The Best Knife Blocks

Resembling a trophy you might hoist at a sporting event, our winning knife block definitely stood out among the competition. Costing nearly $400, the redesigned version of our former winner is quite the investment, but we’ve yet to find a cheaper option that we like better. Weighing nearly 14 pounds, this six-sided block felt solid from the moment we unboxed it, sitting especially stable throughout testing. It easily held our six-piece knife sets, though our favorite 12-inch slicing knife stuck out slightly from the top, leaving a bit of its blade exposed. Because the whole unit rotated on its base, it was a breeze to access any knife we’d placed on it. A flared skirt on its base ensured that we could safely rotate the block without getting our fingers too close to a knife’s sharp edge. Best still, we were able to remove most knives in different ways, either by pulling them toward us or pulling them upward. (The exception was our cleaver, which stuck to the block especially tenaciously; we could only remove it by pulling upward.)

This roomy block completely sheathed our entire winning knife set using just one of its two sides—and quite securely, thanks to long, medium-strength magnet bars. Heavy, with a grippy base, this block was very stable. An acrylic guard made this model extra-safe but also made it a little trickier to insert knives and to clean; the wood block itself showed some minor cosmetic scratching during use.

A shorter version of our winner, this model is designed to fit under cabinets. It also rotates, but it lacks our winner’s flared skirt base, so we made sure to keep a close eye on where we handled the block to avoid accidentally touching a knife blade. The heaviest block we tested, it sat super securely on the counter and hardly budged during testing. It fit all knives except for our 12-inch slicing blade, which stuck out slightly. Its magnets were well-positioned, making it easy to attach and remove both large and small knives. We were able to remove most knives in different ways, either by pulling them toward us or pulling them upward. (The exception was our cleaver, which stuck to the block especially tenaciously; we could only remove it by pulling upward.)

This double-sided block sits on a wide non-slip base. It fit all knives from our à la carte sets, though our slicing blade stuck out slightly. Even though it was relatively lightweight, it was very stable thanks to its four rubber feet. Our only issue because the block was relatively short, the tip of the slicing blade hit and threatened to nick the base when we inserted it. Also, two inches of the slicing blade were exposed on top, meaning extra care had to be taken to avoid cutting ourselves.

This smaller version of the Downtown Block secured all our knives nicely, though the blade of the slicing knife stuck out a bit. With a base lined with grippy material, this block was very stable. An acrylic guard afforded extra protection against contact with blades but made it a little harder to insert knives and to clean; the wood itself got a little scratched during use.

This model had a unique tiered design (think stadium seating for your kitchen knives). Each tier could accommodate two knives with a divider between them. The tallest tier was one of the few that could fully accommodate our 12-inch slicing knife. A downside of this design is that it was a little tricky to clean the block’s nooks and crannies. Due to its design, knives were easiest to remove in an upward motion.

This handsome block was done in by its shape—a tippy, top-heavy quarter-circle that wasn’t tall or broad enough to keep the blades of three knives from poking out. It lacked a nonslip base, and its extra-strong magnets made it unnerving to attach or remove our heavy cleaver. Finally, it got a bit scratched after extensive use.

This plastic block required us to aim each knife into the folds of an accordion-pleated insert that was removable for easy cleaning but got nicked easily with repeated use. Because we could only insert the knives vertically, longer knife blades stuck out; a cleaver was too wide to fit. The lightest model in our lineup, this block was dangerously top-heavy when loaded with knives.

This small, scratch-resistant model had a stable, rubber-lined base and could hold all our knives, though the blade of the 12-inch slicing knife stuck out a bit. But inch-long gaps between its small magnets made coverage uneven and forced us to find the magnetic hot spots in order to secure the knives. Its acrylic guard made it safer to use but harder to insert knives and to clean.

This magnetic block sheathed all our knives completely, though with a bit of crowding. But it was hard to insert each knife without hitting the block’s decorative slats on way down, and because the block was light and narrow, it wobbled when bumped. Worse, we couldn’t take it apart, so splatters that hit the interior were there to stay. Additionally, the outside stained easily, and when we wiped it down, the unit smelled like wet dog.

This model stabilized knives with a mass of stiff, spaghetti-like bristles that shed and nicked easily after extensive use, covering our knives with plastic debris. While all our knives fit securely, several of the blades stuck out, making this unit feel less safe overall. Finally, though the bristles could be removed and cleaned in the dishwasher, their nooks and crannies made this block hard to wash by hand.

Our former winner has been redesigned since we last tested it. Though stable, this plastic-bristled block was short and narrow, making it hard to fit all our knives without crowding the blades; longer blades stuck out. Stiffer, thicker bristles made knife insertion tough, and the bristles themselves were a pain to clean by hand and got nicked and bent out of shape easily.

This attractive wood block used a grid system to make a classic slotted knife block shape universal. But it was difficult to clean and to insert knives into the grid; the posts chipped easily when we failed to aim the knives just right. Long blades didn’t entirely fit in the block, and without anything to secure the blades once inside, shorter knives swung free through the open sides.