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Magnetic Knife Strips


afn33282

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Hey eGullet. I have always been curious as to whether the magnetic strips for holding kitchen knives are the best options for storage. What do you think? What are their advantages/disadvantages vs. block, other than taking up less valuable counter space? Also:

How would you install one into, say, a drywall wall? Screws?

What about plastic sheaths in the drawer?

Any good sources pricewise?

What should the length be for the average battery of about 8 - 12 knives?

Thanks much.

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i have a knife block and a magnetic strip and of the two fo them..i love the magnetic strps best...my fiance was responsible for getting noth of them for me so i comprimised a bit..i keep my not so often used knives in the block but keep my often used ones on the strip as its handier for me...as my fiance also installed the magnetic strip...im adraid i cant help u with advice on how to install them but im guessing somehone else on the nard may be able to help u there...good luck

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Hmm...I have a magnetic strip and it was pretty easy to install. Mine came with the screws and everything so just needed to drill a couple of holes and screw it in. It's 13 inches and holds about 8 of my knives (various sizes).

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I love my magnetic strip. I'll have to do a search, but somewhere on eGullet, there was a discussion that involved knife blocks and the gunk that can live in them.

I like my knife strip because it sits on the wall behind the sink out of the way of prying hands of little kids.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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  • 9 months later...

article here on issues with these

The issue of knife storage came up in a recent post, specifically whether or not magnetic strips were a good way to keep one's knives.

My mom says the strips pull the edge out of whack. Being a professional, she keeps her finest in a knife roll, and her "everyday" (which are pretty darn nice) in a wooden rack fashioned by my grandfather and screwed to the side of the wooden butcher block. I don't have that kind of space. We have a strip.

So, does the knife strip pull the edge out of whack? :huh: I often wondered since they are so popular with chefs .. your experience on this? :rolleyes:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Do not get the Wusthof strip. I received it as a gift, I believe retail is like $40. It does not secure very tightly, though it looks very slick and seamless without any visible screws. Whenever I pull a knife off the whole strip wobbles.

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perhaps someone can answer my odd mag strip issue-- I inherited my grandfather's knives when he passed on, including the mag strip they'd been stored on for 60+ years. They are high carbon, ancient Sabatiers. My more, um, modern knives, mainly my Chinese Cleaver and my Furi Santoku, don't stick--is the magnet weak from age? construction? I realize the difference betweeen the old and the new is carbon content,. I'd like to keep the mag strip, but i also want to store all my knives on it! any thoughts?

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I use a wooden strip that has slots in it and mounted on the wall like a magnetic one, dont know where the first one came form my mother had one, and has had a couple made since. ( i made mine) Advantges I have found over the magnetic strip are that heavier knifes dont fall off, cant knock the knifes and break the tips (been tried) I dont like blocks cant clean and take up counter space.

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I have one over the stove and one over the sink. They are used interchangably and I don't have any kind of system. Having two just means that I am less likely to leave the cutlery lying around to get smooshed somehow.

Martha likes to use them for all kinds of stuff- and that's a good thing

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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Magnetic strips for knives CAN BE very dangerous to people, especially ones not familiar with your kitchen, and especially children. They can also damage the edge if the knife is not removed correctly. I won't have them. I tried them in my wood shop (where no one goes but I) for chisels, but they are too dangerous.

If you have new knives which don't stick to the magnet (but old ones did) they may have too little iron in the stainless alloy. Carbon in the alloy only contributes to hardness.

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We have two knife strips mounted one above the other on the side of a kitchen cabinet- to one side of the sink and next to the main prep area. All of our "good" knives are securely on these. The knife blades face toward the wall on an upper cabinet, so the natural angle when removing one does not damage the blade. The steels and cheap paring knives, etc. are in a wooden knife block.

They weren't expensive and mount easily with two screws each. Here's a link to the model: B, B & B knife strips

We don't have any young'uns at home, but they are well out of reach of visiting sprouts!

"A good dinner is of great importance to good talk. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf

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I have my knives on a magnetic strip, and I like the convenience of it.

But I think an individual evaluation is needed. Several years ago, I came home to find a tornado had hit our property. Among other things, the front storm door was smashed, as were several windows, and the inside (wooden) door was hanging ajar, suspended by only one screw in the top hinge. Upon entering the house, I noticed that none of the furniture was in its proper place; it had all moved by about 5 to 7 feet. I don't remember whether the knives were still on the strip, but I can tell you that stuff that was in the bedroom at noon that day, was found in the kitchen. I could go on and on --tornadoes do really strange stuff-- but you get the idea.

A few days later, I realized that under the right conditions, if I were home when another tornado hit (our area has been hit several times in the last 15 years), the knives could become airborne and the results could be horrendous.

For many people, tornadoes are not much of a threat, but in our area, it's a good idea to live (March through October) as if one is coming tonight. I still keep my knives on the magnetic strip, but I'm looking around to see if something else might be better. I haven't made a decision yet.

If I had young children, the knives would not be visible at all. There are other conditions, too, that could call for a different choice; I think each household has to evaluate its own situation.

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I use two Messermeister magnetic strips. They replaced a couple I had earlier. I like the strips, but you need to make sure they are strong, permanent magnets. The last set I had wasn't strong enough to hold my knives:

gallery_33723_1685_47739.jpg

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I have two magnetic strips that I love dearly. They secure all my good knives, and I have a little extra room to secure tongs, sptulas or whatever. One strip has a wooden base and the other is plastic with hidden screw mounts. Both are secured to dry wall by drilling holes in the wall, inserting the included plastic expanders, and screwing in place. They hold perfectly fine. If you had a wood surface, you could just screw them directly to the wall, without the expanders. Ceramic or other surfaces would be more difficult, probably involving special drill bits and toggle bolts.

Even though I love mine, they are not for everyone. When I cook with my family, they are all deathly afraid of them. And depending on the kitchen, the logistics of the space may work against them. We had mag strips under a shelf at a deli I used to work at. The shelf (and the staff turnover) made using the strips awkward and dangerous.

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perhaps someone can answer my odd mag strip issue-- I inherited my grandfather's knives when he passed on, including the mag strip they'd been stored on for 60+ years.  They are high carbon, ancient Sabatiers.  My more, um, modern knives, mainly my Chinese Cleaver and my Furi Santoku, don't stick--is the magnet weak from age? construction? I realize the difference betweeen the old and the new is carbon content,.  I'd like to keep the mag strip, but i also want to store all my knives on it! any thoughts?

a possible solution to up the magnetic oomph of your grandfather's strip might be to get a couple of the small square magnets with holes predrilled in them that they sell at hardware stores & screw them in a row onto your existing strip. In my experience these little magnets are pretty strong, but of course the ones at your local hardware store may be different, so try this at your own risk. oh and of course make sure those screw heads are sunk low enouvh to not damage your knives!

Otherwsie why not just get a second modern strip to put next to the old one & store new knives on that & the sabatier's on the old strip... that way you have room for even more knives & that can't be a bad thing, right? :biggrin:

Do you suffer from Acute Culinary Syndrome? Maybe it's time to get help...

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I have never had any trouble with my knife strip and never felt that the edge of my knives were in any danger. Can someone describe to me how a knife edge could be damaged in removing it from the strip? I also use my knife strip to hold up task lists when I am preparing more complicated meals. It's very convenient.

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I have never had any trouble with my knife strip and never felt that the edge of my knives were in any danger.  Can someone describe to me how a knife edge could be damaged in removing it from the strip?  I also use my knife strip to hold up task lists when I am preparing more complicated meals.  It's very convenient.

I have a magnetic strip (I forget the brand...it was in the $40 to $70 range I think) which I love and have had no blade problems with it. HOWEVER...at my local Williams-Sonoma, they have some kind of super magnet for their knives...I've noticed many of their workers having trouble removing knives from the bar. Anyway, I was looking at a Global santoku knife that they pulled down for me, and I noticed some pretty nasty knicks in the blade, presumably from removing it from the strong magnet. In my head, it goes something like this: the store clerk grabs the knife by the handle, the magnet doesn't release it very easily, so the clerk twists pulling the spine of the knife away first, leaving the blade to pivot on the magnet. Couple this with the thinness of Global blades, and there you have it. Just a theory, but there was some definite damage to that blade.

BTW, thanks for the idea on the task list! What a great trick.

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I have mentioned this on another thread on this subject but it does bear repeating. My daughter has a magnetic strip in which the magnet is so strong that the knives immediately move from the vertical to almost the horizontal as soon as the magnet grabs them. To me, it is highly unsafe as knive blades are now in the perfect position to do damage to the hand never mind the blade!

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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  It's a fine line.

:biggrin:

I have one magnetic strip mounted to the side of a high cabinet at the sink. It holds my most-used knives. I've been very pleased with it.

~ Lori in PA

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