Knife Serration Guide

There are certainly a lot of mixed opinions around knives with serrated bladed. Some swear by them for their ability to slice through ropes and other fibrous materials. Others complain that the edge is not fine enough and leaves a ragged edge.

Love them or loathe them, serrations on blades are here to stay. But what is the point and why are there so many different styles?

What is the point of serrations on knives?

What is the most common form of serrated blade? The saw. Designed with one task in mind – cutting through material using a pushing and pulling or slicing movement. You would not use a serrated edge for chopping!

Serrated edges are perfect for cutting through fibres – be it rope or paracord – where the cut does not need to be perfectly even. Serrated blades are designed to be workhorses, doing the jobs where a straight edge just won’t cut it.

Full or part serration?

A blade with full serration has limited uses. It’s designed to ‘saw’ through material. It is especially useful on fibrous material but not ideal for finer work.

Many knives these days have part serration which makes them a more rounded tool. The addition of a serrated section to a knife – whether it’s half the blade length or less – gives the user the best of both worlds. A straight edge when the cut needs to be more precise and a serrated edge where getting through material requires something a bit tougher and more able to manage the job.

Whilst a serrated edge can be sharpened, it is no where as simple to sharpen as a straight edge. However, on the plus side a serrated blade will not need sharpening as often – maybe never!

Types Of Serration

There are so many different types of serration available, this will come down to personal preference.

Most brands have their own style of serration. Some are more efficient than others, some provide finer cuts.

Here are some of the different serration styles used by leading manufacturers.

Camillus Serration
Camillus Serration
Coast Serration
Coast Serration
Cold Steel Serration
Cold Steel Serration
CRKT Serration
CRKT Serration
KA-BAR Serration
KA-BAR Serration
Kershaw Serration
Outdoor Edge Serration
Outdoor Edge Serration
Ontario Knife Company Serration
Ontario Knife Company Serration
Schrade Serration
Schrade Serration

As you can see, there are a wide variety of serration styles to choose from.

As to which would be best for you…that’d be a choice for you to make! The advice we would give is simply this – find a knife you like and then see if it has a serrated/part serrated version.

Whilst serration is incredibly useful, you need to take account of all the other factors that may affect your choice – look, feel, weight etc.

If you need some advice on any aspect of choosing a knife, why not get in touch. We’d be happy to guide you in the right direction.