Saya, block or drawer?

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

oivind_dahle

Banned
Joined
Mar 1, 2011
Messages
1,490
Reaction score
0
So how do you guys store your knife?

Is it easier to grab the one in the block, or do you store them in a drawer? I have my habits and know who I grab for usually :)
 
I buy sayas for pretty much all my knives. I have to take them to work so they're pretty practical and they look nice too.
 
I find I ignore my knives if they don't go on my magnetic knife rack. The biggest blade that fits is normally a 210mm, because of cupboard clearance. I hadn't thought of this before, but maybe that's why I prefer 210s over 240s.
 
I have a combination of all 3, looking to pick up a magnetic rack any suggestions? Then I can do away with the block or get some knives out of the drawer creating more space
 
I have 2 magnetic racks, but we really did not provide good locations for them during the kitchen renovation. I'll likely be looking into a custom block from BoardSmith soon.

We do have a couple good drawers where I could store them, but I'm have not seen enough info on the slotted drawer inserts to determine if that is a good way to go. I saw some on the web site that belongs to a company of which we do not speaketh here on KKF, but they did not really seem tailered to 300 mm sujis :pirate1:
 
Custom knife rack from the Board Smith for me,helps free up counter space.
 
The only knives I have visible are the cleavers (2). I get a little creeped out about seeing a bunch of knives hanging on the wall or what ever. The rest are in drawers. (at work)

The few at home in a block. (They're rarely used)
 
I got a Benchcrafted Mag-Blok. It's not nearly as high-test as I had hoped, but it works for the most part. Occasionally I just leave a knife on the board, in a little arrangement with fruits or veg.
 
Mag-Blok, I wish I had sayas for all of them. No blocks for my knives' sake, no drawers for my toddlers'.
 
I dont have room in my current kitchen for a block on the counter or a mag strip. My good knives are in my work kit in sayas or homemade shealths (cardboard, chix towels, etc), the rest are in a drawer in the kitchen. I will probably add a cleaver style straight vertical block at some point as I acquire too many "good" knives to fit in my work kit. I like the vertical ones because they don't take up very much counter space.
 
No blocks for my knives' sake, no drawers for my toddlers'.

What is is about a block that would be considered a con for knives? Too much ferrule/bolster damage, or blade itself? Just curious, and definately no drawers here for the same reason.
 
I've never liked wasting counter space (there's one strike against blocks), they beat up you bolster/ferrule (strike two), and the handles always sit funny, especially if you think to flip your knife over, to have the spine down, so your edges don't get beaten up as badly (strike three). Yaay, Roy Halladay!
 
What is is about a block that would be considered a con for knives? Too much ferrule/bolster damage, or blade itself? Just curious, and definately no drawers here for the same reason.

Someone with the same initials as mine once put a knife into a block noticing a lower slot was wide enough. But the lower slot means it's shorter. Tip got bent slamming into the counter. What a maroon.

I've got a knife block that's too full (it has empty slots, but there aren't enough slots for the sizes of knives I own). The 270mm gyuto is always in a saya. The long petty (210mm) is also always in a saya. Otherwise the block. I find them both convenient enough, actually. I'd prefer a magentic strip on a clear-enough wall, but I don't have a good spot in my apt for one.
 
What is is about a block that would be considered a con for knives? Too much ferrule/bolster damage, or blade itself? Just curious, and definately no drawers here for the same reason.

You can drop knives into a slot too short for it and the tip will hit my granite counter. Also, they trap dirt and moisture, and can't be cleaned. God forbid your blender full of a smoothie explodes/falls over on your counter and lands right on your knifeblock. Not like that's going to happen with kids around, oh wait. :razz:
 
That is why you all need a custom made knife block that will fit you 270-300 sujis with a removable base to be cleaned if necessary with horizontal slots as to prevent blade issues and a carefully trained family to PLACE the knives in the block as opposed to dropping them in.:D

I am not saying I have those things, but it would be nice. It would be a little creepy if I had all my knives on mag blocks and I don't have the drawer storage to keep them all in sayas. Hence, the knife block is what I use.
 
Nah, I want my wall to look like a tribute to 'Eat Drink Man Woman' some day.
 
It really is! I loved it.

But try telling my wife that. She won't even give it a try.
 
Nah, I want my wall to look like a tribute to 'Eat Drink Man Woman' some day.

Wow,
I just finished watching the trailer for that movie, I can't wait too watch it.
I've actually imagined installing magnetic knife racks around my whole kitchen and surrounding myself in kitchen knives.

I make stained glass lamps and i've surrounded myself in them, so why not!

Thanks for the movie tip Eamon!
 
I personally like a knife rack option (over a knife block or a magnetic strip), but I don't own many knives so it will work for me. One of these days I will make a few racks that I can incorporate into Roesle Open Kitchen that have in my kitchen. The idea is to utilize the existing rails to "hang" the knife racks on them. I worked out a design, selected material, but haven't had time to make them.

Magnetic strips are nice, but they do magnetize your knives a little bit. Never considered countertop knife blocks for storage, as I like my countetops empty of stuff, with exception for cutting boards.


M
 
For my high end knives with says Im thinking of a wall rack like the one Korin sells. Just not on the desk, but on the wall. Hmmm, though choice. My GF don't want knives displayed like this...
 
Ive been thinking of this for a while.

Im not sure about saya or not, but I come up with this knifestand.
Please remember that Im not skilled in paint, nor photoshop or anything.

Knives:
Parer - 90
utility - 120
Gyuto - 200
Gyuto - 240

All sanmai with 52100 and stainless, western handles.
 
Argh

Flickr didnt work, nor could I upload here, does this work?

388363_10151004443920556_774000555_21844033_1123584159_n.jpg
 
Only thing that I would be careful of is where the peg supporting the knife near the heel is positioned. If it is forward of the balance point of the knife, the handle would drop, and the knife fall off.
 
Only thing that I would be careful of is where the peg supporting the knife near the heel is positioned. If it is forward of the balance point of the knife, the handle would drop, and the knife fall off.
Yup. The top two, maybe three knives will have to sit more to the left.
 
Argh

Flickr didnt work, nor could I upload here, does this work?

388363_10151004443920556_774000555_21844033_1123584159_n.jpg

Wrong depiction. Knives need to be on their spines, not edges.

This is similar to a design that I am ultimately going to adopt, however, I have some reservations.
- a free standing block, is not very stable, so in this sense I favor wall mounted one
- if your kitchen is small and you are clumsy, you are running a risk of bumping a knife off the rack (storing a knife in a saya would help, but that is kind of overkill)
- one can embed magnets to keep knives more stable on the rack, but some don't like the idea of their knives magnetized
 
+1 magnetic knife rack. Takes up almost no room, easy to take and put back knives and wooden ones look nice. After 30+ years of blocks and drawers with slots for knives it's the best.

I keep sayas in a drawer for when I need them, but I'm sure the magnets would hold them with sayas on.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top