We picked up a Kapoosh Knife Block (Model 650) with high hopes that it would solve our knife storage problem. On top of each box, there is a large hole so you can see the black plastic rods that hold your knives. It has a little blue plastic strip that you can stick in and out of the rods to see how it works (it's fun!) before you buy it. Unfortunately, this also means that dust from storage and transportation also get into the rods and washing is necessary once you bring the knife block home.
The plastic rods come as a complete unit with a solid base - just tilt the block over and out it comes. The wood block itself is just a shell with an open top and open bottom (the bottom has a couple metal brackets that hold the plastic rod assembly up). The plastic rods are dishwasher safe... and that's pretty much the only way to wash them. We tried to wash them by hand first but the water just wouldn't penetrate too deeply into the thick mass of rods. Soaking would work, but if you're going to fill a sink full of water, you might as well just use the dishwasher instead (which will use less water and do a better job sanitizing). Our next problem was drying. Following the instructions, you just let it air dry and the Kapoosh is ready to go in about twelve hours or so. The next day, it seemed that there were still parts deep in the forest of rods that were still damp. I didn't really want to stick expensive knives into a moist environment for storage.
Another concern about moisture that we had was that there is no airflow once the rods are placed in the block and the knives are inserted. The bottom of the rods are held together in a square plastic tray which does not allow air to flow through the device. Once a knife or two goes in, the rods are packed together really tight providing minimal airflow around the knife. Also, once two of our knives when into the block, it was so dense that sticking additional knives in became more and more difficult.
It was very nice to have the freedom of sticking knives in however we wanted and not have to worry if they'd fit or move. However, my 8-in chef's knives (which this model is supposed to accommodate) wouldn't go in all the way. The spacing between the rods was such that the knife still had about 1/4-in. of the blade uncovered.
In addition, when we pulled a knife out, tiny little black plastic flakes (sliced from the rods) came out on the knife with it. This is "normal" according to the thin sheet of paper that serves as a manual. This is also annoying since I don't like tiny black flakes in my food no matter how food-safe it is. Having to wipe down the knife or rinse it off just feels like an unnecessary hassle that I shouldn't have to go through.
Because my knives don't go in all the way, the rods get too tight to easily insert more than two or three knives, and plastic bits get on your sharp knives when inserting and removing blades, I can't recommend this knife block.
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