As an avid sourdough bread baker, I score my sourdough loaves with a bread lame almost every single time. (If you didn’t know, bread lames are the safest tool for holding the razor blades that are best for scoring bread.) Well, a few months ago, I decided that I wanted to find the best bread lame available. So, I slowly started acquiring the most popular bread lames on the market.
After months of weekly use, I meticulously tested the following five bread lames in order to find the best one:
- The UFO Lame
- The Arc Lame
- Baker of Seville Bread Lame
- The Sourdough Slingers Bread Lame
- Saint Germain Bakery Lame
In this post, I want to share with you the results of my findings! I’ll start by showing you my table, where I rated each lame on a scale from 1-40 based on four important factors. Then, I’ll share with you more specific information about each lame, along with some demonstration videos, to help you decide which particular lame is the best choice for you.
The Best Bread Lame: If you just want to go ahead and check out the #1 lame that I tested (the UFO lame) you can visit the product page here on the Wire Monkey Shop website.
If I Could Only Have ONE Bread Lame: If I could only have one bread lame, it would be the Baker of Seville bread lame. This is the only lame I have found that can go back and forth between a straight blade and a curved blade. Plus, it’s made of stainless steel so you can wash it in the dishwasher. Check it out on Amazon here.
5 Popular Bread Lames [Rated By A Home Baker]
I tested each lame and rated it from 1-10 on the following four factors: (1) safety, (2) simple scoring, (3) intricate (decorative) scoring, and (4) how fun the lame was to use. Below are the ratings that I personally gave each one of these five lames.
| Brand of Bread Lame | Safety | Simple Scoring | Intricate Scoring | Fun to Use | Total Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFO Lame | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38/40 |
| ARC Lame | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35/40 |
| Baker of Seville Lame | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 34/40 |
| Sourdough Slingers Lame | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 27/40 |
| Saint Germain Bakery Lame (Generic) | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 17/40 |
The UFO lame clearly received the highest score from me. It tied for the safety rating, and it was the clear winner for simple and intricate scoring. Overall it is my top pick and the lame I recommend most.
But, if I could only use one bread lame for the rest of my life, I can now say it would be the Baker of Seville lame. This lame is ridiculously simple, sleek, and functional in its design, and it can switch back and forth from a straight blade to a curved blade whenever you want. For that reason alone it would be my go-to choice if I could only own a single lame.
Now, I’ll show you some of the safety features of each of the five bread lames that I tested, and I’ll also go over what I like and what I dislike about each one.
1. The UFO Lame
My Rating: 38/40
Safety Features
With this lame, you have the unique ability to hide the entire razor blade inside of the lame when you’re not using it. Simply unscrew the base and slide the blade inside to conceal it. Then, tighten it to close. This allows you to keep the lame in a common kitchen drawer without having to worry about other accidentally grabbing a razor blade.
What I like about this lame…
I love that the UFO lame doesn’t have any knobs that can drag against the dough when I’m scoring. The fact that it is so small is great for making decorative designs on top of sourdough bread. But, if you prefer to do simple designs like me, it’s perfect for that too. I also love that I can safely conceal the blade on this lame, and that it’s made in the USA.
What I dislike about this lame…
This is a small issue for me, but it does take quite a bit of time to change blades and to take the blade out. The extra safety that you get from a hidden and secured blade comes at the expense of the extra time you need to get the blade out. Sometimes, when I feel rushed, I’ll just grab one of my other lames because I know I can get to the blade more quickly than this with the UFO lame. But, like I said, this is a very unimportant issue to complain about, all things considered.
Who should buy the UFO lame?
Everyone. The UFO lame is the best lame that I have tested and it’s a good choice for any bread baker. Its ease of use, its safety features, and its design capabilities make the UFO lame a good choice for both beginning and experienced bakers. Not surprisingly, it is used by both home bakers and professionals, and the relatively low price point makes it accessible to most people.
Here’s a link to the same UFO Lame that I use from the Wire Monkey Shop website. (Make sure you don’t get one of the counterfeit models that people try to sell on Amazon).
2. The ARC Lame
My Rating: 35/40
Safety Features
The ARC lame comes with its own wooden sheath in which to store the blade. Not only is this functional, but the sheath looks pretty cool too. The blade isn’t completely safe from curious hands, since anyone could remove the lame from the sheath, but at least the blade edges aren’t exposed when it’s not in use.
Things I like about this lame…
I love that the ARC lame is curved and I love that it is small. Those two features put together aren’t very common in the bread lame world. Usually curved lames – especially the ones traditionally used for baguettes – have a longer handle. So the ARC lame is unique in it’s design and it’s perfect for intricate designs where a curved blade could be useful.
Things I dislike about this lame…
There’s not much to dislike about the ARC lame. However, it would be cool if the blade could be locked into place inside the sheath, maybe with some kind of child-proof lock. That would only increase the safety and awesomeness of this tool. But, I understand that you can’t have everything!
Who should buy the ARC lame?
The ARC lame is perfect for bakers who already have a UFO lame, and want to own a similar style of lame, but with a curved blade. The ARC lame is very small, just like the UFO model, and it will fit easily between your thumb and index finger when you are scoring. You can achieve many decorative designs and scoring patterns with this lame, like the sourdough rose, and a sourdough ear. This lame also comes with a wooden holder to hide the blade when you’re not using it.
Here’s a link to the ARC Lame on the Wire Monkey Shop website.
3. The Baker of Seville Lame
My Rating: 34/40
Safety Features
The Baker of Seville lame comes with a case that completely and safely covers the blade during storage. The blade is also intuitively easy to change out for a new one with very little risk of accidentally cutting yourself.
Things I like about this lame…
I love that the Baker of Seville lame can switch between a curved blade and a straight blade. Almost no other lame on the market can do that. It’s also made of stainless steel, so you can easily wash the handle in the dishwasher. The lame is also very affordable. At around $14 USD, this is close in price to some of the generic lames, but it works even better.
Things I dislike about this lame…
One negative to the Baker of Seville lame is that it’s made in China. To the owner’s credit, he did respond to an email of mine and claims to have initially reached out to various US manufacturers about making the Baker of Seville lame (they apparently never replied to him). It would be cool if it was American made, or at least made in a country with a better reputation for quality products. However, it would then be more expensive. So, there are always trade-offs.
Who should buy the Baker of Seville Lame?
The Baker of Seville Lame is perfect for the home baker who wants just one lame that can do everything. This lame is one of the few on the market that can switch from a curved blade to a straight blade. Normally, you need two different lames to do that. So, if I could only own one bread lame, I would get this one.
You can get the Baker of Seville Lame on Amazon here.
4. The Sourdough Slingers Lame
My Rating: 27/40
Safety Features
The only safety feature on this lame is the fact that the blade locks securely into place. It won’t slip out when you are scoring your bread. Other than that, all four edges of the razor blade are exposed, and the lame doesn’t come with a case to store it safely. It gets a 6 out of 10 from me for safety.
Things I like about this lame…
I love the grip on the handle of the Sourdough Slingers lame. It’s super comfortable to hold and it’s also really light.
Things I dislike about this lame…
It’s a little bit of a pain to change out the blade of the Sourdough Slingers lame. The handle breaks down into two separate parts and then you have to screw it back together just right. It’s not a big deal, but definitely a negative when compared to other similar lames.
Who should buy the Sourdough Slingers Lame?
The Sourdough Slingers Lame is perfect for home or professional bakers in the UK who want to support a local company. Since the product is made in the UK by the same company that manufactures the Campbell’s Dough Knife, it’s quality cannot be questioned. However, if you’re outside of the UK, or buying a British product isn’t as important to you, I believe there are better bread lames for you to consider.
You can get the Sourdough Slingers Lame here on the Rackmaster Ltd. website.
5. The Saint Germain Lame
My Rating: 17/40
Safety Features
The Saint Germain lame doesn’t come with very many safety features. The safest way to store this lame is to remove the blade after using and store the handle on its own or in a case.
Things I like about this lame…
It’s cheap…that’s all. I used to think that the Saint Germain lame was cheap and beginner-friendly, but ever since trying the Baker of Seville lame, I no longer consider it as beginner-friendly as before. I have better recommendations for beginners these days.
Things I dislike about this lame…
The blade has the tendency to slip out of the holder during bread scoring with the Saint Germain lame. It doesn’t happen all the time, but since other lames completely lock the blade into place, this isn’t something you should ever have to put up with.
Who should buy the Saint Germain Bread Lame?
As a general rule, no one should buy the Saint Germain Bread Lame. With this type of lame, the razor blade can sometimes slip out when it drags against the dough. So, after safety and other factors are considered, I do not recommend this lame. Luckily, there are better lame options available at a very similar price point. If you are interested in a very basic bread lame that can do all the Saint Germain Lame can do (and more) consider the Baker of Seville Bread Lame instead.
You can view the Saint Germain Bread lame here on Amazon.
Conclusion: The Best Bread Lame
So, the UFO Lame is the best bread lame to buy, but if I could only have one lame, it would be the Baker of Seville lame. That’s one home baker’s opinion, backed up by many hours of testing and many loaves of sourdough. If you want to purchase any of these lames that I tested out, make sure to use the links above (some are affiliate links). You can also check out the rest of my recommended baking tools on my tools page here. Happy baking!