Plain vs Serrated - Which Blade is better/ more versatile? Victorinox Forester vs Soldier's Knife 08 

Dear friends, I will take a short summer break to recharge my batteries and to enjoy the vacation with my family. I'll be back with a new video on August 27th. See you and take care...

Felix, l am 72 years old, and have been carrying a pocket knife since l was 10 years old. In my personal experience, if both types of blades are equally sharp, then there is no practical difference in cutting ability, but as the edge wears down, the serrated edge has an advantage in that the crests (or points) might wear but the points actually protect the scalloped part of the blade. In this way the serrated blade just might continue to cut after the straight edge starts to lose it's ability to perform. Some might say that this advantage is lost when you compare the difficulty of sharpening a serrated edge (especially in the bush). I also have a slight aversion to serrated edges in bushcraft/camping, as l can always grab a river stone to touch up the edge on my camp knife, but don't ever try this with a serrated blade. (Also feathering a stick for fire starting is easier with a straight edge.) Some fibrous materials can be cut more easily with a serrated blade, but generally a sharp edge on a good steel blade will perform more than adequately. In the kitchen l prefer the serrated edge, and for daily carry and bushcraft duties l prefer the straight edge. Your video was excellent...there really is no clear cut winner. Have a great "vacation"...see you in the fall.

I would say that the biggest advantage of the serrated blade is in its performance when dull. Whereas a plain edge will make cleaner cuts, the serrated edge will continue to cut long after the plain edge has become too dull to do the job. For me, this is what makes it a good choice for soldiers - they can get good enough cutting performance even when stressful conditions mean they can't properly maintain the blade.

Good charge and better summer. Come back again soon, when you’re ok

Felix my friend, you keep your tools so sharp I wouldn't be surprised if you get good results even if you were cutting with a spoon 😂. Enjoy your time off RU-vid, will be looking forward to your next video in August🙂

if both are sharp its hard to tell but a dull serated knife is usually more effective than a dull straight knife, serrated can be better when it wont be maintained

Your videos are so informative. Your happy personality is contagious, and you almost always make me smile. I can now do so much more with my many swiss army knives, and I know of no one else that teaches so many carving skills. Thank you, and God Bless you and your family today!

For my collection, I prefer straight edge, but just started to edc a serrated blade at work.

Thank you for everything you have taught us, Felix. You have changed my life for the better. I have always had a Swiss Army Knife, but rarely carried it. Now I carry it and use it far more often than I would have if I had not seen your videos. I have a better understanding of how to use the tools. I even bought the Hiker model in order to have a saw! I love it. You deserve a break. Take your time. See you when you come back.

We will wait for your return, Felix. 🥳 Ideas: Knife destruction. Torture test. How much stress can the combo tool take before the brass pins bend/break? How much torque to snap a blade? How much force to snap the "claw" off the can opener? Is that amount of force humanly possible? How long will the wood saw stay sharp when used to cut metal? Being Swiss, maybe a review of the history or lineage of the Victorinox company. Maybe show us if SAKs are sold in your local stores, and how your fellow countrymen feel about them/how many other people say they carry/use them. A lot of people here in the United States say the reason they won't carry a one is because the blade doesn't lock (on the pocket knives). Maybe discuss how the slip joint locking blade design allows the SAKs to be sold world wide, bypassing some knife laws that would hang up other manufacturers. Cheers! 🍻

What I really like about your videos: 100 percent credible and authentic! Simply more trustworthy than most. Thank you!

My wife and I are happy you are taking a RU-vid break to be with your family! We will miss you and look forward to seeing you in a month Felix! Thank you for all the work you do. God bless you and your family.

I too have both knives. The serrated knife is the only one that I have found to have the serration on the usable side of the blade for right-handed use for “shaving” wood, as you demonstrated in the video. Victorinox knives have been a part of my everyday carry for many years. Thanks for your wonderful videos and your happy demeanor.

Have a great summer Felix! And thanks a lot for your effort, inspiration, fun, very interesting information and sharing your great ideas and expertise!

Awesome! Exact same conclusion I have reached, but it took me almost 35 years and lots of knifes and experiences, whereas you demonstrated such, very effectively in only minutes for your fortunate viewers. I EDC a Victorinox Sentinel single hand, non serrated clip lately. Not as quick and easy to use with one hand as my previous EDCs which I still got for a ways back, but it's plenty fast enough once you get good with it, just gotta master left hand lock with right hand, cause I'm right handed, but I've always been able to close right hand locks with my left hand anyway, so I had it instantly once I stopped trying it the other way. I love my Sentinel. I can quick slice clean across an 8x10" sheet of paper with it. I do it all the time, and barely have to try to keep it sharp. It gets plenty of use. I got that swiss pen sharpener, and I strop it on a natural ergonomically shaped Phellinus igniarius bracket fungus, which works for smoldering as well. I carry a palm sized one in my small cargo pocket. The Iceman Ozzy had some on him. It works great. Love you videos, great job.

I love your down to earth, practical, no nonsense attitude and approach...Rest well !

The SAK gets it right! The Serrations at the Blade tip for cutting, and the plain blade on the inner side for carving something simple. Since I discovered the SAK serrated blade with my rescue knife I like it a lot! I think for edc purpose it's even better the the plain blade. 👍🏼 Have a nice Holiday ☝🏽😊

Felix, I hope you truly appreciate how much we look forward to your weekly uploads. Speaking only for me, as much as one man can 'love' what another provides through videos, I think YOU are the BEST. May "The Creator" (God) look after you and your family, only having the best for y'all happening. ✨🤗✨

This is really honest & not biased review. Keep up the good work!

Another great video. I appreciate the practical, relevant, open minded and fair way you test things. Your statement "Easier to sharpen in the field" convinced me that straight/plain edge is the best for me. Thanks!

We'll be waiting! Have a good family vacations, enjoy! Ciao!

Great video. I've always wondered about their comparison. I personally prefer straight edge because it's easier to sharpen.

Hey, I've wondered about this for years and years. Thank you for making this video. It is really informative for me.

I liked (a lot) that you were able to set aside your preconceptions and do a proper test for all of us, with the two blades. Thanks you.

Thanks for the video Felix. I have used a combination straight (mid-blade to tip) and serrated mid-blade to handle for cutting fish samples. I have found that the serrated part of the blade gives me better results cutting through bone while the straight part of the blade is better to cleanly cut or dissect the fleshy parts. Interesting video on sharp blades. I would be interested in seeing a similar test with a dull blade. I think with a dull knife the straight blade would be much worse but that the serrated blade would still work ok. Enjoy your break. See you next month. Cheers. Vince

Resting regular life is like resting while working in the forest. You actually get more work done when rested and improve your chance of survival. Rest well, Felix, and we will see you later!

Enjoy your holiday, Felix! You and your family deserve it!

One of my favorite RU-vid channels. Felix, you are blessed with the gift of communication and a fun-loving spirit which is inspirational. Love you videos for their content, and for their delivery. Enjoy your holiday with your family, God bless Felix.

Felix ..you are the BEST !! GO recharge your batteries !1 REALLY enjoy your videos !!

Have a great rest of your summer, hopefully you get that recharge you’re looking for Felix!! Family is very important so go enjoy yours and we’ll see you back at the end of august :)

Enjoy your vacation from RU-vid -- hope to see you refreshed when you come back - thank you for your work !!

Excellent video, my friend! Really enjoyed the comparison tests and I was also surprised at the results. I hope you have a great holiday and enjoy the time with your family and we'll be waiting for you when you start posting again at the end of August.

Interesting comparison and I'll stay with the Trekker serrated model . Thanks and have a great weekend mr. Immler .

Excellent and honest review! I and all my family also prefer the straight edge knives, but still have serrated edge for certain tasks! You have to keep your health Felix! Family is everything, enjoy your time off! Chow!

Felix, you are never boring, love your videos - Thanks.

This is my first time to watch one of your videos. And I'm really amazed by how simplistic and realistic your content is

Great videos!!!

A sharp knife is all you need. The rest depends on the job you want to do and your personal preferences….

Felix I always look forward to your videos as they are very informative and I learn a lot from them. I also like how you do the actual comparisons as you really show how they work and how each has an advantage over the other. I have also learned so much things that I did not know I could do with my swiss knife. Thank you for the knowledge!

This is a perfect video for me! I’ve been considering exactly these two knives, and wondering about the merits of straight vs. serrated both in bushcraft and for cooking. I really like your honesty-if you couldn’t tell which was better, you said so, instead of trying to pick a winner. Thank you for this!!

Hands down is the Trekker with the partial serrations and a conventional grind area for fine work . Needle file or DMT round diamond steel for the serrations - followed by a leather strop . Climbers using rope comes to mind . Thanks Master Immler .

Great video and good comparison. At the end you give the upper hand to the straight edge because of the easier field sharpening. But you should also consider that the serrated one will stay usable for much longer before it needs sharpening. Also with the Victorinox pen-like sharpener, it’s pretty easy to sharpen those serrations everywhere you might find yourself. With all that said, I also prefer straight edges, but appreciate the usability and durability of the serrations. I just prefer them like in most Leathermans - one straight edge and separate serrated one. Keep up the good work, Davis

What an outstanding video! I never thought a serrated blade could match up to a traditional straight edge knife! The ability to sharpen is very important though, so I am glad you thought of this.

a much needed comparison video. thanks!

Take as long as you need, Felix, and enjoy the time with your family. You've already given us so much excellent content this year that we cannot complain. I look forward to seeing you return fully refreshed :-)

Really impressive explanation, greeting from India🙏

Another excellent project and thank you for showing us.

I agree with your analysis. Great video Felix!

I think what knife u use, depends on what u r having to cut. Like with bread I prefer a serrated blade, but with an onion or tomato I prefer a straight blade.. and BTW, I get why they make those combo blades but I can't stand them. Cuz there is too little of each on the one blade and unless u r cutting something small, the serrated part gets in the way and is too little to work when u need it. So I just carry my Swiss army hunter that has both straight blades but also the serrated blade that is separate. LOL. But u do u I guess and carry whatever works for u. :)

Seat belt test, the cut was started with the straight part of the blade. you may have been halfway through the cut before the serrations came in contact. It is possible that for things like rope, the serrations may work better as the knife dulls. An example is a sharp razor blade can cut heavy rope, but a dull one will not. A dull hack saw blade will cut the rope. It will be messy, but it will cut. I just bought a marine model that has partial serrations. I am thinking about grinding them off. The serrations may work better, but I just don't like them. The other tools in the knife I like, so I just can not replace the knife with something else. Have a nice vacation away from RU-vid. Things should be fun to do. When they become a job, it is work, not fun.

Enjoy your vacation. Great video as always. Thank you for your work

Awesome test, thank you Felix. Happy vacation for you and your family take care.

I have a trekker that came with the serrated edge. It worked well for cutting food, but it didn t seem as good for other tasks. So i filed the serrations off

What I don't like about most partially serrated blades is that the serrations are near the handle and the straight edge is at the end of the blade. This makes doing fine carving difficult. I like that this knife has the straight edge near the handle.

Thank you, Felix, for this very interesting comparison. Enjoy your holiday!

Thanks for the video. I have read a lot of discussions on this topic in the past. One of the coolest things I read was written by a sailor, he says that the traditional blade cuts the rope better, but the serrated blade stays sharp longer when used on the rope.

For me the sharpening would decide it. Would be interesting to see more on that. Btw, minor correction bread crust, not crumbs - these are little pieces when you cut bread. Thanks. Enjoy your recharge. We'll be waiting

I was always under the impression (how I got it I don't know) that mountain troops worked with lots of rope and webbing (because it's the mountains). So I'm pleasantly surprised by how well the fine edge did. But since I have both blades in my 'collection' (stash, horde, pile) I'll keep 'em both.

Thank you for the interesting comparison. I always enjoy watching your videos and learn so much!

We love you Felix! I’m glad you took a YT vacation! Thanks for all your work! You’re a friend even though you don’t know us. Peace be with you

the victorinox serrations and chisel grind are really great in the left hand. Held with the left hand the edge doesn't dive into the wood. I find that with the small straight edge segment at the base of the blade, almost all bases are covered with a Trekker or Soldier. The serrations also create very fine fuzz sticks for firelighting. Sharpening is easily done without special equipment; I just use the corner of the edge of a pocket diamond plate that I use for all my straight edge blades. Also, the chisel grind being nearly half the overall edge angle compared to a plain edge means the knife is very sharp and capable of fine cutting. Great video!

Isn’t it possible that more difference shows only when the knives become more dull?

I watch every video you make Felix! Enjoy your vacation and recharging. You surprised me with the versatility of the serrated edge.

Thanks Felix, enjoy your rest and recuperation.

I'm requesting for a long time ago, how to sharpening serrated blade?

I think a dull serrated edge will always prove more useful than a straight edge. It may not cut but will still tear, whilst the straight edge may suffer and just continue to dull itself

I completely understand my friend. Enjoy your family and thank soo much for the videos

Enjoy your break! Thanks for videos!

I never saw a serrated knife that I liked...hahahaha All personal prefference of course. hahaha Just don't like the feel of them. Rest up brother.. we'll be here when you get back.. P.S. been using your toggle lashing trick a lot.. Thanks for that idea..

I think Victorinox made a VERY GOOD decision to put the serrated part near the tip and NOT near the handle. Personally, I hate serrated edges close to the handle.

Thanks for the great comparison video dear Felix, have an awesome vacation!

Enjoy your summer break Felix! As always, a wonderful video.

Thank you Felix for this intresting video. Enjoy the time with the family.

Great videos Felix. So informative. you just helped me make a descision between thesew two knives. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Thanks for the review, I've always found the serrated blade useful on very rare occasions. You have confirmed my confidence

Totaly understandable! Entertaining and informativ as always. Thank you and ciao🙋

Thank you, Felix, for such an in-depth comparison of both types of blades. Definitely an eye opener!!

Enjoy the holiday! Well deserved. We can always go over your great older videos if we miss you. Thanks for what you do.

Felix you are the Man!! I keep sharing your videos with the 3500 followers of Florida Bushcraft om FB. Please enjoy the time off with the family. We will all be here when you are ready again. Even if it is later that what you said. Take care!

Great video on the differences in the blades. Thanks!

Schöne Ferien, Felix. Gute Erholung. Immer wieder cool deine Beiträge. Danke, LG JZ

Thank you for taking the time to make such an amazing and informative video! Best to you always

have fun recharging and thank you very much for your videos!

I've used both serrated and plain edge over the years. I agree with your assessment. Plain edge is my preference, too, and for the same reason. Good job on the videos and enjoy the time off.

love these video's mate keep them rolling.

Sehr schön die Unterschiede gezeigt und den Einsatzmöglichkeiten.Danke.

That's why I love my swisstool X. Having two full length blades, one straight and one serrated gives you the best of both worlds.

You have done SO much for your audience! Now take time for yourself and your family! We will miss you, and I hope you come back after August holiday because I LOVE your positive and interesting videos! Enjoy your holiday, Felix!

Have a great holiday! Thanks for the videos!

perfect comparison. It confirms exactly my experiences during many years using both blade types outdoors as well as in the kitchen. My preferences nowadays are more towards straight blades.

Great comparison! Totally agree with you

This is a great comparison test with real world use, nice work

Thank you for the work it took to conduct this comparison test.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family! Thanks for all the awesome videos, and take care of yourself!

Thank you for conducting a fine comparison test with these two types of blades.

Love your videos. Have a great time off and be filled with new power!

Tip top Felix, from Vaud! Excellent videos, and humor!

Enjoy your time off. You deserve it. Thanks for what you do!!!

Thank you for another excellent review!

excellent testing !!!! I like your honesty !! GREAT !!!