Best Bread Lames for Small Loaves

How the Five Compare on the Numbers

For small loaves, the published width and depth decide how close the blade can sit to a low-profile boule. The JACYAO’S is published at 1.9 by 2.5 inches, where the other three that publish a footprint give 7.5, 7.75 and 8.0 inches on their long axis. The Saint Germain Bakery weighs 0.06 pounds, the lightest of the five. The Baker of Seville weighs 0.21 pounds, the heaviest. The Aacehlh publishes no width or depth at all.

Blade counts range from 6 on the Baker of Seville to 15 on the RICCLE. The JACYAO’S includes 11 blades, the Saint Germain Bakery and Aacehlh each include 10, and the Baker of Seville includes 6. Handle materials differ: the Saint Germain Bakery uses hand crafted wood, the Baker of Seville uses solid stainless steel, the JACYAO’S uses American black walnut with 304 stainless steel, and the Aacehlh uses wood. The RICCLE does not publish a handle material.

The table does not tell you how the blade feels in the hand, how the magnetic holder behaves over time, or whether the handle suits a particular grip. Those are not published figures. The table also cannot compare weight for the RICCLE, because the manufacturer does not publish it. For small loaves, the published width and depth are the only figures that speak to counter fit.

What the Published Footprint Means for Small Loaves

Width and depth as counter fit

A small loaf sits low, so the baker’s hand must come close to the dough. The JACYAO’S is published at 1.9 by 2.5 inches. The Saint Germain Bakery is published at 0.5 by 7.5 inches, a narrow but long tool. The Baker of Seville is published at 2.0 by 8.0 inches. The RICCLE is published at 2.0 by 7.75 inches. The Aacehlh does not publish width or depth.

Those figures do not state which measurement is the depth of the object and which is the height. The listing publishes a length, a width, and a height. For the Baker of Seville, the 8.0 inch figure is the span across the tool. For the JACYAO’S, the 2.5 inch figure is the published depth. A reader with a narrow counter should note that the JACYAO’S publishes 2.5 inches on its long axis where the other three give 7.5 inches or more.

Weight and blade count

The Saint Germain Bakery weighs 0.06 pounds, the lightest published weight of the five picks. The Baker of Seville weighs 0.21 pounds, the heaviest. The JACYAO’S and Aacehlh both weigh 0.13 pounds. The RICCLE does not publish a weight. For small loaves, a lighter tool may be easier to hold at an angle, though the manufacturer does not state a performance claim about weight.

Blade counts are published as follows: RICCLE 15, JACYAO’S 11, Saint Germain Bakery 10, Aacehlh 10, Baker of Seville 6. The Baker of Seville also states that it includes a hard-shell storage case. The Saint Germain Bakery states a lifetime warranty on replacement blades. The Aacehlh states that the blade can be stored inside the lame when not in use.

Blade Change and Storage Compared

Magnetic, screw, and twist systems

The RICCLE and JACYAO’S both list magnetic blade holders. The Baker of Seville uses a thumb screw to clamp the blade. The Saint Germain Bakery uses a stainless steel stick to attach replaceable blades. The Aacehlh uses a grip and twist design. Each manufacturer describes its own method as secure, and none of them publishes a figure for how much force holds the blade.

For small loaves, a magnetic holder may simplify blade changes between scores. The JACYAO’S states that the handle opens to guide a blade into the magnetic slot. The RICCLE states that the blade is held by magnetic force. The Baker of Seville states that the thumb screw clamps the blade firmly. None of these claims are performance measurements, and none were tested here.

Cases, covers, and internal storage

The Baker of Seville includes a hard-shell storage case. The Saint Germain Bakery includes a hand-made leather protector cover. The Aacehlh includes a PU leather case and states that the blade stores inside the lame. The RICCLE includes a storage cover. The JACYAO’S states that a base magnet keeps the tool visible on ferrous surfaces.

For a small kitchen, internal storage or a case may reduce the risk of an exposed blade. The Aacehlh states that the grip and twist design lets the blade be stored inside the lame. The JACYAO’S states that the blade retracts after scoring. The Saint Germain Bakery states that the leather cover is for safe storage. These are published features, not tested results.

Handles and What Each Is Made Of

Wood, walnut and solid steel

The handle is the only part of a bread lame that is not a razor blade, and four of the five say what theirs is. The Saint Germain Bakery publishes a hand crafted wood handle with a stainless steel stick holding the blade. The JACYAO’S publishes a curved American black walnut handle on a 304 stainless steel retractable mechanism. The Aacehlh publishes a wood body it calls a UFO lame.

The Baker of Seville is the outlier, publishing solid stainless steel throughout and stating that it is machined rather than molded plastic or wood, which is also why it is the only pick stated dishwasher safe. At 0.21 pounds it is the heaviest of the five, and 0.21 against the 0.06 pounds Saint Germain publishes is most of what a steel body costs.

The one listing that does not say

The RICCLE publishes an ergonomic handle and a comfortable handle in two separate bullets and never names the material of either. It is the only pick of the five to leave it out, and it is also the only one that publishes no weight, so the two figures a buyer would use to guess at the material are both absent from the same listing.

What it does publish is the count: 15 blade refills, more than any other pick here, plus two cut-proof finger sleeves that no other listing mentions. It publishes 2.0 by 7.75 inches and a 1.1 inch height, and a size field reading 0.9 inches that it never explains. On blade supply it is the most generous listing of the five and on materials the least forthcoming.

Which One Fits Your Kitchen

Baker with a narrow counter. The JACYAO’S is published at 1.9 by 2.5 inches, where the other three that publish a footprint give 7.5 inches or more on their long axis. It includes 11 blades and a magnetic blade change, and weighs 0.13 pounds.

Baker who wants the lightest tool. The Saint Germain Bakery weighs 0.06 pounds, the lightest published weight of the five. It is published at 0.5 by 7.5 inches and includes 10 blades and a leather cover. It uses a stainless steel stick.

Baker who scores both curved and straight. The Baker of Seville converts from curved to straight blade with a thumb screw. It includes 6 replacement blades and a hard-shell case. It weighs 0.21 pounds and is published at 2.0 by 8.0 inches.

Baker who wants the most refills. The RICCLE includes 15 blade refills and two cut-proof finger sleeves. It is published at 2.0 by 7.75 inches. The manufacturer does not publish a weight.

Baker who wants internal blade storage. The Aacehlh uses a grip and twist design that stores the blade inside the lame. It includes 10 razor blades and a PU leather case. It weighs 0.13 pounds. Width and depth are not published.

What We Could Not Verify

The following figures were not published by the manufacturers on the listings reviewed.

• The RICCLE does not publish a weight.
• The Aacehlh does not publish width, depth, or height.
• What the size fields measure: the picks publish 1.5, 3.9, 0.9 and 1.7 inches with no statement of what is being measured.
• The RICCLE does not publish a handle material, the only pick of the five that leaves it out.
• The Saint Germain Bakery does not publish a blade material beyond standard razor blades.
• No manufacturer publishes a blade thickness or a handle length.