Knife Edges Guide

The grind put on a blade effects how well it will cut certain materials and there is a knife edge for every occasion. Check below to see which one you need before making that next knife purchase.

Knife Edges

Plain Edge (Smooth Edge): An edge free of “teeth”, notches, or other variation in the surface of the blade. The blade is smooth and generally delivers a cleaner cut and is easier to sharpen than a serrated edge. On the down side it has a slower cut and tends to dull more quickly than a serrated edge.
 
Serrated Edge (Dentated, Sawtoothed, or Toothed Blade): A cutting edge with many small points of contact. The applied force at each point of contact is relatively greater than that of a Plain Edge blade and the points of contact are at a sharper angle to the material being cut. The cutting action involves many small splits in the surface of the material being cut, which serves to cut the material along the line of the blade.  Serrated edges tend to be more difficult to sharpen and tend to deliver a more jagged cut than the plain edge, on the other hand they cut faster and stay sharper for longer.
 
Combo Edge: An edge which is partially serrated and partially plain edge.  The Combo Edge attempts to offer the wielder the best of both worlds by including a different edge on different parts of the blade.  Typically the serrated section is located on the lower half of the blade with the plain edge on the top. Combo edges are commonly included on folding knives.