I recently found out the hard way why kitchen knife guards are essential in kitchens!
I have two knife blocks that I constantly use in my kitchen and I love them. However, I have several chef knifes that I have been given over the years that are not part of a set and do not have a "slot" in the blocks. For 20+ years I have stored those chef knives in a kitchen drawer, under my cast iron trivets. Since the trivets sit on little feet, this has worked beautifully for me for all of that time. I keep those chef knives because we need them during the holidays when I share my kitchen with several family "chefs".
A few months ago, I purchased a Dexter-Russell 12" Scalloped Slicer. I have been wanting one since fellow contributor, Dawn Rae, recommended the Dexter-Russell 8" Bread Knife. I needed the 12" instead of the 8" simply because I need to be able to easily cut cake layers in half horizontally. The Dexter-Russell 12" scalloped slicer is fabulous! It can cut so much more than cakes or bread and has been a wonderful addition to my kitchen chef knife collection. I join Dawn in highly recommending the Dexter-Russell knives.
Unfortunately, there wasn't room for my awesome new Dexter-Russell scalloped slicer under the cast iron trivets so I set it, blade side down, against the side of the drawer. I keep my hot pads laying on top of the cast iron trivets. As you can imagine, things shift slightly when hot pads are removed and then put back up.
By now, you can probably guess what happened. 2 weeks ago, I reached for a hot pad without looking and my finger barely landed on my scalloped slicer. It took over 30 minutes to stop the bleeding. It was the next day before I could touch my finger without the bleeding starting again. As soon as I could type, I went in search of a knife guard!
One mishap with a knife was all it took for me to seek out knife guards for all of my unprotected chef knives in my kitchen drawer.
Recommended Chef Knife Guards
Fortunately, Dexter-Russell makes a knife guard for the 12" Scalloped Slicer. It is just as wonderful as the knife itself and it is now protecting my scalloped slicer from my frolicking fingers and hands.
Recognizing the previously ignored need, I also purchased guards for my extra chef knives.
I also ordered a cover for my most beloved vegetable slicing knife, which was originally my mother's knife that she gave me. Even though I keep that knife in the drawer with our flatware, I realized it really should have a cover too. After all, I use it all of the time because it cuts so well. It needs to be protected from frolicking fingers too!
Due to the length and width of the knives, I purchased different knife guard brands.
Mercer Culinary Knife GuardThe Chef Sac knife guards are the perfect size for my 8" chef knives, while the Mercer Culinary knife guard is the perfect size for my long vegetable knife. The 12" Dexter-Russell knife guard was specially made for my Dexter-Russell scalloped slicer, so of course, it is perfect. There are additional sizes available in the Dexter-Russell guards.
All of the guards are completely open on one long edge so knives slip in and out of the guard with intentional pulling pressure, but they do not slip out otherwise. The Chef Sac knife guards have felt interiors which I am not crazy about, but they do the needed job of covering the knife blade and they fit the knives.
Either the Dexter-Russell or the Mercer brand (shown on the right) would be my first choice in knife guards. Which one I would purchase, would be determined by which brand offers the size needed.
I washed all of the guards in dishwashing soap before I used them. The felt lined guards took 2 days to air-dry on the inside, which is why I don't like them as well. I doubt the felt will hold up to a lot of wear & tear, but it probably will reduce scratches on the knife blade as claimed. Since I only use those chef knives during the holidays, the Chef Sac knife guards will probably last years for me.
Chef Sac Knife Edge GuardsCheck PriceMercer Culinary Knife Guard, 10 Inch x 1.5 InchCheck PriceKnife Guard, 12 In, Poly, BlackCheck PriceDexter-Russell KG8W Wide 8-3/8Check Price
Regardless of the chosen brand, I highly recommend covering all knife
blades with knife guards if they are stored in drawers or anywhere other
than a knife block. The guards are definitely cheaper than an emergency room visit and a lot less painful.