Serrated knives excel at cutting crusty bread, no doubt about it, when they are sharp that is.
Like any other knife purchase however, when you buy one, you need to think about how it will get sharpened. Fortunately, serrated knives tend to stay sharp for a year or so but like all other knives they get dull. However, unlike other straight edged knives, they are difficult to sharpen.
I don't know anyone else who sharpens these knives to be honest, at least not properly. You should know however that over time, over many years the serrations just wear down to little nubs and I can't sharpen it, it is time to put those ones to rest. (Unless you want me to transform it, more on that later)
I sharpen each serration individually with a series of ceramic rods and micro abrasives and a diamond cone that is fantastic for small serrations. When I have raised a burr on the flat side of the knife, I sharpen the flat side at almost zero degrees, to remove the burr.
Here is my advice on Serrated Knives. Don't buy expensive ones, get a $30.00 bread knife, or less and then just replace it when it is dull. You can easily get a year or even more out of it.
I personally don't use a serrated knife but they are really good for cutting bread.
The serrated knife performs well because the high points of the serrations (assuming the high points still exist and are not worn down) touch the material first. So a higher pressure per area is gained by these multiple points (tips of serrations) than a straight edged knife. This is all good for the first year, after that, the serrations get rounded over.
If I were to buy a serrated knife, I would look for a Victorionox, something inexpensive and just throw it away when it is dull.
However, I can transform a serrated knife into a slicer, I just remove the serrations and form a new edge and then sharpen it like any other knife. COOL eh.
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