I don't have one, but have used them at friends' homes.

Other than that it takes up wall space above a counter, I can't think of a disadvantage.

I do think the magnetic bar needs to be placed above a counter, because you wouldn't want a knife to be knocked off (e.g. by a shoulder, or by a sloppy grab of a neighboring knife) and fall to the floor or into a foot.

I've got one and love it.

I have one and love it love it love it. recommend to anyone. Plan to do in my new home unless i can manage a knife drawer

Can you reply where you have it installed? On a drywall wall, on a cabinet door, or on the backsplash? Thanks.

I had it installed on an oven cabinet side over a counter in my last kitchen. I loved it. I haven't decided yet about knife storage in my redo.

I have one. I installed it on the tile backsplash. I put the screws thru the grout lines and it's held for years. Before we reno'd, it was on the side of the cab beside the sink. Our old cabs were plywood though - not sure if it would hold on particle board.

I love it and haven't found a downside yet. We also put our kitchen shears on ours - very convenient.

I'd make sure to position it so that if a knife got knocked off it wouldn't stab a foot below. My MIL has hers on the inside of a door on a base cabinet. Once I opened that door and a knife did fall onto my foot. No serious damage, but it was painful. She still has them there!!

I have one and we love it; so convenient for the knives that get used on a daily basis. I have to add that we also have a knive collection in a knive wood block... (hubby being a "serious" week-end cook...).

If you have expensive knives, know that they may get scratched by the metal to metal contact. To avoid this, you need to make sure that the cutting side of your knive does not go first. The first "bang" should be on the non-cutting side of your knive. I was explained this by the store where I buy good knives (also know that some people would not "dare" putting expensive knives on a magnetic bar...). I think they now sell veneered magnetic bar to solve this potential problem.

The only think I hate is that ours is over the stove in sheetrock. Over the stove is OK, but the sheetrock is problematic. Sometimes my hubby is not very careful when he puts knives there and it scratches the wall. I had to do touchups. So installing it over tiles would be perfect (and yes it can be done).

I would also recommend to make sure that it is out of the way. It could be dangerous...

Mine is on an oven wall over the floor. It is well above shoulder height so no one is going to brush against it. If a knife did fall (which has never happened), it is going to fall straight down, not jump at you. I can't picture getting in a position where one would fall in your foot.

One piece of advise, get the longest one you can find room for and then look around for a place to mount a second one.

I installed this 14" one from Epicurean for my Mom:

We got it at Lee Valley (it is Richlte like the pictured cutting board) and it is on the wall behind the paper towel holder in this picture:

Great to install - has its own built in level and the Richlite cover just slides over the bar that is mounted to the wall.

What is your countertop material? I had a magnetic bar next to the stove for spoons and spatulas in the old kitchen that I loved. Not in the new kitchen, though. I found out the hard way a knife that slips point down makes a pretty significant gouge in soapstone. I am such a klutz, a magnetic knife bar would be disastrous.

I'm in a declutter stage of life so the less you see the better it is. If you really want a magnetic bar maybe a small one just for the two knives that you really use daily. The others could be stored in a drawer close to the preping area.

If you need lots of medium and small knife storage use pairs of magnetic knife holders flush mounted in parallel (3" to 4" apart)on the underside of a convenient upper cabinet interior shelf. The knives can be set on the diagonal with their handles easily at hand and clear of the closed door. If you are handy and have the tools, a custom thin wooden linear knife block can be mounted in a similar manner almost anywhere as well, or a simple combination of the two methods to ensure the knives stay secure and separate from each other.

We have two in our small kitchen. They are frequently knocked from perpendicular, but I can't recall of any actually falling. One is screwed into tile perpendicular to our counter and is used for the knives used most often. The handles are down because they are stored above a switch. The other is screwed into the size of a tall cabinet adjacent to a cart. It is out of the way since those knives are seldom used, and the height and space makes it more logical to store those knives with the handles up.

I have had a magnetic strip in every kitchen I've had for decades.

My current one is a smooth bar. It is a LOT more magnetic than the wood ones with a thin magnet strip (like in laxsupermom's pix above). Really REALLY grabs and holds. I cannot imagine a knife falling from it.

I actually caught DH testing how far from away from the strip he could let go of a knife...

The smooth one also stays cleaner and cleans up easier.