Why a Mighty, Magnetic Knife Strip Is One of the Best Ways to Store Your Knives

For stashing blades of all sizes, we recommend a magnetic knife strip. Because while knife blocks are big, eat up countertop space, and have slots that are far too small for, say, a lengthy slicing knife or bulky cleaver, a knife strip is compact and can handle it all. 

After testing nine magnetic knife strips, we named the one from Jonathan Alden our favorite. It had a strong magnetic field (truly—we even used a gauss meter to measure it!) and both big and small knives didn’t shift when placed on it (important!). At 16 inches long, it easily held eight knives—though there’s also a 20-inch size available. 

Unlike the majority of the magnetic knife strips we tested, the Jonathan Alden was actually easy to install and even came with instructions. Shockingly, this was not true of many of the strips. This led to confusion! And screws being placed willy-nilly! (Somewhat kidding.) Plus, its polka-dotted design looks pretty, too—adding a little pizzazz to your likely underutilized kitchen wall.

To buy: Jonathan Alden Magnetic Wooden Knife Bar Holder Strip, $68 at amazon.com

Good to Know

• Materials: Cherry or walnut wood, grade 1 neodymium magnets
• Care instructions: Maintain occasionally with wood oil or wax
• Installation instructions: Included; drill holes in wall using included template, then attach screws to wall and mount bar on screws
• Lengths available: 12, 16, 20 inches

FAQs

How do you install a magnetic knife strip? 

Magnetic knife strips can come with different installation instructions, but our favorite from Jonathan Alden features keyholes on the back for easy installation/screw placement. 

Should you place a magnetic knife strip on the fridge? 

No, we do not recommend placing a magnetic knife strip on the fridge. This isn’t super stable. Instead, we suggest installing a knife strip onto a kitchen wall.