The three Best Knife Rolls of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

A knife roll is normally the purview of cooks (*cough* who want to showcase their custom-made Gyuto at work *cough* ) or culinary school college students toting knives to class. Nonetheless I exploit my knife roll in a far more plebian—and smart—method: to convey my sharp knives with me the place uninteresting knives await, whether or not or not it’s at my in-laws or an Airbnb. No one wishes to prepare dinner dinner dinner with a uninteresting blade…perception me, I’ve tried. Enter the knife roll: the safe, protected (and fewer dangerous than merely tossing them in your suitcase) method of packing up your knives.

I examined 11 of them to hunt out ones that are a cinch to fill, wrap, and tote, and gained’t have you ever ever worrying about knives slipping out or poking by the fabric.

The Checks

• Knife Match Check out: I match as many knives as I’ll inside each knife roll, noting if it was easy to suit them in and if the knife roll packed up merely as quickly as full.
• Carrying Check out: I used each knife roll to carry a variety of knives, noting how comfortable the take care of or strap(s) had been, and if the knives shifted all through transport.
• Sturdiness Check out (Winners-Solely): I unzipped and unbuckled various components of the knife rolls 20 situations to check for durability.

What We Realized

Top quality Craftsmanship and Provides Have been Obligatory

Much like a top quality merchandise of garments or backpack, a well-made knife roll will closing you longer. Since you’re shoving sharp knives into these things (or, efficient, maybe you’re masking them with knife guards like I must be doing), the inner supplies larger be sturdy. Some knife rolls, similar to the Shun, suffered cuts from my knives—not an excellent sign by means of longevity. Others, similar to the Sunday X Best, had synthetic leather-based straps and unfastened stitching. We confirmed this model to Hannah Stamp, a mission engineer and textile specialist at Hasbro Inc., who acknowledged the uneven stitching speaks to poor thread stress, whereas the bogus leather-based is flimsier and belies a inexpensive product. Whereas I’m not saying you need a $500 leather-based roll, similar to the Tom Beckbe (though it might possibly closing a lifetime, or longer), it is good to have a sturdy canvas or highly effective polyester one which’ll stand as a lot as sharp knives and closing a really very long time.

Carrying Comfort Was Key

I truly appreciated the considered the Tilit backpack, which includes a entrance pocket for storing your knives (with tons of room for various kitchen requirements, like a secure Y-peeler, cookbook, and even your laptop computer laptop). Nonetheless, the backpack was method too large, and the straps dug uncomfortably into my neck as soon as I carried it spherical. Instead, I most popular easy-to-use, comfortable straps and handles, like on the Messermeister and ChefSac, or rolls that had been small enough to toss right into a day by day backpack, similar to the Hardmill knife roll.

The Number of Knife Slots Was a Personal Different

I examined a variety of knife rolls, the largest of which can match 18 knives, and the smallest of which match 4. Finally, I found knife rolls with a variety of knife slots had been powerful to jam-pack since greater blades take up further house (notably must you use an even bigger blade, like a Chinese language language cleaver). Finally, eight knife slots are splendid, though must you’re solely using one or two knives, the petite Hardmill knife roll, which has 4 slots, is an effective various. Together with slots, some knife roll producers will even observe the scale of knives you presumably can place in them, and the best of that fluctuate is usually spherical 15 to 18 inches

There Wasn’t A Lot of Variation In Look

That is more likely to be a petty grievance, nonetheless the knife rolls I examined all kind of appeared the similar; a variety of brown leather-based and darkish greens, greys, and blues. It is going to be good to have one factor, I don’t know, a bit further quirky. I’d love further pleasant patterns and vibrant selections.

The Requirements: What to Seek for in a Knife Roll

I appreciated sturdy knife rolls—they should be highly effective ample to face up in the direction of sharp blades and placed on and tear over time. They should even be easy to open, shut, and fill with knives; if the material is simply too stiff, it’s laborious to slide knives into the slots. That acknowledged, the slots (and roll whole) ought to take care of the knives in place; they need to not shift or start to fall out in transit. Lastly, an excellent knife roll must be easy to carry, whether or not or not with a take care of or shoulder strap.

Our Favorite Knife Rolls

What we appreciated: Sure, this isn’t a blue waxed canvas knife roll with bridle leather-based straps, nonetheless it’s sturdy, smart, and easy to tote. I truly appreciated the zippered inside half, which ensured knives stayed of their slots, and it was easy to go well with knife handles into the stretchy pockets, one factor that couldn’t be acknowledged of stiffer canvas selections.

What we didn’t like: I didn’t love the velcro used to protected the roll when it was folded up. Nonetheless, there is a zippered sleeve that retains knives inside, which gave me further peace of ideas.

Key Specs

• Kind: Roll with shoulder strap and carrying take care of
• Provides: Nylon, padded foam core
• Open dimensions: 17 x 32 inches
• Closed dimensions: 20 x 6 inches
• Weight (empty): 1 pound, 9.3 ounces
• What it has: 8 knife pockets, 4 enterprise card pockets, 1 big pocket, 3 pencil/pen pockets, and a zippered mesh inside
• Care: Spot clear with a moist towel, dry

What we appreciated: This issue is difficult, with stiff canvas and thick leather-based straps that had been surprisingly easy to open and cinch tight. It’s moreover stuffed with further pockets for various doodads and even choices an notably big exterior pocket, which can very nicely be good to your cellphone and pockets for those who want to maintain all of the issues in a single place. The take care of and strap had been big and cozy.

What we didn’t like: The knife roll features a cumbersome further zippered pocket on the skin, which caught out pretty a bit. The pointed zipper on it was pretty sharp, and I actually stabbed my palm with it. It’s moreover a pricier determine, at spherical $150 at time of testing.

Key Specs

• Kind: Roll with shoulder strap and carrying take care of
• Provides: Waxed canvas, leather-based
• Open dimensions: 28.5 x 28.25 inches
• Closed dimensions: 16.25 x 7.25 inches
• Weight (empty): 2 kilos, 9.9 ounces
• What it has: 10 knife pockets, 1 quick entry zip closure rear pocket, one enterprise card pocket, 1 inside zip closure pocket, and three inside utility pockets
• Care: Wipe with a moist sponge and water, dry

What we appreciated: While you’re in quest of a knife roll to hold just some vital knives, this one’s acquired you coated. I appreciated how slim it was (it match merely into my tote purse), and my knives tucked readily into the slots and stayed there. It’s moreover constituted of rugged waxed canvas with cotton canvas backing, a sturdy combo. It moreover is accessible in a variety of colors, one factor that wasn’t true for lots of various knife rolls.

What we didn’t like: There should not any handles, so that’s further of a knife roll that you just’d pack up in a backpack or tote bag. It’s moreover pretty costly for a petite offering (it was $100 as soon as I examined it).

Key Specs

• Kind: Roll, no strap or take care of
• Provides: Waxed canvas, cotton canvas backing, full-grain bridle leather-based strap
• Open dimensions: 13.5 x 17 inches
• Closed dimensions: 17 x 4.75 inches
• Weight (empty): 10.6 ounces
• What it has: 4 knife pockets, 1 inside zippered pocket
• Care: Spot clear, dry

The Rivals

• ChefSac Waxed Canvas & Leather-based-based Chef Knife Roll Bag: While you’re in quest of sturdiness, a variety of knife slots, and a take care of and shoulder strap, this knife roll has all of it. It moreover consists of zippered pockets and small slots for various kitchen necessities (like a Sharpie—iykyk). Whereas this was my excessive determine, it sadly seems to be discontinued.
• Tom Beckbe Chef’s Knife Roll: I’ve to preface this by saying this generally is a lovely, sturdy knife roll that anyone could possibly be lucky to have; on account of it’s constituted of leather-based, it might most likely closing a lifetime (possibly longer). That acknowledged, it was $500 as soon as I examined it, which isn’t exactly chump change. And whereas it might soften with time, correct off the bat it’s pretty big; carrying it, I felt like an architect strolling spherical with a kind of big tubes they maintain their blueprints in.
• Accounts Chef Backpack: I truly wanted to like this backpack, as a result of it’s an unbelievable idea, notably for individuals who work throughout the restaurant commerce and commute to work. Nonetheless it was merely method too large, and the straps had been stiff and uncomfortable and chafed my neck.
• Hudson Sturdy Gadgets 8 Pocket Knife Roll: This knife roll had its deserves: it’s constituted of sturdy canvas and had a variety of knife slots, nonetheless the skimpy string used to protected it didn’t actually really feel sturdy ample. It was moreover laborious to fold when crammed with knives and ended up large and ponderous. As a result of it doesn’t have a take care of or straps, you’d ought to uncover a way to match it proper right into a backpack, which is more likely to be troublesome.
• Wusthof Roll Knife Storage: This was offering that appeared eerily very similar to the Messermeister knife roll—save for one issue: the inner lining. Whereas the Messermeister’s provides proved to be sturdy in the direction of unintentional knife blade scrapes, this knife roll’s materials sliced and frayed.
• Boldric Cotton Canvas DD Hook Tie Chef Knife Bag: I appreciated the sturdy nonetheless pliable supplies of this roll and the best way clean it appeared when rolled up. Nonetheless, the strap, which requires threading by two metal loops, wasn’t as protected as a result of the additional belt-like ones on totally different fashions, and knives shifted spherical a bit all through carrying.
• Sunday X Best Premium Chef Knife Bag: Whereas this bag was constituted of sturdy canvas, the stitching was unfastened in some spots and the straps had been constituted of flimsy feeling faux leather-based. Knives shifted a bit bit all through carrying.
• Shun Knife Roll: Identical to the Mercer, this knife roll sustained small cuts inside as soon as I slid knives into the slots.

FAQs

What’s a knife roll?

A knife roll is a bag utilized by cooks and cooks (and residential cooks who’re obsessive about knives!) to tote their cutlery.

What variety of knives can you fit in a knife roll?

It depends on the knife roll! We examined knife rolls that match between 4 and 13 knives, though it depends on the dimensions of your knives—as an illustration, the blade of a Chinese language language cleaver will take up further house than a standard 8-inch chef’s knife.

Why We’re the Consultants

• Grace Kelly is Essential Eats’ affiliate editor and has been reviewing gear and components proper right here for nearly two years.
• She’s labored as a bartender and as a prep prepare dinner dinner, and sometimes toted her knives collectively together with her.
• For this evaluation, she examined 11 knife rolls by filling them with knives, toting them spherical, and analyzing their improvement and sturdiness. She moreover had Hannah Stamp, a mission supervisor and textile specialist at Hasbro, research just some of the knife rolls.