Is there a “right” direction to put my knives on a magnetic knife strip (tips up or tips down)?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “best knife magnet“
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Written by: Dai92
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Is there a “right” direction to put my knives on a magnetic knife strip (tips up or tips down)?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “best knife magnet“
About Dai92
Tips up. Look a single knife is only stable when vertical with handle down. So if you had handle up the knives would always be on the verge of rotating, which could knock one or more knives off the magnet.
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Well, this is certainly a mixed bag of conflicting answers.
As a guy with a giant wall full of magnetic strips with hundreds of knives on them, I’ll have to admit, “Both ways.”
I hate it when the duster-person snags a blade and a $1000 piece falls point down to the stone floor. It makes my coffee taste bitter.
BUT, I feel the blade’s attraction to the magnets vs., its apparent mass, and since we’re in an earthquake zone, if there’s any doubt about a knife slipping down and off, it is positioned point down, with the handle resting against the top of the magnetic bar.
Many stainless alloys don’t stick magnetically worth a flip so they don’t go up on that wall at all. You should feel a firm “stick” when placing the blade. There are also radical differences in the magnetic strength of some strips. Over the years, more than a few have been returned or sent to the tool shop.
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I think it depends on what you like and are comfortable with. There seem to be a lot of people solving problems that don’t exist regarding safety. I would NEVER simply reach out and grab without looking, so the possibility of grabbing a blade just wouldn’t exist.
When I used a mag bar I put the knives handle up because I liked the way it looked that way, but it wasn’t about safety and it’s actually easier to grab the knife when the handles are down because you don’t need to twist your hand. You also have the advantage of not dropping the knife point first onto a stone floor or counter.
But all in all I don’t like those mag strips all that much anyway and I made myself some knife holders that I like much better.
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My mag strips are below the counter, somewhat out of the way, so I place my knives handle up. The handle helps retain the knife on the mag strip and is the first thing I encounter when I reach down to grab one. If they were above the counter, it would depend on just where they were mounted as to how I would hang the knives. I prefer handle up, for security.
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With the tip down Of course also the blade should face to the left for right handed persons and to the right for left handled persons. That way when the knife is removed it is ready for use without further juggling.
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The magnetic strip is there for safety, so you’re going to want to put your knives with the blades pointing up. That way when you reach out to grab one, your hand is not likely to come into contact with the blade. Blades pointing down you’re basically just going to have to reach over the blades to grab the handles! When you’re a chef and at speed, often you wouldn’t even look where you were grabbing.
The other point to remember is what if those precious knives fell off? (believe me, I’ve seen it happen) again, if the blades were down the p…
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Thanks – I’d put tools (in general – screwdrivers, knives, whatever) that had a defined “handle end” on a magnetic strip handles up/business end down. Why? Two reasons:
That’s the way I’d expect anything to be hanging.
Gravity. If I jar anything loose, I want it to fall under my hands, not on top of my hands or past my hands. Especially knives, as I tend to keep them rather sharp! But this would also apply to anything else I keep an edge on – chisels, some scraper blades, …
So, as far as me goes, handles up/tips down.
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There isn’t a “right” answer.
But as a right-handed guy, I need to be able to reach for a knife and have the handle in my hand. Not to twist my wrist to grab a knife because it’s in a stupid position. Handle down, blade to the left, let’s go cut.
“Points down” is remarkably inconvenient, for that; plus I’ve never ever been cut by a falling knife.
Much like with a soldering iron: if it’s falling, step back, don’t grab it.
As usual, “Do what you enjoy” — and don’t wear open-toed sandals, if you’re using a sharp knife.
This next is the same problem, incidentally; check out the pistol orientation.
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No, you can attach them anyway that suits you best.
Keith.
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There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways.
I don’t personally use magnetic strips because I don’t like them. If you have any children around, I highly recommend you do not use magnetic strips. If it’s only clear headed adults, then hey! Go right ahead!
I personally would store them tips up, if stored high on the wall, so you don’t reach UP INTO the knife tips, and get stuck like pincushion! However, if stored low, against a counter-top or some such, where the tips come down roughly to the counter, I would store them tips DOWN. This is just a personal thought, as I have considered getting a magnetic strip, but just could never get my mind around having exposed edges. (I do love to keep my blades excruciatingly sharp!) Honestly, my druthers would be to have wall mounted tip UP magnetic edge guards stored high enough to make pull down extraction easy. Add more druthers, and you’ll see me opting for hardwood edge guards with hidden magnets…
Some of the other answers here are far more comprehensive, and show relevant experience, so I digress. Since I was requested, I put my opinion in for consideration. Hope this helps! best.
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The direction of the knife on a magnetic strip won’t affect the knife. However, tip up may place the knife handle in a more convenient position for you, the cook.
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I would suggest, that the safer direction to have the blades on a magnetic strip, is tip down. This eliminates the possibility of forgetting the direction of the knife tip, reaching out to grab the knife, and grabbing the tip instead of the pommel.
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I wouldn’t use a magnetic knife strip at all. Every time you take the knife off of the strip, you risk scratching the side of the blade. Plus, the blade is still exposed and therefore unsafe. Use a knife block or a knife dock in your drawer.
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Personally I’m not the biggest fan of magnetic strips. Over time they can scratch and mar the surface of a blade unnecessarily. They’re also just simply not as good as a block if you have the space. But if you don’t have the space they can save you some headache.
I have used a few of these and the people I rent from have one down in the main house. So I can say a few things on their use. Firstly placement is key. The people I rent from have theirs next to the stove and directly over the gap between the stove and the counter. Plenty of knives have fallen off and down into that gap. A few were never seen again until that stove was replaced a year back.
This one is also side mounted on the cabinets. So any reaching for a knife (I cook meals down at the main house twice a week) is having one reach across their own body with their dominant hand and into an opening between the cabinet wall and vent hood.
Having bad placement with these (and yes I’ve talked to them about moving it before, that conversation goes no where) makes all the potential issues with them real and frequent issues.
These really need to be on a wall (I’ve seen some people mount them to cupboard doors). They need to have plenty of room above and below them. They need to be horizontally oriented; Not vertical (I’ve seen one placed vertical and one knife falling from the top or even removing a knife not carefully enough can knock off several others).
Now as for whether they should be tip up or tip down. With most knife holders they are naturally oriented tip down. In general tip down is safest. But I’d say in the case of these magnetic strip it is not necessarily the safest. I think it chest line or higher and those tips are down pointing. Then any reaching for a blade is necessarily bringing ones hand up into a small grove of tips.
If below the chest line (say in a no child house where this might also be more convenient for counter use) The hand is reaching either strait out or down to grab a knife off it. So in that case tips up might be an issue.
Of course depending on how much space is available above or below the bar. Even if one has all their knives ideally oriented one way, due to different lengths of handle and blade it may be necessary to mount one or two of them opposite to the rest.
Something else to consider is that most knives are unstable objects. Meaning in most orientations they will not stay balanced and free standing if released. Some kitchen knives (especially cheap ones) can be unreasonably butt heavy. So if those are oriented tip down and they fall They may tumbled radically in unpredictable ways.
Whether you go tip up or tip down, try to have the blade mounted to the strip with it’s center of balance below the bar. this way if it gets knocked off it has the best chance of dropping strait down in a more predictable and safer manner.
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There are advantages and disadvantages to both. You can make a case for either, depending a lot on how you grab a knife to use it. As such, I’m not at all sure there is a”this is the way” statement to be made here. I’m used to , when using any of the house knives at work in the main kitchen grabbing them from a handle up position in their rack. The magnetic strip where I cook has them , hmmm, omg. I honestly am not sure, I just reflexively grab, use, clean the knife and put it back up. Well then, this is a bit embarrassing! If you don’t have an aesthetic preference, go with whichever feels best to you, with the understanding that you pretty much have to be certain where that hilt is when you go to grab and use. And understand the disadvantages of either alignment. Just place them on the strip, slowly reach out and take the hilt in hand, and see which alignment feels best, and keep in mind the primary advantage of hilt up is you are probably less likely to cut yourself if things go wrong, but it likely will not feel as smooth to take it off the strip. Tbh, when using my personal knives at work and at home i keep them in my knife roll with a blade guard on each blade. Not as aesthetically pleasing but it does solve any problems with safety..
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Conventionally speaking, the cardinal rule is tip-down. But I believe that any magnet higher than shoulder height should hold knives point-up.
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