Looking at upgrading some of my cutting surfaces in the kitchen. Boos seems to be the big name in this business. Any other brands i should look for? I cook a lot and I know I'll appreciate a nice cutting board so I'm ok spending some coin here. I'm not interested in carving blocks or anything with an integrated tray, just a big honkin' piece of wood.
Seems to me the big options/considerations here are:
Teak
Maple
Walnut
Reversible
End Cut

What should I look out for and what are the pros/cons of the list above?

I have a Boos Board and love it. The wife hates it and won't touch it because it's a big hunk of wood and heavy. I have a number of Epicurian's and like those as well. They are probably a quarter inch thick and much more manageable.
End grain boards are much more durable and cut resistant. If you want to drop some $$ Boos will be happy to help you. Etsy also have a plethora of nice custom boards made by some craftsman that will part you of some of your money as well.

Any issues with splitting? I was reading some reviews on Amazon and people were shredding the end grain board due to splitting.

What material is yours?

I have bamboo. It's about five years old & still looks great.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Any issues with splitting? I was reading some reviews on Amazon and people were shredding the end grain board due to splitting.

What material is yours?

Mine is hard rock maple end grain. No problems with splitting.I have sliced up a lot of briskets, ribs etc. on that board. Mine is reversible with one side which has a deep juice groove. I rarely if ever use the other side without the juice groove. I think I'd dropped about $130 on Amazon.

I have five Boos blocks of various sizes. Been happy with all of them. No complaints whatsoever.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I have five Boos blocks of various sizes. Been happy with all of them. No complaints whatsoever.

What material and are they end grains?

I like these guys. Boos is very credible as well
End grain is my preference. Take care of it & buy a well made one, you'll not hv splitting issues. End grain is nicer to blade edges

http://www.theboardsmith.com/

I put in Lumber Liquidators maple butcher block counter tops in 2009 in my condo I now rent out and they've held up well. I oil them once a year or so really well with mineral oil.

The prices were really good compared to what I was seeing elsewhere except IKEA, but I was not impressed with their butcher block at all, most of theirs seemed pretty low quality woods and small bits of it all glued together.

I recall paying around $185-$200 per 8-foot section, it's now listed on their website at $251.99 per section:

Williamsburg Butcher Block Co. 1 1/2" x25" x 8 lft Maple Butcher Block Countertop

The Boardsmith
http://www.theboardsmith.com/

I have a large maple/walnut border board. I also like his brick pattern but the wife wanted to border board. His customer service is fantastic. The board itself is amazing. Just keep it oil/waxed and it's good to go. Way nicer than Boos. Contact John and he'll help you out.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: steelcityfishanddive,

I bought a beautiful cutting board here from member Gordynismo. The bonus is that he sends the board with oil and salve for maintenance. $75 shipped was a steal.

Check him out.

http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/...7-AE7B-8ABC492C3438}

Bruce

I have a 20x15x1.5 maple and a 20x24x2 walnut John boos both endgrains.

I know the walnut is supposed to be a better material, but I like the lighter color of the maple when I'm prepping.

The smaller one is 3 years old and the the larger gets less use but is even older.

They have not split or cracked however they do not get exposed to water other then a little soap and a damp wash cloth for cleaning.

I use mineral oil on them once in a while. I used to do it monthly but after a couple of years, it wasn't necessary so I do it maybe twice a year now.

I also bought a 15x11x1.5 catskill craftsman board off amazon, and it is identical to the boos maple board but only cost me 35 dollars.

The quality is every bit the boos, if I put the boos logo on it, you wouldn't know the difference. It's only about 5 months old so I can't speak for longevity. I do use it every single day as the size is perfect. I haven't reached for the other two unless we are working on a big project. I will by catskill again. It really is a great price for a quality board.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nickelsig229,

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I have five Boos blocks of various sizes. Been happy with all of them. No complaints whatsoever.

What material and are they end grains?

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Bo...ef=sr_1_3_sspa&psc=1

This one:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Bo...&sr=8-12&ref=sr_1_12

And three of these little guys:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Bo...&sr=8-17&ref=sr_1_17

Saw a link to jonescuttingboards.com somewhere. Worth looking at IMO. I'm probably going to order one soon myself. Some really nice looking boards in various woods.
I'm leaning towards an end grain style board.

I've been real pleased with a Michigan Maple rectangular end grain chopping block (20x15x3.5"). We've had it for the last 10 years. They're available from a number of online sources. An example here: https://mapleblock.shptron.com...in-chopping-block-20

That's something on my Christmas gift wish list, a maple end block cutting board. Sturdy and forgiving on knife edges. Bald1, did you have a preferred oil or possibly a beeswax mix?

I haven't bought one yet, but a knife guy I follow on YouTube really likes these. They're beautiful.

http://www.cottonanddust.com/

quote:

Originally posted by steelcityfishanddive:
The Boardsmith
http://www.theboardsmith.com/

I have a large maple/walnut border board. I also like his brick pattern but the wife wanted to border board. His customer service is fantastic. The board itself is amazing. Just keep it oil/waxed and it's good to go. Way nicer than Boos. Contact John and he'll help you out.

^^^^
I agree.
I have a walnut endgrain board from John. The craftsmanship is beautiful.

Those are some serious cutting boards you guys are using... and expensive. About 20 years ago I picked up a piece of oak from the lumber yard. Traced the pattern I wanted and cut it out with a jig saw. Probably paid $5 for the wood and it still gets used multiple times a day. One of these days I’m going to try and make something fancy like you guys are linking to.

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
I have bamboo. It's about five years old & still looks great.

Likewise. Easy on the knife, easy care.