Do you prefer Plain edge, Serrated edge, or both?

[C99c]

I prefer combo edge as long as the knife blade is long enough to allow both to be useful. Delica or smaller = no. Endura = yes. I'm really hoping that the Pacific Salt in LC200n will at some point be offered in a combo edge. A FFG combo edge would be nice.

[Pelagic]

I'm still not convinced that work hardening can't be sharpened away over time. Nobody knows how deep the hardening goes. Hopefully it's deep enough to not wear off with use and sharpening. I understand how it happens from grinding the serrations in but I just don't see how further sharpening makes any difference. Maybe when they recondition the serrations at Golden during a spa treatment it also adds to the hardening.

This mirrors my sentiment. It seemingly begs the question, is it optimal to sharpen H1 on high speed belts or other grinding tools? And what temperature would maximize the hardness increase?

I have a Pac Salt and a Jumpmaster 1 en route, and can't wait to put them to use. This info would be useful in sharpening to get the most performance possible.

[vivi]

I'm still not convinced that work hardening can't be sharpened away over time. Nobody knows how deep the hardening goes. Hopefully it's deep enough to not wear off with use and sharpening. I understand how it happens from grinding the serrations in but I just don't see how further sharpening makes any difference. Maybe when they recondition the serrations at Golden during a spa treatment it also adds to the hardening.

This mirrors my sentiment. It seemingly begs the question, is it optimal to sharpen H1 on high speed belts or other grinding tools? And what temperature would maximize the hardness increase?

I have a Pac Salt and a Jumpmaster 1 en route, and can't wait to put them to use. This info would be useful in sharpening to get the most performance possible.

In theory what Evil D says makes perfect sense.

In practice I have never read a report of anyone having a serrated H1 knife exhibiting worse edge retention over time.

[Evil D]

I'm still not convinced that work hardening can't be sharpened away over time. Nobody knows how deep the hardening goes. Hopefully it's deep enough to not wear off with use and sharpening. I understand how it happens from grinding the serrations in but I just don't see how further sharpening makes any difference. Maybe when they recondition the serrations at Golden during a spa treatment it also adds to the hardening.

This mirrors my sentiment. It seemingly begs the question, is it optimal to sharpen H1 on high speed belts or other grinding tools? And what temperature would maximize the hardness increase?

I have a Pac Salt and a Jumpmaster 1 en route, and can't wait to put them to use. This info would be useful in sharpening to get the most performance possible.

In theory what Evil D says makes perfect sense.

In practice I have never read a report of anyone having a serrated H1 knife exhibiting worse edge retention over time.

But we have heard people claim it gets better, I believe even Ed Schempp said as much. Honestly this detail is only something I'm interested in out of curiosity, I really don't let them dull enough to worry about edge retention up to a reasonable amount of use. So far I do think LC holds a higher level of sharpness longer than H1 but I can't really say about edge retention because I touch up both steels after every use.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

I'm still not convinced that work hardening can't be sharpened away over time. Nobody knows how deep the hardening goes. Hopefully it's deep enough to not wear off with use and sharpening. I understand how it happens from grinding the serrations in but I just don't see how further sharpening makes any difference. Maybe when they recondition the serrations at Golden during a spa treatment it also adds to the hardening.

This mirrors my sentiment. It seemingly begs the question, is it optimal to sharpen H1 on high speed belts or other grinding tools? And what temperature would maximize the hardness increase?

I have a Pac Salt and a Jumpmaster 1 en route, and can't wait to put them to use. This info would be useful in sharpening to get the most performance possible.

In theory what Evil D says makes perfect sense.

In practice I have never read a report of anyone having a serrated H1 knife exhibiting worse edge retention over time.

But we have heard people claim it gets better, I believe even Ed Schempp said as much. Honestly this detail is only something I'm interested in out of curiosity, I really don't let them dull enough to worry about edge retention up to a reasonable amount of use. So far I do think LC holds a higher level of sharpness longer than H1 but I can't really say about edge retention because I touch up both steels after every use.

Well then if it gets better over time which is exactly what I experienced as well with My Pacific salt SE that at first was very disappointing when it cam to edge retention but got better over time, is it no logical to conclude that the hardening process from the grinding is actually more prevalent the deeper we get into the blade by sharpening? which lets face it if you are using a Sharpmaker with medium which is around 1200 grit or fine which is even higher we are not really ever taking off that much material in a sharpening session.

[Pelagic]

How many sharpenings did it take before your edge retention leveled out? Almost any knife requires 2-5 sharpenings before max edge retention is reached. H1 could be no different, despite being a sabre grind (less chance of burnt steel, but it could still be fatigued).

[Evil D]

Well then if it gets better over time which is exactly what I experienced as well with My Pacific salt SE that at first was very disappointing when it cam to edge retention but got better over time, is it no logical to conclude that the hardening process from the grinding is actually more prevalent the deeper we get into the blade by sharpening? which lets face it if you are using a Sharpmaker with medium which is around 1200 grit or fine which is even higher we are not really ever taking off that much material in a sharpening session.

Yeah in normal use you shouldn't be removing a lot of steel. I have removed a good amount from my Autonomy, the edge bevel is visibly shorter than it was when new. If I had the resources I'd send it out for testing and see how hard the edge is. That would clear up a lot of this.

[wrdwrght]

Again, in my use.

Hey, your use matters. I wonder what all explains the difference in experiences...

[Naperville]

Which edge type do you prefer to EDC?

Up until a few years ago I would have answered plain edge, but these days I find myself preferring serrated edge.

I don't think the performance of each edge type is different enough to warrant carrying two knives, so I choose to carry one serrated pocket knife most days.

What do you like having in your pockets on a typical day?

Vivi, I answered plain edge because that is primarily what I have. I do have a Jumpmaster 2, but I'm considering alternatives.

Can you contact Michael Janich somehow and have him do a porkman test, Jumpmaster 2, Plain Edge vs Serrated Edge, BOTH in H1? And Native 5, Plain Edge vs Serrated Edge, BOTH in S30V? Let's get double the thickness on the pork too.

We need someone who has some talent doing these tests, and I trust Michael Janich. I'd like to see the results from separate tests on a porkman, fixed vs folder. I'm very interested in the results.

[Naperville]

Well you are exactly right. I remember my first spyderco I got back in the early 90's and it was when I first saw a serrated blade. We had them for calf roping in case things went side sideways. And they were perfect for cutting ropes. We raise black Angus cattle now. And my calf roping days are behind me. As far as locks go you are right and I have totally moved to the backlock design. I've tried like you said liner locks, compression locks, and back locks for me are superior in every way. In the winter months we cut a lot of bail wrap to feed the cattle hay and a SE is not to bad in that role. But usually still use my PE knives. Especially Maxamet blades and other steels to rate performance. As it dulls knives extremely fast. Maxamet is a awesome steel. But I'd love to have it in a backlock design. We live in Northeast Wyoming up on the Montana line. Ranch life definitely puts knives to the test and I love my Spydercos.

My Native 5 Maxamet has a back lock.

[Wartstein]

The more I use my Endela SE, the more serrations grow on me... give me another week and I´ll vote serrated edge probably...

And, folks: If you have a sharpmaker, sharpening SE blades really is no rocket science! I mean, if I can do it, anyone can. Believe me.

[Evil D]

Ok seriously though why has nobody done any long term HRC testing on H1? What does it cost to have a knife tested? There are surely some very well sharpened knives we could test and maybe put this whole work hardening debate and speculation to rest. If the cost is reasonable I'll buy a Pacific and test it before and after extended use and sharpening.

[vivi]

Ok seriously though why has nobody done any long term HRC testing on H1? What does it cost to have a knife tested? There are surely some very well sharpened knives we could test and maybe put this whole work hardening debate and speculation to rest. If the cost is reasonable I'll buy a Pacific and test it before and after extended use and sharpening.

I have a pair of new and heavily used Pacific Salts I could loan out if someone has access to the test equipment.

[Caustic Dick]

Combo. Best of both worlds. Slicing and chain sawing.

[The Mastiff]

The numbers shouldn't surprise me but they kind of do. Serrated knives are not big sellers but I thought there would be more here that preferred them. Still, back when every release had PE, SE and CE models I recall the PE models selling out too fast and the SE and especially CE knives sticking around the shelves for years. Even back during the early 90's.

[JRinFL]

Again, in my use.

Hey, your use matters. I wonder what all explains the difference in experiences...

The only thing that jumps to mind is the amount of sand in this state. Of course, it is all possible that my expectations are too high and the steel is performing as expected. It just seems to get dull very, very quickly.