario Knife Company and LT Wright, as for made in America production knives. My current favorite to carry is the LT Wright Outback, but I like a little bigger knife too.
As for ESEE's, I have been debating on getting the CM6.. Man, I really like that blade design..
https://eseeknives.com/knives/esee-knives/esee-cm6/
I've never been a fan of serrated knives, even though they can come in handy for certain tasks. The only knife I have with serrations is one of the blades on my Leatherman. That said, it's definitely a personal preference thing.
ESEE's are good, and will do exactly what you need. I also like Ontario Knife Company and LT Wright, as for made in America production knives. My current favorite to carry is the LT Wright Outback, but I like a little bigger knife too.
As for ESEE's, I have been debating on getting the CM6.. Man, I really like that blade design..
https://eseeknives.com/knives/esee-knives/esee-cm6/
Member III
Take a look at the kabar Becker, a fraction of the cost, very similar design.
Bouncer
Rank IV
Advocate II
BK2 for a camp knife, BK14 for EDC. Phenominal knives. add in a Mora for fine work and you are set for life! I use to be a serration whore. would not buy a knife if it was not at least half serrated or tanto. Then I grew up out of tactical and into practical. In the years I had carried serrated blades I had a true need for serrations maybe once or twice. Now I realize as Jerry stated that when I needed a sharpening my serrations were almost always over looked anyway and I found myself only using the top half of my knife most of the time. Yes serrations are pretty, but not practical.
Pathfinder I
I have never found serrations useful on anything but the rescue knife on my pfd, where I do not care about how clean the slice is only that it goes through quickly.
I look for usability, edge retention, reliability and ease of sharpening.
I like a lanyard hole. a decent guard, I prefer drop point for general use, full tang, Some find it handy to have a butt that you can pound with.
My current has micarta scales and it fits my hand well. It is a Cudeman MT5 made in Spain.
I look for usability, edge retention, reliability and ease of sharpening.
I like a lanyard hole. a decent guard, I prefer drop point for general use, full tang, Some find it handy to have a butt that you can pound with.
My current has micarta scales and it fits my hand well. It is a Cudeman MT5 made in Spain.
Member III
I have to agree with everyone on serrations. I have an ESEE-3. Great knife but, I find that I only carry my Benchmade folders now. I just find the folders more practical. I only buy spring assisted. One handed opening is a must also. I could be biased because I use them at work all the time.
Scott
Scott
Serated for sawing straight blade for cutting and chopping. That is from the perspective of a chef.
I have have used sprderco delica ‘s for over 25 years. Full serated & would never think of anything else. Just my 2 cents
Member III
I'm a big fan of the Esee knives. I use the Junglas, Esee 5, Izula I, Izula II, and the Candiru. All my knives are a straight edge. Serrated knives have it's place, but for 90% of what I do, I don't need it to have a serration. Straight edges are a lot easier to sharpen also. I have used cheaper knives, but when it comes down to actual hard use chopping, you'll see a difference in quality.
Enthusiast III
Depends on what the task is and if you're a "knife" guy. For the average person who will never sharpen their knife serrated is the way to go. Now if you have a belt sander with with various #'s of sand and leather belts to keep the plain edge razor sharp then that's another story. But then if you have all that you'll probably also have a nice collection of various types of knives with all types of blades that you money launder the purchases of to keep the wife from knowing about. Not that I would do such a thing...... but I have a friend
Influencer II
ESEE Knives are TOP NOTCH knives for the bush. Personally I would suggest going with an un-serrated ESEE 6 for practicality purposes. With the 6 you can chop, split, shave, notch, stab, skin and crush with precision and assurance. The ESEE 6 is on my list of wants for my next bushcraft / survival blade.
I advise avoiding the serrated blades since they are a B word to skin, notch, shave and chop with. The main reason serrations were added to bladed was to chew through cordage used in the military, the end. You wont regret going with non-serrated. ESEE's are kickass blades.
I advise avoiding the serrated blades since they are a B word to skin, notch, shave and chop with. The main reason serrations were added to bladed was to chew through cordage used in the military, the end. You wont regret going with non-serrated. ESEE's are kickass blades.
Pathfinder I
Was just looking at the Esse site and found them camp lore series. the camp lore CR2.5. It is what I think of as a small skinner. I had a Gerber that was a lot like it but lost out of my pack brown sheathes and wood handles get lost in leaf litter. Glad I went to look at the site. And the RB3 looks like a winner too. Why do people have to tempt me this way?
I have quite a few bushcraft knives bc I’m really fond backpacking and going off the grid. My favorite has to be the esee CM6 and the helle utvaer. I always carry a folder for simple cooking and small tasks around the campsite. Straight edge definitely has its practicality and benefits. The serrated blade is nice if you’re hunting and need to cut through bone. But that’s about it. More of a pain in the butt to sharpen if the blade has serrations so save your money and get a nice straight edged fixed blade w a no special coats or coloring. A lot of nice knives out there, just which one catches your eye and which one are willing to carry when you need it most. Just my two cents from decades of experience out in the field. Happy hunting everyone!
Enthusiast III
Just to add to the pile... huge fan of my RAT 3 knife (basically the same as the ESEE 3, even from the same company), NOT serrated. I keep a little pen-sized sharpener in my kit and the straight blade is super easy to sharpen.
10/10 would recommend the ESEE/RAT 3 with no serrations.
I’ll probably buy the 5” to keep in the truck and use the 3” to keep on my person. Can’t go wrong with either.
10/10 would recommend the ESEE/RAT 3 with no serrations.
I’ll probably buy the 5” to keep in the truck and use the 3” to keep on my person. Can’t go wrong with either.
I have a Benchmade with partial serrated blade. I can see that it would be tough to do some tasks with, but it's served me well for the past 10 years. Excels in nothing, but does all slicing, dicing, and cutting tasks fairly well. If I were to get a second knife, it'd be a larger straight edge.
madcratebuilder
Rank V
Pathfinder I
I've carried a Buck Ranger for almost 50 years, great knife. I have a small collection, Spyderco makes a good knife, plus many other manufacturers. Straight edge is my choice but do have several serrated.
