As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases with no additional costs for you.
Knives that have a serrated blade or a portion of the blade serrated have some great applications due to the advantages that a serrated edge offers. Some knife enthusiasts like the serrated edge, while others are not fans of this type of edge. Both camps, however, would agree that the serrated edge is a challenge when it comes to sharpening the knife. Here are our choices of XX top knife sharpeners for serrated knives to make the task that little bit easier.
These are our top 7 sharpeners for serrated knives.
- Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System
- SHARPAL 178N 3-In-1 Blade Sharpener
- Cool Hand Tapered Diamond Sharpener
- Serrated Knife Sharpener
- Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener
- Smith’s CCD4 3 IN 1 Field Sharpener
- Lansky Professional Sharpener
Serrated knife blades have some advantages over straight-edged knives, and the main advantage is that they stay sharp for longer. But, as with all knives, the edges of the serrations do eventually become dull and require sharpening.
For many knife owners, this seems like a daunting task, and it is one that they are reluctant to take on themselves. However, this sharpening task is not as difficult as it would first seem, and we have put together a list of serrated knife sharpeners that could help you out.
If you are interested in checking out the best sharpeners for serrated knives you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
Sharpening Serrated Knife Edges
One of the reasons that some knife owners do not like serrated edges is because they believe the serrations on the blade are difficult to sharpen once the knife becomes dull.
This is certainly not the case since similar principles apply to sharpening serrated edges as in sharpening a straight edge.
Sharpening a serrated edge can easily be done at home with basic tools or with a sharpening tool that is designed for sharpening serrated edges. The biggest difference in sharpening a serrated blade in comparison to sharpening a straight edge is the time factor.
Sharpening a serrated blade takes quite a little longer than a straight edge because you have to consider each little scallop of the serration as an individual edge that requires the full sharpening treatment. Each scallop of the serrated blade needs to be sharpened separately throughout the process.
This may seem like a tedious operation to some, which is why many people who own serrated blades opt to get these knives professionally sharpened.
This is not a necessity, though, and you can easily sharpen these blades at home with the right knowledge, tool, and a little time.
Having the right tool to sharpen a serrated knife edge will go a long way to reducing the time that it will take to sharpen this type of blade.
The advantage of sharpening the knife yourself is your get to take the edge to the sharpness level that you want for the knife rather than getting a general sharpening done by someone else.
As we have mentioned, if you are going to tackle sharpening your serrated knife edge yourself, you are going to need the right tool.
We have produced a list of, what we believe, will give you the best option to get the job done yourself and come out with a sharp serrated blade edge.
Top 7 Knife Sharpeners For Serrated Blades
The best type of sharpeners for serrated blades is a tapered sharpener that will allow you to get into the scallops of the serrations, large and small, and re-establish the edge.
There are sharpeners that will allow you to do the tiny serrations, such as on a pocketknife, and others that can handle the larger serrations, such as on a bread knife.
The type of sharpeners we prefer for this type of sharpening exercise is sometimes called rat-tail sharpeners because they taper to a fine point.
Not all serrated sharpening systems use this type of tapered rod, however, as some have their own patented methods to get the job done.
We will discuss each sharpener and cover their qualities and the types of serrated knives that they will work the best on.
Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System
The Work Sharp sharpening system is a great choice of sharpener, especially for the novice knife sharpener. This is because it helps you to keep the sharpening angle accurate for your knife-edge, even when sharpening serrated blades.
There are sharpening angle guides on this sharpener that clip on and off with the use of magnets, which allows you to quickly adapt the sharpener to the angle of the blade that you are sharpening.
The Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System has a ceramic hone on the sharpener that can be used with wide and narrow scalloped serrations, making this sharpener a great choice for large kitchen bread knives with larger serrations as well your favorite pocketknife with a combination of large and small serrations.
This product is all-American made, produced in Ashland, Oregon, by a family-owned business that has been creating sharpening tools for over 40-years.
While this tool makes for a great bench sharpener, it is compact and lightweight enough to be slipped into a backpack to be taken out into the field to keep your knives razor-sharp wherever you are.
This sharpening tool is not dedicated to sharpening serrated blades only but can be used to sharpen all your knives, whether serrated or straight-edged.
If you want to see the current prices for Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
SHARPAL 178N 3-In-1 Blade Sharpener
The Sharpal 178N is a compact, durable sharpening tool that can be used for serrated blades and straight-edged blades. The tool features 600 grit diamond-coated sharpening surfaces that are perfect to re-establish the edge on your blade.
The unit has a straight, round rod that is intended for sharpening straight-edged blades and a diamond rod that is tapered to get into all the serrations on your serrated knife edge.
The fine tip of the tapered rod is small enough to get into most smaller serrations on bladed that have serration scallops of different sizes.
The tapered rod also has a diamond-coated groove for the purpose of sharpening fishing hooks.
The rods all fit inside the handle that acts as a carry case to protect the diamond surfaces of the rods. The package comes with a convenient carry bag that you can slip into your pocket, glove box, or backpack.
The portability of the Sharpal 178N 3-in-1 sharpener makes it an ideal in-the-field sharpener to quickly repair the edge on your serrated blade.
If you want to see the current prices for SHARPAL 178N 3-In-1 Blade Sharpener you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
Cool Hand Tapered Diamond Sharpening Rod
This product is a set of two rat tails or tapered diamond sharpening rods. One of the rods is a 320-grit rod which is fairly coarse. This rod can be used to fix a pretty dull or damaged edge on a serrated blade.
The 320-grit will cut into the steel and be able to repair notches and chips in the sharp edge of the serrations.
The second sharpening rod, also tapered, is an 800-grit rod, which is ideal for honing the edge of your serrated edge blade if it does not need major work but only needs a touch-up.
The taper in both rods allows you to cover a wide range of widths of serrations, making this tool versatile for all serrated edge blades. The unit is compact, and the covers come with strong pocket clips that will allow you to clip these sharpeners into a pocket or on the molle webbing of your backpack.
They are also small enough to be kept in a kitchen draw without taking up too much space. The cost-effective price makes this Cool Hand Tapered Diamond Rod set of sharpeners a great buy, especially with the multiple grits available.
If you want to see the current prices for Cool Hand Tapered Diamond Rod you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
TIP: A lot of people prefer to sharpen their knives with electric sharpeners because it is easier. Check out the comparison about electric and manual sharpeners in the article below:
Electric Vs. Manual Knife Sharpeners: 5 TIPS How To Choose
Serrated Knife Sharpener
This serrated knife sharpener is not only for knives with a serrated edge but also for straight-edged knives and tools. It can be taken camping, hunting, and fishing, hiking, or even kept in your kitchen draw at home, ready to sharpen knives at any time.
The compact portable nature of this sharpener makes it easy enough to transport anywhere, from your glove box to toolbox to pocket or backpack; this tool is an ideal field knife sharpener.
The diamond rod sharpener can be fully retracted into the handle to make it safe to carry, and the rod can be removed and turned around, and re-inserted to reveal a surface for sharpening straight-edged blades.
The advantage of the diamond sharpening surface is that it polishes the edge of the knife while it sharpens, making it a more efficient sharpening abrasive than many other options.
No oils or lubricants are needed when sharpening knives with a diamond abrasive, making this a mess-free sharpening option.
The fine point of the tapered tip will let you get into the smallest of serration scallops to sharpen all your serrated blades with precision.
As a field sharpener, this is a quick option that can put an edge back on your serrated blade in as little as 60 to 90-seconds!
If you want to see the current prices for Cool Hand Tapered Diamond Rod you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener
This is a multi-purpose counter-top kitchen knife sharpener. By varying the action and angle that you use this knife sharpener, it can be used to sharpen, hone and polish the edge of your knives. You can use the Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener to sharpen straight-edged blades as well as serrated-edge blades such as your bread knife.
You can also use this sharpener to put the edge back on knives that only have a bevel on one side of the blade.
This is a multi-purpose counter-top kitchen knife sharpener. By varying the action and angle that you use this knife sharpener, it can be used to sharpen, hone and polish the edge of your knives.
You can use the Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener to sharpen straight-edged blades as well as serrated-edge blades such as your bread knife.
You can also use this sharpener to put the edge back on knives that only have a bevel on one side of the blade.
This sharpener has two spring-loaded arms that move independently of each other, which allows the tool to conform to the type of blade that you are sharpening and match the angle of the edge.
The Bavarian Edge is different from the other sharpeners that we have looked at thus far in that it uses a tungsten-carbide abrasive to sharpen the knife rather than a diamond or ceramic abrasive.
If the knife is extremely dull, you can sharpen aggressively by pulling the knife through the sharpener with the tip of the knife pointed downward.
To hone the knife-edge, you would point the tip of the knife up while you draw it through the sharpener.
The polishing action is achieved when you hold the knife parallel to the table-top and draw it through the sharpener. This process will remove the least amount of metal from the knife and polish the edge to improve sharpness.
To sharpen a serrated knife, you insert the knife in the sharpener, then tilt the blade at a 35-degree angle and to the right if the serrations are on the right or to the left if the serrations are on the left. Then pull the knife through the sharpener as you normally would.
There are a couple of disadvantages of this kind of knife sharpener; it is not very portable, needs a solid surface to work on, and it can only sharpen serrated knives that have large-scalloped serrations.
Serrated knives that have serrations that vary in size cannot be sharpened with this type of sharpener. It will, however, do a good job on your bread knife that has even, large-scalloped serrations.
If you want to see the current prices for Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
TIP: Speaking about Bavarian sharpener for serrated knives, do you know that German knives are some the best knives in the world? They are often compared with Japanese knives. Check out this comparison in the article below:
Japanese Vs. German Knives: 9 Differences & Which Is Better
Smith’s CCD4 3 IN 1 Field Sharpening System
This s another compact, field sharpening system that is well designed to sharpen multiple blade types and gives options for multiple abrasives all in one tool.
Smith’s CCD4 field sharpening system can sharpen straight-edged blades as well as serrated-edged knives with equal proficiency.
The unit incorporates a carbide notch for quick edge setting on straight-edge blades as well as a flat diamond plate under the cover, which has grooves for sharpening fishhooks, needles, and other small tools.
The parts of this sharpening tool that are relevant for the serrated edge blades are the ceramic rods, which are multi-purpose. The two sizes of ceramic rods will allow you to hone not only straight-edged blades but also sharpen serrated blades with different-sized scallop serrations.
Once the burr had been raised by using the ceramic rods on the scalloped size of the serrations, the flat side of the serrations can be run across the diamond plate to re-align the edge. This will quickly get your serrated blade back to a working sharpness!
The ceramic rods are removable and can be stored in compartments in the handle to keep them safely out of the way and improve the portability of the unit.
If you want to see the current prices for Smith’s CCD4 3 IN 1 Field Sharpening System you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
Lansky Professional Sharpening System
The Lansky Professional Sharpening System is the dream knife sharpening kit for all knife enthusiasts and knife owners. The system is designed to give you complete control over the creation of the sharp edge on your knife.
This quality knife sharpening system is versatile and simple to use. It is ideal for advanced and beginner knife sharpeners alike.
The variable angle of the sharpening rods gives you the ability to select the right sharpening angle for your knife. It has slots for 17-degree angles, 20, 25, and 30-degree angle knife-edge geometry.
This flexibility of angle allows you to fine-tune the edge on your knife for the knife’s intended purpose and the thickness of the steel of the knife.
The packaging case and the fact that it is possible to use this sharpening system in your hands only, without securing it in a vice, although this would be preferable, means that the system is portable.
It can be taken out into the field as a portable knife sharpening kit and will give you an accurate angle on your edge every time!
This sharpening kit is designed to be used on straight-edged knives as well as serrated blade knives.
While the kit only comes with a single, medium stone for the purpose of sharpening serrated knives, you can purchase other stones for the kit that will make it more versatile for this function.
While the Lansky Professional Sharpening System is a little more expensive than the others mentioned, the extra expense is well worth it for the accuracy at which you can sharpen your blades.
If you want to see the current prices for Lansky Professional Sharpening System, you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
Serrated Knife Sharpener Summary
For quick reference, we have created a summary table to compare the top 7 serrated knife sharpeners side by side.
| Knife Sharpener | Type | Ideal For | Pros | Cons | Price Range |
| Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System | Manual | Serrated and Straight-edged Knives | Versatile, Angle Guides, All-American Made | A bit too bulky to be considered portable. | Check on Amazon |
| SHARPAL 178N 3-In-1 Blade Sharpener | Manual | Serrated and Straight-edged Knives | Compact, Durable, 600 Grit Diamond-Coated | The fine tip on the tapered rod can be damaged if dropped. | Check on Amazon |
| Cool Hand Tapered Diamond Sharpening Rod | Manual | Serrated Knives | Two Rods with Different Grits, Versatile | The handle is a little small to get a comfortable grip. | Check on Amazon |
| Serrated Knife Sharpener | Manual | Serrated and Straight-edged Knives | Compact, Portable, Diamond Rod | The small size means it can easily be misplaced. | Check on Amazon |
| Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener | Manual | Serrated and Straight-edged Knives | Multi-purpose, Tungsten-Carbide Abrasive | Not very portable, and needs a solid surface | Check on Amazon |
| Smith’s CCD4 3 IN 1 Field Sharpening System | Manual | Serrated and Straight-edged Knives | Compact, Multiple Abrasives, Portable | The plastic case may crack if dropped on a hard surface. | Check on Amazon |
| Lansky Professional Sharpening System | Manual | Serrated and Straight-edged Knives | Complete Control, Variable Angle, Portable | Difficult to hold with one hand while sharpening. A countertop stand is sold separately. | Check on Amazon |
Conclusion
Sharpening a serrated blade may seem to be a fairly daunting prospect at the outset, but once you understand the principles behind it, the operation is not as complicated as many think.
Having the right sharpening tools for your serrated edge does make a big difference to the ease at which you can get the job done. Hopefully, you will find a knife sharpening system that matches your needs among the various tools we have recommended.
Once you have sharpened your serrated knife once or twice and the edge is better than when it came from the factory, you will wonder why you never tackled this task yourself earlier!
TIP: Do you know what knife steel is the easiest to sharpen? Check out the easiest steels to sharpen in the article below:
List of The Easiest Knife Steels To Sharpen (With Examples)
