unpopular opinion knife rolls/bags are a complete scam

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aszma said:
im glad i found someone else who else who also doesnt like buckles on their knife rolls and prefers to not use sayas im considered a heretic for such thoughts among my friends
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I'm not that keen on sayas because they are bulky. When putting things into my knife bag, I usually use a bunch of the felt-lined plastic guard protectors.
 
Mixed of coarse sayas on yanagiba & deba. Cleavers edge guards. If knives came with saya they kept them if not edge guards.

With a roll could fit with mixed bag. ;)

You think sayas are bulky, try those plastic guards that cover the whole blade. The older Tanaka's were tall in the heel some students and instructors who bought them used these. They had the school bags similar to ultimate edge so not so critical.
 
DitmasPork said:
I understand where you’re coming from regarding cost of knife rolls, and gotta say your idea of repurposing drumstick bags are clever and resourceful.

However I do feel that “complete scams” and “super over priced” are a tad harsh—knife rolls cost what they cost. There’s much subjectivity regarding value when it comes to knife rolls. Personally, with knife rolls I don’t like to do price comparisons, but simply seek out a knife roll that suits my purpose, is well designed, quality craftsmanship, and appeals to my aesthetic tastes—cost is probably the last thing I look at, it’s either something I can afford or not. I especially favor buying a knife roll from a small producer, albeit at a higher price—don’t mind paying over the odds to support talented craftspeople, if I can afford it.
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If im buying a roll to keep at home or ferry a few knives to a fancy occasion,i think like you,it makes sense
But if im going to use the roll as a tool,to carry my equipment to my jobsite and back,everyday,my expectations and the way i approach that roll changes. And i have to factor in the cost,wear and tear,functionality and more
what makes it even more frustrating,if i want a tool bag,an electrician bag,i can go to nearest hardware store and browse a dozen different styles,and pick one,but for knife rolls,im at the mercy of whoever reviews and uploads pictures online.
 
Keith Sinclair said:
Hipstery or not can dig wanting a cool leather roll for couple thousand $$ worth of knives :cool:
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Kinda my point in that if one's buying knives in the $500–$1k range, then blowing $200–$300 on a knife roll is not much money. It's like handles—a perfectly functional wa can be had for $30–$50, but some might spend $200+ on an ironwood with multi-spacers and sabertooth tiger ferrule.

I do like the Proper Apron knife rolls, don't need one with so many slots though:
https://www.properaproncompany.com/shop/the-proper-knife-roll
 
torbaci said:
If im buying a roll to keep at home or ferry a few knives to a fancy occasion,i think like you,it makes sense
But if im going to use the roll as a tool,to carry my equipment to my jobsite and back,everyday,my expectations and the way i approach that roll changes. And i have to factor in the cost,wear and tear,functionality and more
what makes it even more frustrating,if i want a tool bag,an electrician bag,i can go to nearest hardware store and browse a dozen different styles,and pick one,but for knife rolls,im at the mercy of whoever reviews and uploads pictures online.
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Yeah, as a home cook my requirements are prob very different to that of a pro cook.
 
Hey Bros,
I picked up three knife bags/rolls one time when I was taking a walk with a friend. I'd kept one from the Cordon Bleu for a few years, but ended up giving it to a chef friend who was hard up.

If I ever needed to get another knife roll, I'd probably just make my own with canvas....something similar to a saw roll. Japanese Saw Holder - Fast Free Shipping
 
Well sh*t, I wish I’d found this thread before taking delivery of something more pricey and probably less functional... stick bag now on order!
 
OP,

Just a big thank you for the recommendation!
I've tried a number of knife rolls (found them on the side of the road, and in high end knife shops), but never felt they were any good.
I had better success with a rubber band and a plastic grocery bag.

That drum stick bag looks nicer made than some $200 rolls I've seen.
 
Its honestly an awesome bag heres a picture of mines with everything i take to work.

180mm watanabe gyuto
210mm geshin stainless gyuto
240mm toyama gyuto
260mm watanabe sujihiki
Fish spat
Tweezers
Microplane
Left Small pocket for peeler and bone tweezers
Right small pocket pens and note book
Theres a larger pocket on the outside i keep my thermopen, gorilla glue, and bandaids

Theres honestly still a decent amount of room for extra stuff in it as well for 30ish bucks its a solid buy. Its really small and compact as well which i really like makes carrying it around so much easier

B636F9D8-FAAB-49FB-A0E3-3AA58BAE4E8A.jpeg
 
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I got a Darkhardt knife roll as a gift for a friend who is a pro chef and while I would not dispute that it is not a cheap product, he is yet to unfriend me on FB, so maybe it is not a complete scam ... something must still be missing.
 
aszma said:
Its honestly an awesome bag heres a picture of mines with everything i take to work.

180mm watanabe gyuto
210mm geshin stainless gyuto
240mm toyama gyuto
260mm watanabe sujihiki
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Curious - would it hold a 280mm suji?

Always looking for alternatives for catering bag.
 
daveb said:
Curious - would it hold a 280mm suji?

Always looking for alternatives for catering bag.
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My 260 fits nicely with a decent amount of room remaining at the top so im going to assume a 270 would fit but im willing to bet if you put a 280 on the left big pocket and position it diagonally it would probably fit. But im also using plastic knife guards if you have wooden sayas might be real snug
 
I'm not a pro chef, but I fish in south east Florida and down in the Keys on a regular basis, so I needed something to travel with my filleting knives. This roll does the trick for me, practically indestructible cordura and protects the knives really well. They have other models with more knife capacity if needed. Dexter-Russell 20206 3 Piece Black Cutlery Roll
IMG_5700.jpg
IMG_5701.jpg
 
Not too tricky to make oneself tho... my wife made this out of some leather and denim whilst I was doing the washing up this evening. I grant she's better with a sewing machine than I am, but I reckon I could get there with a bit of practice.

Took very little time, and measured precisely for the knives we wanted. (Not quite finished yet, but nearly.)
 

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cotedupy said:
Not too tricky to make oneself tho... my wife made this out of some leather and denim whilst I was doing the washing up this evening. I grant she's better with a sewing machine than I am, but I reckon I could get there with a bit of practice.

Took very little time, and measured precisely for the knives we wanted. (Not quite finished yet, but nearly.)
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Nice. I thought about making one for myself, but by the time I got material, messed it up once or twice, figured I could just order one instead. There is a Darkhardt Asphyx Nano en-route to me at the moment.
 
esoo said:
Nice. I thought about making one for myself, but by the time I got material, messed it up once or twice, figured I could just order one instead. There is a Darkhardt Asphyx Nano en-route to me at the moment.
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Ah they do look pretty swish too. Very nice!
 
The Edge Slim XL is expensive, but looks like it can fit 6 300mm with saya on. For only knives without other tools it looks like the safest option. Will probably pick one up with little regret.
 
@aszma there's a lot of crappy knife rolls and a lot of way too overpriced ones. but I don't think they're all bad deals. there's a bunch of good rolls in the middle.
I have a fabric boldric roll that I picked up used for next to nothing, and even new they're not that expensive. Then again I only need 4 knives and some tools.
That said, there's definitely much much muuuuch better deals with drum roll bags. The Trekke bags are nice but they are discontinued. After the Khanna video they blew up and they were brought back for a limited run but a bit pricer, but as far as I know that's it, they're out for good.

I'm curious though, has anyone tried the mise bag? way too expensive but it looks good and I like the idea. being a student I carry a big backpack with the knife roll in it but I think something like this would fit better in a backpack, I'm just not sure I want to spend that much on one.
 
minibatataman said:
@aszma there's a lot of crappy knife rolls and a lot of way too overpriced ones. but I don't think they're all bad deals. there's a bunch of good rolls in the middle.
I have a fabric boldric roll that I picked up used for next to nothing, and even new they're not that expensive. Then again I only need 4 knives and some tools.
That said, there's definitely much much muuuuch better deals with drum roll bags. The Trekke bags are nice but they are discontinued. After the Khanna video they blew up and they were brought back for a limited run but a bit pricer, but as far as I know that's it, they're out for good.

I'm curious though, has anyone tried the mise bag? way too expensive but it looks good and I like the idea. being a student I carry a big backpack with the knife roll in it but I think something like this would fit better in a backpack, I'm just not sure I want to spend that much on one.
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Scam was probably the wrong word didnt mean it as serious as that the post was more so about how a lot of knife rolls imo arnt that good especially for the price. Dont get me wrong theres a lot of good ones out there but I mean 30 bucks for a drum stick bag that in my 6 years on the line works better than most bags ive seen seems pretty silly to me
 
I swooped up one of the Promark ones that you linked in the OP a month ago and i LOVE it. Such a smart idea. I have been thinking about partitioning off the large slot so the knives dont move so much but honestly thats just be being picky. I honestly think its the perfect size for my needs.
 
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