The Best Knife Guards

Knife guards are one of the cheapest things you can buy for your knives and one of the most useful. A $6 sleeve protects a $100 edge from chips in a drawer, protects your hand when you reach in, and makes it safe to carry knives to a friend’s house or a campsite.

I spend a lot of time around sharp tools in my workshop, and blade covers are standard there for a reason: they prevent the two most common problems with sharp tools, damaged edges and accidental cuts. Here’s how to choose the right ones for your kitchen.

Quick picks

Why use knife guards?

They protect the edge. Knives knocking against other utensils in a drawer get small chips and rolled edges. A guard prevents that.

They protect your hands. Reaching into a drawer and finding a bare edge is a classic kitchen injury.

They make knives portable. For knife rolls, picnics, camping, vacation rentals and cooking at someone else’s house.

They let you store knives in a drawer. Useful in small kitchens with no space for a block or strip, or in homes with small children where knives need to be in a locked drawer.

Victorinox Blade Protection: best simple guard

Victorinox makes its Blade Protection guards in four sizes, listed as S (7 in), M (8 in), L (10 in) and XL (12 in). According to Victorinox’s listing for the 8-inch, it’s made of polypropylene, measures 8.5 inches long and 1 inch wide, is dishwasher safe and costs about $6.

Why it’s a good pick:

• Simple, cheap and made to fit Victorinox’s own knives.
• Dishwasher safe, so it’s easy to keep clean.
• Four lengths cover paring knives up to 12-inch slicers.

What to watch: at about 1 inch wide, the medium size suits narrower blades. Tall chef’s knives or santokus may need a wider guard.

Mercer Culinary Knife Guards: most sizes

Mercer sells a wide range of guards for commercial kitchens and culinary students. The 8 x 2-inch guard (M33113P) is made of black polystyrene and fits knives from 7 to 8 inches, according to Mercer. Mercer’s lineup also includes sizes from about 4 x 1 inch (paring knives) to 15 x 2 inches (long slicers), 12 x 2 and 13 x 2.5-inch guards, and a wide 8.5 x 4.5-inch guard for cleavers and other tall blades.

Why it’s a good pick:

• Sizes for almost every kitchen knife, including tall and long ones.
• The wide guard fits nakiris and cleavers that other guards can’t.
• Inexpensive and easy to find.

What to watch: Mercer lists a limited 6-month warranty and doesn’t state dishwasher safety on the page I checked, so hand wash them.

Wooden saya: best for a special knife

A saya is a traditional Japanese wooden sheath, usually made for a specific blade shape and held closed with a wooden pin. Sayas look beautiful, protect the edge well and let a Japanese knife breathe. The catch: they’re made for particular shapes and sizes, so check the fit before buying, and keep them dry inside.

Types of knife guards

Plastic slide-on guards. The most common. A rigid plastic sleeve, sometimes with a slot along the spine. Cheap, easy to clean.

Felt-lined guards. Plastic or fabric guards with a soft lining. Gentler on the edge and the blade face, but harder to clean and can trap moisture.

Magnetic guards. Guards with built-in magnets that hold the blade. Easy to slip on and off.

Wooden sayas. Traditional and beautiful, made for specific knives.

Leather sheaths. More common for outdoor knives; handsome but can trap moisture against kitchen steel.

Edge guards for knife rolls. Many knife rolls hold knives in pockets, and adding guards protects edges inside the roll.

How to choose the right size

1. Measure the blade length from the heel (where the edge starts) to the tip.
2. Measure the blade height at the tallest point, usually the heel.
3. Choose a guard as long as the blade or a little longer. A guard that’s too short leaves the tip exposed.
4. Choose a guard at least as wide as the blade is tall. A narrow guard on a tall blade either won’t fit or leaves the heel edge exposed.
5. For tall blades like santokus, nakiris and cleavers, look for wide guards.

How to use a knife guard without dulling the edge

Slide the knife in spine first if the guard has a spine slot, or line the edge up carefully so it doesn’t drag along the inside.

Don’t force it. If it’s tight, the guard is the wrong size.

Make sure the knife is completely dry. Moisture trapped inside a guard can spot stainless steel and rust carbon steel.

Clean guards regularly. Crumbs and residue inside a guard scratch the blade.

Remove the knife gently by pulling straight out.

Knife guards for kids’ safety

If you have young children, a locked drawer with guarded knives is one of the safest storage setups:

• Every knife gets a guard, so an adult reaching in can’t be cut either.
• A simple cabinet or drawer lock keeps little hands out.
• Kids’ knives, if you have them, live in the same locked drawer with guards on.

My guide to kids’ knives covers teaching children to cut safely.

Traveling with knives

Guards are essential when knives leave the kitchen.

• Cooking at a vacation rental: guards plus a towel or a knife roll keep knives safe in a suitcase or tote.
• Picnics and camping: a guard on every knife, and a dedicated bag for sharp tools.
• Moving house: guards on every knife, wrapped in towels, in a clearly labeled box.
• Culinary school or a kitchen job: guards plus a knife roll is the standard setup.

When traveling, check local rules on carrying knives in public and in vehicles. Knives in checked luggage on flights should be securely sheathed; carry-on rules typically prohibit kitchen knives.

How to make a temporary guard

In a pinch, you can protect a blade with:

• A folded piece of thick cardboard, taped closed, slid over the blade.
• A dish towel wrapped several times around the blade and secured with a rubber band.
• An old guard cut down to fit a shorter knife.

These are short-term fixes for a move or a trip. For daily use, a proper guard is safer and more hygienic.

Common mistakes

Using a guard that’s too short. The tip pokes out, which defeats the purpose.

Using a guard that’s too narrow. A tall blade may only half fit, leaving the edge exposed at the heel.

Storing knives damp. Moisture inside a guard leads to spots and rust.

Never cleaning guards. Crumbs inside scratch blades over time.

Losing guards. Keep spares; at a few dollars each, they’re cheap insurance.

Knife guards vs. other storage

Many people combine them: a magnetic strip for daily knives, guards for knives that live in a drawer or travel. My magnetic strip vs. knife block guide compares the main options.

Guards by knife type

Chef’s knives and gyutos: a standard 8 to 8.5-inch guard about 2 inches wide fits most. Very tall German blades may need a little extra width.

Santokus: shorter but tall. A 7 to 8-inch guard, at least 2 inches wide.

Paring knives: small guards around 4 inches long. Easy to lose, so buy a couple.

Bread knives: long and narrow. A 10 to 12-inch guard around 1.5 to 2 inches wide. The serrations don’t damage plastic guards.

Slicers and brisket knives: 12 to 13 inches long. These are the knives that most need guards, because they don’t fit in most blocks.

Nakiris and cleavers: tall, rectangular blades need a wide guard, like Mercer’s 8.5 x 4.5-inch guard.

Boning and fillet knives: narrow and flexible. A narrow guard of the right length protects the thin tip, which bends easily in drawers.

What about magnetic wooden blade covers?

Some makers sell wooden blade covers with magnets inside that grip the blade. They look nicer than plastic and slip on and off easily. Check that the magnets are strong enough to hold the knife upside down, and that the cover is long and tall enough for your blade.

Cleaning knife guards

• Plastic guards: wash in warm, soapy water or, if the maker says so (as Victorinox does), in the dishwasher. Dry fully.
• Felt-lined guards: shake out debris, wipe with a damp cloth, let dry completely.
• Sayas: wipe with a dry cloth; avoid soaking.

Do you need guards if you have a magnetic strip?

For knives that stay on the strip, no. Guards are useful for knives that live in a drawer, go into a knife roll, travel, or need to be locked away from kids.

My picks

For most kitchens: Victorinox Blade Protection guards for chef’s, paring and slicing knives. For tall blades, add a Mercer wide guard. For a favorite Japanese knife, consider a wooden saya made for that knife.