John Boos Block Large Reversible Wood Chopping Board, CCB Series, 18"x18"x2.25", Maple

I love Boos boards. This company is by far the best in the business when it comes to cutting boards and butcher blocks. There's really no comparison but do some reading up on it anyway. I think you will come to the same conclusion I did when I ordered my first Boos cutting board: it's spendy for sure but worth every penny. This is a product to last a lifetime (if cared for properly). Boos makes two kinds of boards, "edge" grain and "end" grain. The difference is that you see the edge of the wood, in the familiar striped pattern, on edge grain boards while you see cut ends, in a kind of checkerboard pattern on the end grain boards. Both are superior products but the end grain boards are supposed to be slightly easier on your knives because the knife actually sinks into the wood fibers when cutting. I purchased my first Boos board about a year ago and I went for the less expensive edge grain. It looks as good today as the day I bought it because I keep it well oiled. My daughter has admired this board from the beginning and when I saw this great deal on an edge grain I decided to upgrade and give her my old one. She's thrilled and I couldn't be happier. One very, very important feature is the integrated hand grips. Trust me, don't overlook it. These things are heavy, even at only 2.25" (they come in 3" too!). Without the hand grips this board would be impossible to grab, flip, wash, and generally handle. Again, this is a board to last a lifetime and is worth the expense. I don't think you'll regret it.

7 months later, cracked in 2 spots. Defective, or a fake. And seller is not willing to replace. Buyer beware. Poor product, questionable if its a real Boos. Doubt it.

I had a Boos Block cutting board that lasted for over ten years. When I had to replace it, I naturally went with the same brand. But this experience has been a disaster. The first board split right down the middle (not at the seams - the actual chunks of end grain wood split in half). This happened at 13 months, but the company agreed to replace it even though I was out of the one year warranty. The new board took two months to arrive, and was a mess from the beginning. Certain seams appeared to be filled with wood chips and glue. As you might imagine, within three months these were coming apart. (FWIW, I use the expensive Boos branded oil and cream, scrape rather than wipe, and store on end at night.) When I contacted customer support, they told me that they wouldn't stand behind their board, and gave me carpentry advice to repair it myself, which I've copied below. Needless to say, I won't be buying another one. (I rarely leave negative reviews, and always try to resolve things first in person, but considering the price of this board, I wanted to share my experience)."The one wonderful thing about wood is it is repairable.What I can recommend isUse a wood glue or gorilla glue in the crackUse something to create a clamp. Ratchet straps or bungee cordsPull the straps tight to help pull and move the crack together.Let the glue dryTake sandpaper and sand the surface to remove the glue.Then use the mystery oil to maintain the surface and for best results use John Boos board cream as well."

I hesitated so many times before I actually pressed the "buy" button, reading all these terrible reviews had me seriously doubting the good name of this company. I am not a great cook, but I do enjoy it. My husband and I love to watch food network and we see the John Boos Block in the "real chef" kitchens all the time, so that is how we originally learned of the brand. I did my research and I am a true believer that you get what you pay for, and $225 for a block of wood seems pretty steep. I still had those lingering bad reviews in the back of my mind, so therefore I allowed the Boos Block to just sit on my amazon "save for later" list for quite a while. I was watching tv and, again, I saw the Boos Block on some chef's kitchen island and I admired it so much- I immediately got my phone out and pressed "buy now" and boom, done.It arrived, it's so beautiful, I oiled it right away (3 times) and then I put it to the real test- I chopped, sliced, and even tenderized on my new board, it works great. But...the real test is the test of time, I have now had my board for a long enough time to really see how it holds up- I must be honest, I have let some time go without oiling it, but even then my board looks as beautiful as the day it arrived. I do truly think this board will last a lifetime- I am adding this to my "hand down to my kids one day" pile, along with my Le Creuset collection.If you want a good item that will last forever- just do it!