John BoosBoos Block CCB Series Large Reversible Wood Chopping Board, 3-Inch Thickness, 14" x 14" x 3", Cherry

You will catch yourself thinking this thing is a kitchen decor piece rather than a cutting block bc it is so beautiful.With the darker color and end-grain design, I have to often remind myself that it’s cutting block that is meant to be used.End grain blocks/boards are so much better bc you get less marks and cuts showing up on the board.I’ve used it a dozen or times so far and there isn’t a scratch on it so far.Important: get some cutting board oil and wax for these. If you’re going to buy an expensive block, protect it with a few bucks worth of wax. Besides, the wax brings out the color and makes it look even better!

It took me about 20 years to ok this purchase. I was very excited when it arrived; but disappointed to see a block incorporating a knothole running the entire depth of the block on the edge. Not only does the defect run fully vertical, but also through the bock horizontally, edge-to-edge as well. Having been a professional carpenter, I am immediately concerned with how this feature will age. It appears to be stabilized with some sort of filler, at least for the present. Frankly I was depending on this brand, and the price point to alleviate and bypass any such concern. I have taken some time since I received this and my thoughts are: Is my item “B-Stock”? Why would anyone mar this piece with one sub-standard block? Is it just random luck? It doesn’t make sense, and I am not fully happy about it. Otherwise, it is a beautiful piece and I hope my worry remains unrealized as I am meticulous in the care. I should emphasize the “price point” here again. I Feel that ultimately, and ideally, I shouldn’t be left in such dismay, doubt, worry, and residual disappointment about the surety of being left to learn to “Live with it” as the workmanship choice in using this material suggests; But my expectations have certainly been lowered with this experience.Thanks Boos.

THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU BUY THIS CHOPPING BLOCK. ok, so let me be clear... this block is awesome. It's a two foot square, four inch thick, 66 pound block of wood. And it's beautiful. Really. The problem is that Amazon hasn't quite figured out how to ship it yet.I learned this because I ordered one and it came wrapped in one layer of bubble wrap stuck inside a big fedex envelope. Needless to say it arrived completely battered up, the corners had broken through the packaging entirely. The thing looked like someone had thrown it out of a speeding car. It was terrible. Well, Amazon does have awesome customer service, so they sent a replacement immediately and promised it would be packaged better.... it was... sort of. This time the block arrived in a single layer of cardboard. No padding, no styrofoam, just some cardboard right over the wood. Overall it was in much better shape, but it still had some really nasty dents in very visible places which were unacceptable. So I called Amazon again and was like "look guys..." and so they sent ANOTHER replacement (seriously, they're awesome).Well, I figured after messing up TWO that they'd get the third one right... Umm... It arrived broken in half. No, I'm not kidding. It literally was broken into two pieces. A big block of wood, cracked in half. And the thing is, it was packaged JUST like the second - in one layer of cardboard, nothing else.So at this point, about $800 worth of beautiful chinese chopping block has been poured down the drain and Amazon actually offered to send a THIRD replacement (fedex would have hated me for having to deliver 4 of these things) But at that point I decided that if they hadn't figured it out by now, it wasn't going to happen and I might as well save everyone some time and money and say no. Problem was, I still really wanted the block, so I ended up working it out with them where I kept the least damaged block of the three and will do my best to sand out the dents.End of the day... go ahead, order it, but be aware that odds are it will arrive in less than mint condition.

My kitchen is a simple U design with not a lot of counter or food prep space. Because of this I have gone through many cutting boards over the last few years trying to find something that will last a lifetime and that fits well in my limited cooking space and matches my cooking style. I prefer classic French style cooking equipment and use French chef knives a lot. I recently purchased a new set of Damascus steel knives and a 10" Sabatier French Chef's knife so I wanted a good quality cutting board that would protect my blades.This Boos Blocks 14x14x3 inch Cherry end grain block is just about perfect. The wood is a little soft, just enough to not damage my knife edges but definitely hard enough to feel reassured that this will be something to hand down to my heirs. At three inches thick it would be hard to imagine that anyone could ever wear out this beautiful hunk of wood, even over several generations. Just don't take a huge cleaver to it and it should last forever. When the block arrived it was well packed and did not incur any damage during shipping. I had read in other reviews that many had ordered cutting boards from Amazon that arrived chipped or dented. Well, I'm happy to report this was not the case with my order.I highly recommend buying the Boos Mystery Mineral Oil and the Block Board Cream. Before I even used it for the first time I carefully washed the board with warm soapy water being careful not to submerge the board in water. I then immediately dried it with paper towels. Once it was dry I ran over to the local hardware store and bought four non-skid rubber feet with screws. I installed the feet on the four corners and I now had an even better board. Since I got the non-skid type it does not slide on my granite counter tops and the bottom of the board is now elevated about an 1/8th of an inch off the counter to keep the underside from ever sitting in a puddle of water. I know this essentially sacrifices one side of this two-sided board, but because of the massive thickness of this board it did not bother me. I would rather have one solid and sturdy cutting surface that doesn't slip than an additional alternate side.After I added the rubber feet I then went to town with the Board Cream. I squeezed a big dollop of the cream on the board and rubbed it in vigorously into the surface of the board on all sides. When I was done there was a thin film of the beeswax cream on the board. I left it like that over-night. In the morning the next day I wiped off the small amount of excess (the board really absorbed a lot of that cream) and then applied a heavy coating of Mystery Oil. I let that stand for a few hours as well and then wiped away the excess. The board was now pimped out, cured, and ready for action. It is such a beautiful piece that, with the wife's permission of course, it now sits proudly on my counters. This board will never be relegated to some dark corner in our cabinets. It deserves to be displayed. It is my understanding that cherry wood darkens to a rich and deep reddish mahogany color with exposure to the air and light. As beautiful as it is right now I can't wait to see how it will look in a year or two. I took a picture of it just to compare the color a year from now.I have now used the board a few times and I cannot tell you how much of a joy it is to use. The end grain of the wood gently supports my knife blade and provides a soft surface while not feeling spongy or porous. I understand some people think Cherry is a little too soft and prefer a harder wood, but I also have a rock maple end grain board that I also really like but I find it almost like chopping on stone. I definitely prefer the Cherry feel. The three-inch thickness of this board is also a great advantage, well, maybe only for those of us 6 ft. tall and taller. I can see that this might be an issue for a shorter person. But for me it is a God send. No more achy back from a long session of prepping vegetables for a good gumbo or a Chinese stir fry. The elevated surface reduces back strain for sure. The bottom line is this block is a great performer and I do not regret this purchase one iota.There is one very minor quibble which I think is easily remedied. The board surface is a little rough and whiskery. For now I'm going to see if it smooths out on its own through regular use. If it doesn't get better within the next two months or so I'll try some light wet sanding (always sand with a lubricant in this case I'll use the Boos Mystery Oil) with 300 or 600 grit sand paper.UPDATE:Well, I've used the board for a few weeks now and I still think it is a great board. I will definitely be keeping this tool for the rest of my life. If you get one just take good care of it and don't misuse it or neglect it (it is wood after all) and it will provide you years of joy and satisfaction. I recently sanded the cutting surface and the sides of the board with 320 grit wet and dry sanding paper using some of the mineral oil as a lubricant. I was not that happy with the factory finish on the board and this helped tremendously. In my initial review I pointed this out. Well, a few minutes with the 320 grit paper turned it into a very soft, smooth, satin finish. Just make sure you use a sanding block. DO NOT SAND without one. The sanding block will ensure you keep a flat surface all across the board. Sanding with the sandpaper just held in your hand will create hills and valleys on the surface.

I have owned several Boos products including an entire kitchen full of their countertops in my previous home. I have always admired the beauty and functionality of their products. I bought the 18x18x4 to sit permanently on my island where we do most of our prep and were constantly taking out cutting boards and putting them away when done. No longer. My Boos arrived today in near mint condition. There was one very miniscule ding in one side that no one will ever see. What people will see is a beautiful piece of wood and me chopping up a storm on it! I will update this review after using it for a few months but as it stands upon delivery, in beyond happy with my new Boos!