Whether your knife collection is big or burgeoning, you’ll want to keep it all well maintained. The simplest way to keep your blades looking beautiful is to display them correctly. Here are some common options for ensuring your knives look their best while you show them off.

Display And Protect

One of the most popular generic methods for storing your custom knives is to get a quality drawer. You can fit the drawer with a knife dock that will hold the knives in place.

A knife block will allow you to keep the knives out on the counter. You’ll have to make sure that your knives fit in the pre-cut slots, however.

Another drawback is that both of these are opaque. This means that you won’t be able to see what’s in the drawers (or knife block) without opening them or sliding the knives out.

To counteract this, you could instead opt for a display stand, which keeps the blades in the open air. They are visible for all, and easy to prepare.

Cut a notch in a suitable rod of wood for the blade, do the same for another piece to hold the handle, and voilà. You can substitute the wood with acrylic or a metal (like copper) if those materials fit your sensibilities better.

A magnetic knife strip is another possibility for open air display. Though usually used for kitchen knives, with some careful placement, it can be adapted for custom knives as well.

The primary disadvantage of these display methods is that they are plain. They also leave your knives exposed and vulnerable to accidents (particularly if you have curious children in the house who may want to play with the shiny metal objects).

For enhanced display and protective abilities, a custom, museum-style display case is the option of choice. You can have them built to house a single knife or a grouping of knives. You can decorate the case with a lining or other enhancements.

A display case even has a layer of glass that will allow viewers to gaze at your blades while keeping them safe at the same time. You should be prepared for the investment, though, as some custom display cases can run upwards of $2,000.

Take Pride In Your Collection

Each of these methods has their advantages and disadvantages. The overriding factor, no matter which you decide is best, is making sure that they are of high quality and will allow you to show off your knives the way that you most enjoy.