"Universal" aka "Bristle" Knife Blocks: Blade Damage and Hygiene

Question

Does anyone have any experiences of /advice about "universal" knife blocks, i.e. blocks that hold the knives in place with a dense bunch of plastic bristles instead of the usual slots in the wood.

I've recently got some decent knives, some that I've bought, some received as presents and I'm about to add a ceramic honing steel too. The problem is that they are all different makes and (I presume?) a ceramic steel isn't magnetic so a strip is out.(Besides, I hear ceramic steels are easy to damage so a block would provide more protection).

The solution would appear to be a "universal" knife block that could accommodate all brands, but I'd like to know:

1) Do the bristles damage or wear the knives as you draw/replace them?

2) Are there hygiene issues storing the knives like this?

3) Are these blocks ok for storing honing rods or just knives?

Any info would be much appreciated, thank you.

Answer 1

The only hygiene issue would be if you put away dirty knives, which would be an issue in any knife block, or otherwise contaminate them. It's not like the slots in traditional wooden knife blocks can be washed.

Because you'll take the knife out, use it, wash and dry it then put it away any wear should be negligible. The bristles are made of plastic with a similar hardness to chopping boards. Whether you sharpen your knives frequently or are lazy you won't notice the difference.

The ones I've seen wouldn't have room for honing steels - there isn't enough room between the bristles.

Answer 2

Yes, very sharp/thin edged blades (think of something like a yanagiba or laser gyuto) will take damage because they will bite lengthwise into the plastic straws and get dulled and/or deformed/chipped. Also, an overfull plastic straw block can bend the edge out of hone because of uneven pressure applied to its sides.

ADDITION: Example experiment I did: Take Takamura HSPS (not the pro version), sharpened to the same angle these come with from the maker (around 18 degrees inclusive(!!). Very delicate knife but usable on a cutting board with care.), arm hair sharp. Stuff it in a bristle knife block a few times. No longer arm hair sharp.

Answer 3

Second answer, because I'm dealing with a separate aspect of the question here.

One good way to upgrade these universal blocks is to use balsa wood (available in stores that sell scale modeling supplies) boards to make inserts as needed. In the simplest case, use alternating boards and spacers to get a number of slots. Discard the bristle insert.

Balsa is an extremely light wood that can be cut to size with a ruler and boxcutter and glued with superglue (if paranoid about contaminants, there are NSF certified brands of superglue). If making more complex inserts, be aware that balsa stability is VERY dependent on whether you are going against or with the grain - if you need stability, make a simple plywood by glueing two thin boards together with their grain at an angle to each other.