Knife Nut's Girlfriend looking for perfect storage system

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Abrandl

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Nov 24, 2012
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Hey everyone! I've been browsing around this forum for a long time, and finally decided to make an account. What a great resource!

My boyfriend is a knife maker/ collector, and has turned me into a lover of knives as well. Right now, the storage for our knives is all out of whack. They are scattered about the nightstand, dresser, and on most surfaces around our home. He also has a bag of knives, and has some in plastic containers. He will sometimes look at his collection and say "I hate how I keep these. I respect them so much, and that doesn't come through in the way I store them." It makes me so sad, and I want to help. I was thinking of getting/ making him something for Christmas. I am an organized person, but I just don't know how to organize all these. I went around and counted (I think) all of them. There are 120 that I found. He has folders and fixed blades of all sizes, from 1 inch blades to 12 inch blades. We live in a one bedroom apartment, and are very limited in space.

I have a few ideas so far, but nothing really seems "great." I was thinking of getting him a jewelry armoire-type thing. They have short drawers, but they aren't very big. They also take up valuable space. I have also been thinking of getting one or two of those carrying cases that store a bunch of knives in pockets. I have no idea where to start on those, which ones are good, or if they are sufficient. Another problem is that he wants to store his fixed blades without a sheath, and his autos opened... I can't keep them in a carrying case like that. He wants a way to display them all, but there just isn't the space to have a monstrous display case or anything.

I am just very lost. There are so many ideas out there, and I get very overwhelmed with all the information and products on the market. I thought I would reach out to you guys to see if you had any suggestions.

Thanks so much!
Alexandra
 
I think a pelican case would be a good start... Also brands like Kershaw, Zero tolerance and Spyderco make cases for holding knives
 
I agree that a Pelican case with the pick and pluck foam interior would be a great choice.
 
Pelican cases are a a little bit too big and expensive for me. I checked out some of the carrying cases from ZT, Kershaw, and Spyderco. So far, I like the Spyderco one the best (the one with the clear pockets), but it only holds 30. I was hoping to find something that holds more, though. I would have to get 4 of those.
 
If Pelican cases are too big and spendy, this may not work for you. But I use a Sears tool chest for the folders. Add some kitchen cabinet liner to keep the knives from sliding around. The fixed blades go in a large tupperware container.

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I use fishing tackle boxes to store mine, they are cheap and stackable. They are available most everywhere in lots of sizes
 
That tool chest would be a great option. I wouldn't mind saving up for something that holds everything. I am looking at a couple from Harbor Freight, as they are a little bit less expensive. Thank you!

I may also get a fishing tackle box or two for on-the-go storage. Thank you!
 
I second the Tool Chest/Drawer recommendation. Now is the perfect time to buy because of the holiday deals. You can even put them on layaway and pay them over time, so it isn't a big impact financially.
 
I really like how that one looks with the wood, and the lining on the inside is really nice. But like you said, it's a bit too small. :(
 
I personally went to a local camping/army surplus store and bought some old ammo cans (.50 cal I believe) I just need to get some foam to put in there so they don't slide around.
 
The wood tool chests can be had in a number of configurations also. They can be a bit pricey. This set up is from Gerstner and is called their International line. Not quite as nice or fancy as their higher end line but still pretty decent. This one sits in a corner in our bedroom and does not look as out of place since it's all wood. Of course a steel tool box with knives in it would never look out of place to me either. If interested, shop around, the prices can vary quite a bit from vendor to vendor. Mike

Gerstner002.jpg
 
You can check places like Ikea, Container Store and the big craft stores for their storage systems. Container Store has closet storage units with metal mesh drawers. I've seen similar things at craft stores and even places like Office Depot, with solid colored drawers (probably plastic). I have my fixed blades in some drawers, each wrapped in thin bubble wrap. Some of my fixed blades have sheaths, some don't. The ones with leather sheaths, I wrap the knife first with a couple of layers of wrap, put the sheath against it and wrap it the rest of the way.

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For folders if you don't store them in the boxes you can use knife rolls. Look on the net for spyderpac, but there are lots of people making similar type products.
 
I have been wanting to buy a surplus night vision googles case (around $40), and replace the foam inside of it with some pick and pluck foam from the craft store. It would be just like a Pelican case, but a lot cheaper than comparable models.

Connor
 
Mike, that is very close to what I would want, but like you said, it is very pricey. That would probably be a good gift when we have more money and more space :)

Thank you all SO MUCH for your recommendations and quick replies. I am going to grab one of those rolling chests while they are on sale at Harbor Frieght. :D
 
I would go with the lockable tool chest, honestly. The wood one looks better, but the ability to lock it is really necessary, in my opinion. All my guns and nice knives go in the safe!
 
I wouldnt recommend that Harbor freight chest! My bro in law had it! You get what you pay for. I would save up a little and get a Craftsman chest if you like that style! They re alot nicer! Harbor freight is all chinese crap! :)
 
Alexandra - a metal tool box will work just fine for organizing and keeping all the knives in one place. If the drawers are not lined, liner material can be had fairly inexpensively. Powernoodle's tool box is a great one and Sears often has sales on them. You might consider where the box will reside just to be sure you don't have any moisture/rust issues over time (this would go for the wood boxes also). If you do have moisture issues seal-able plastic containers might be worth a second look.

Just for the record, the wood tool chests are lockable. A lockable wood panel covers all of the drawers on the upper chest and a lockable wood slat runs in front of all the drawers on the lower chest. Being wood though, they would be pretty easy to tear off with a pry bar if someone wanted in. Guns definitely in a safe. Mike
 
Striderco said:
I wouldnt recommend that Harbor freight chest! My bro in law had it! You get what you pay for. I would save up a little and get a Craftsman chest if you like that style! They re alot nicer! Harbor freight is all chinese crap! :)
Click to expand...

I own a lot of Craftsman tools and I still buy Craftsman products but I look elsewhere as well. You can look at what is available from places like HomeDepot and Lowes. Knife storage is probably less stressful for a tool chest than what a mechanic would put one through. You can also look at what you can find used from places like craigslist.com. And back to Craftsman- if you have a Sears outlet nearby they sometimes have real good sales on storage cabinets.
 
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