why not just get edge protectors, the plastic slip on ones that can be foiund almost anywhere. they're cheap, and come in alot of different profiles.
why not just get edge protectors, the plastic slip on ones that can be foiund almost anywhere. they're cheap, and come in alot of different profiles.
Because they can scratch your knives up pretty bad. Also, they get loose over time.
The third excellent choice is two magnetic strips bound by a plastic tape that snaps shut like a folder of sorts. The drawbacks to these are they will magnetize your blades over a long period of time and they are not as stiff so if you expect your knives to get roughed up while they are stored, they might not be the absolute best.
I have a set of these. (I chose to stay away from sayas because: a) for the price of one, I could buy enough Edge-Mags for almost all of my knives; b) the rather utilitarian-looking Edge-Mags don't scream "I have a fancy Japanese knife!" and are less tempting for a light-fingered kitchen mate.)
I recommend them because they're easy to clean and are an economical and scratch-free way of protecting knives in transit. Having dropped knives in these guards on several occasions, I've found them to be pretty sturdy. (I'd be more afraid of a saya cracking or denting.) The stiffness (or lack thereof) is not so much a problem because the magnets have a nice tendency to hold multiple guards together in a bundle. They've also never slipped off while inside a knife kit, which I've experienced with plastic edge protectors.
For me, the main drawback beside those you mentioned is that they're pretty heavy. The one I've got on my Masamoto HC 24cm gyuto (235g) weighs about 130g. If you have a knife kit full of these, that really adds up. Also, even the smallest size is too large for paring or petty knives unless you take a pair of scissors to them (which I understand is possible).
Incidentally, before I got the Edge-Mags, I'd read reports of possible rust issues. I haven't encountered problems with my carbon steel knives, but I can imagine if one might if one didn't dry the blades scrupulously and left them enclosed for several days.
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