If you’re fed up with kitchen clutter or simply prefer to keep your prized kitchen knives in tip-top condition, any one of the best wood drawer knife organizers we’re about to look at today will make a welcome addition to your kitchen.
Chosen for their design as much as their durability, as well as their size and capacity, the products I’ve reviewed here today should help you to pick out the one organizer that’s perfectly suited to your kitchen space. If they don’t, don’t worry.
I’ve also included a detailed buyer’s guide to help you find the right product off your own back. And if you’re in a rush and don’t really have time for buyer’s guides and in-depth reviews? No problem, here’s a quick look at my top five selections:
Top 5 Best Wood Drawer Knife Organizers: At a Glance
- Utoplike In-Drawer Bamboo Kitchen Knife Organizer – Best All-Round Organizer
- Ocean Star In-Drawer Bamboo Knife Organizer – Best Budget Organizer
- Furninx Bamboo Knife Block Organizer
- Noble Home & Chef In-Drawer Knife Organizer
- Wusthof In Drawer Tray Knife Storage
What is a Wood Drawer Knife Organizer?
A wood drawer knife organizer is an invaluable piece of equipment that allows you to safely and securely store your favorite steak knives in one of your kitchen drawers rather than on your counter surfaces.
These days, most in-drawer knife organizers are made from high-grade Moso bamboo, which provides lasting durability and generally means that your beautiful new knife block won’t begin to look like a mess if the knives scratch and scrape against the side.
Most are also designed with specially-designed cut grooves around the tip of the handle, which gives you a much easier time of retrieving that knife than you’d have if you simply placed it in your bog-standard cutlery organizer.
Who Needs a Wood Drawer Knife Organizer?
A wood drawer knife organizer can prove invaluable for anyone who has limited counter space at home yet still needs protective storage and easy access to their valuable kitchen knives. After all, while most knife sets may come with their own knife block, those can take up some premium real estate in your kitchen, meaning you may not have enough room to properly prepare your favorite dishes.
Putting those knives in a drawer solves that problem while also ensuring that each knife is kept separate and won’t scratch either another knife or the inside of your drawer. You may also choose to opt for an in-drawer knife organizer if you have young children around who may be able to reach for those dangerously sharp knives if they’re left on the countertop.
Putting them in a drawer out of harm’s way helps to keep your young ones safe, especially if you combine it with a child latch on the drawer. Finally, you may simply need a wood drawer knife organizer to help you avoid messes in the kitchen and keep things looking neat and tidy at all times.
Wood Drawer Knife Organizers Buyer’s Guide
To the untrained eye, most wood drawer knife organizers may look pretty similar, but if you’re going to choose the perfect one for you, your knives, and your kitchen space, there are certainly important factors to consider.
These include:
Capacity
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing an excellent in-drawer knife organizer is that it has enough size and space to organize the knives you have.
In other words, if you have sixteen knives you need to store, then a 7-knife option just isn’t going to cut it, whereas if you only have a handful of knives, that 16-knife set-up is probably going to take up more space than necessary.
Of course, it isn’t just the quantity that counts. Knife type also makes a difference, and it’s worth paying close attention to whether the organizer you’re looking at is well equipped to hold your bread knife, carving knife, or any other specialist type of knife.
Overall size
As I’ll mention in more detail shortly, the overall dimensions of each knife block are also worth paying attention to.
Though most boast that they’ll fit perfectly into most standard drawers, it’s never a good idea to take that for granted, and always worth measuring your kitchen drawer before comparing the dimensions to those of your organizer.
Keep in mind, too, that you’ll want one that’s at least an inch or two smaller on either side so that you can easily slot the whole thing into the drawer and take it out again should it need cleaning.
Raised Edges
While this isn’t essential, you may find it a good idea to look at those organizers which feature a raised edge at the bottom end where the organizer meets the drawer door.
These raised edges are designed to stop your knives from sliding out of place, slamming against the door, and causing damage.
Overall Quality
In most cases, I gave extra points to those organizers made from Moso bamboo as these tend to be incredibly durable and scratch-resistant, and much less harmful to the environment than other types.
That said, I did include one solid oak organizer as it was still built to a high standard, and if you do your own research, you’ll find that other wood types are also available.
Size and Capacity
As I mentioned earlier, most organizers claim that they’ll fit the majority of standard US kitchen drawer sizes, and while it’s still a good idea to measure, I opted for these rather than ones that were either too big or too small.
Capacity also played an important role, as I considered that most serious home chefs would have a reasonably sizable knife collection, and with one exception, I wanted to provide you with options that would cover you for all of your knives.
Cost
Unlike other kitchen products such as tea kettles and pour-over coffee makers, knife organizers tend not to come in a wide variety of prices.
Many of the best ones all cost roughly the same, and I tried to stick within a reasonable price range while still offering my best budget pick for those looking to keep costs down.
User Reviews
Finally, I also looked at genuine online feedback from real users of each board I reviewed. That helped to give me a fresh perspective and ensured that I was well equipped to talk about the good parts of each knife block and the bad parts.
Product Review
1. Utoplike In-Drawer Bamboo Kitchen Knife Organizer – Best All-Round Organizer
The competition was tough for the title of all-around best wooden drawer knife organizer, but ultimately I felt compelled to give the honors to the Utoplike In-Drawer Bamboo Kitchen Organizer simply because it offers everything you could need in one relatively affordable package.
With enough capacity for 16 knives and one sharpening steel, this one has dedicated slots for up to eight 9.45″ steak knives as well as eight other large-handle knives of up to 15.7″ in length, each slot boasting uniquely designed carved openings to make those handles easy to grab.
Speaking of design, the whole thing has an all-around attractive look, making it as wonderfully aesthetically pleasing as it is abundantly practical.
Pros
- Made from eco-friendly Moso bamboo
- Scratch-resistant design
- Also available in a 12-knife set.
Cons
- Doesn’t have room for a carving knife
- Some users report that slotting knives back in can be tricky.
2. Ocean Star In-Drawer Bamboo Knife Organizer – Best Budget Organizer
If the idea of keeping your prized kitchen knives stored in an attractive wooden block really appeals, but the higher price tag of other models really don’t, the Ocean Star In-Drawer Bamboo Knife Organizer may be a perfect choice.
My pick of the best budget organizer around right now, this one comes in at a much lower price tag than any other in this guide, yet in no aspect does it compromise on what’s important. The high-grade bamboo ensures a level of lasting durability that is second-to-none, ensuring it’s going to sit in your drawer strong and sturdy for years to come.
Meanwhile, the 16 slots can fit up to 8 x 9.9″ steak knives and eight large handle knives of up to 16″ along with a 16″ knife sharpener so that each you can be sure you’ve got plenty of room to keep your favorite knives in pristine condition for longer.
Pros
- Easy to clean
- It comes with curved slots to make it easy to retrieve and return knives
- Low cost.
Cons
- It isn’t compatible with Cutco knives
- Not as scratch-proof as other models.
3. Furninx Bamboo Knife Block Organizer
Another mid-priced model, the Furninx Bamboo Knife Block Organizer, also fits up to 16 knives, including 8 x 9.8″ steak knives, 8 x 16″ large knives, and a 16″ knife sharpener. What I like about this one is that the bamboo is a lighter shade than many of the others, giving it a distinct look that really stands out from the crowd.
Not that this is all that it has going for it. I’m also a big fan of the wide slots that are ideal for thick knives; each one interset into the block at an angle so that knives never touch, as well as the raised edge of the bottom, which means knives are still easily accessible yet are entirely blocked from sliding out of place no matter how hard you slam the kitchen drawer.
Pros
- Easy to clean with a wet cloth
- Comes fully pre-assembled
- Works well with most major knife brands.
Cons
- Not very chip and scratch-resistant
- Some users report that steak knife retrieval isn’t the easiest.
4. Noble Home & Chef In-Drawer Knife Organizer
A little higher than average in terms of cost, the Noble Home & Chef In-Drawer Knife Organizer comes in both 12-knife and 16-knife capacities.
To compare like-for-like, I looked particularly at the 16-knife option, which accommodates eight steak knives with handles up to 9.25″ and eight larger knives with up to 16″ handles, plus the obligatory space for a 16″ knife sharpener.
However, what I really like best about this one is the design. Although it prioritizes functionality over beauty, the Furnix organizer is specifically designed to stop knives sliding or point upwards so that you never have to worry about knives coming out of the block and jamming your drawers.
Pros
- Made from eco-friendly Moso bamboo
- Designed to fit 99% of standard kitchen drawers
- Features wider-than-average slots for thicker knives.
Cons
- Some users report splintering around the edge of the knife slots after a few months.
- Higher than average pricing.
5. Wusthof In Drawer Tray Knife Storage
Their premium knife set recently featured prominently in my guide to the best stainless steel knife sets, and while that one did come with its own gorgeous knife block, if you’d prefer to keep your Wusthof knives out of sight, then the Wushthof In-Drawer Tray Knife Storage may be the perfect option.
The seven slots are designed specifically for the brand’s own knives, with room for 3 x 10″ blades and 4 x 6″ blades as per the brand’s standard dimensions. That said, it still works well with many other brands, providing the same stability, attractive design, and easy access regardless of which knives you buy.
Pros
- Designed to fit most standard kitchen drawer sizes
- Attractive and durable oak wood construction
- Also available in a 14-knife option.
Cons
- It doesn’t have room for a knife sharpener
- It lacks a raised edge which may mean knives slide out when the drawer closes.
Which is the Best Wood Drawer Knife Organizer Option for You?
If you’ve read through the top five reviews above, you’ll likely reach the same conclusion that I did: Ultimately, each one of those five organizers is of such good quality that they could reasonably claim to be the best wood drawer kitchen knife organizer of their own.
While that’s all well and good, it does leave one important question:
Which one should you actually buy?
The answer is pretty simple:
It all depends on what you’re looking for the most.
If you’re looking for the best-looking organizer to compliment the aesthetic charms of the rest of your kitchen, then I highly recommend the gorgeous Furninx Bamboo Knife Block Organizer. If you need an in-drawer knife organizer, but you’re determined to keep your costs down, then the very low cost of my budget pick, the Ocean Star In-Drawer Bamboo Knife Organizer, will undoubtedly prove an attractive option.
If, however, what matters most is finding the perfect combination of quality construction, capacity, design appeal, and value for money, the hands-down clear winner, has got to be the Utoplike In-Drawer Bamboo Kitchen Organizer.