Serrated knives

[douglasfir]

I know this will draw the ire of knife purists, but I've been considering adding a knife with a serrated blade to my kit. I've read about people using the serrated Cutco knives with great success, and it has me considering other serrated options. I know that Cutco doesn't use particularly good steel, so I guess it's the serrations that keep them cutting for so long without resharpening.

I know the victorinox serrated paring knives are cheap enough that I can just buy one and try it out, but I was wondering about other peoples' experiences are with serrated knives for general hunting use.

 

[sndmn11]

Spyderco has some MagnaMax serated blades left for $75 if you call them. I bought a cruware temperance from them last week, but returned it the next day after deciding serrated wasn't for me at that price.

 

[RockAndSage]

If by "general hunting use" you mean game prep, about the only place I could see them being superior would be getting into leg joints to remove lower legs. They tend to be a real PITA to sharpen though, so overall I'd pass. They might have a bit more utility if you're throwing in camping/bushcraft, etc.

 

[VernAK]

Several of us in the neighborhood use a large Cutco serrated for opening a moose down the back. The hide is thick and often contains some dirt. We don't use them for any other purpose. Every couple years we send em back to Cutco for sharpening.

 

[Zdub02]

I use the cutco and my best friend has used one for 20 plus years. The thing is just a workhorse. We've used it from gutting to skinning and deboning and popping joints and they just work. I don't worry about rolling or chipping edges of my nicer knives. It really shines for splitting the ribs from the breastbone to get a good vantage to cut the esophagus during field dressing. These days I use it exclusively for field dressing then switch to a nicer skinner for the remaining work. The cutco is bigger than it needs to be and is heavy but that's my only complaint with it.