Sharpening Serrated Knives
Can Serrated Knives Be Sharpened?
The lowdown: Yes, serrated knives can be sharpened, we sharpen them on a daily basis, but there are some exceptions.
What is a serrated knife?
Serrated knives are those that have little ‘teeth’ in their blade. These so-called serrations make it easier to cut through foods that are tougher on the outside and softer on the inside.
When it comes to serrated knives, it is important to differentiate between single serrations, micro serrations, and double serrations.
Single serration
Typically, bread and tomato knives have single serrated blades, i.e. one side of the blade is flat, while the other shows small, regular scallop-shaped indentations with pointy or slightly rounded tips. This is the type of knife we very happily sharpen for our customers every day.
Micro serration
You will find micro serrations on some steak or even paring knives. In most cases, this is an indication for lower grade steel, as it gives the impression of a sharper blade. Micro serrated knives are not designed to be sharpened, and we do not sharpen them.
Double serration
Those knives have serrations on both sides of the blade. They often follow a pattern of smaller and bigger serrations in regular intervals. We don’t sharpen those.
How to sharpen a serrated knife
Sharpening Process
Given that your single serrated knife has seen some use, but not so much that the tips of the serration have flattened significantly, we will sharpen according to industry standards, i.e. on the flat side of the blade.
Re-serration
The more usage a serrated knife has seen, the flatter the ‘teeth’ of the blade will be. Sharpening on the flat side means that those serrations will become even flatter as a result, which is not always desirable. We recommend re-serration of the blade in those cases.
Re-serrating a knife is significantly more labor intensive, as we are recreating those little dips one by one back into the blade. We charge re-serrations as an additional service at $20 per knife. Once we receive your knife, we will assess it and contact you in case we recommend this service. You will still have the option to choose between standard sharpening on the flat side or the extra service, which will bring back your very well-loved knife’s former glory.
In conclusion, yes, sharpening serrated knives is possible and highly recommended. Any questions, please contact us at contact@knifeaid.com.
