Shun Hinoki Cutting Board - Medium - 15.75" x 10.75" x 0.5"

This cutting board is absolutely perfect for my Miyabi knives! I had been eyeing those popular teak cutting boards for a while, but everything I found was either too pricey or too heavy, so I stuck with my Joseph Joseph plastic cutting board. My husband, who’s the better knife user (and the one who insisted on buying the knife set when I couldn’t even cut tofu properly), always said I’d ruin the knives without a proper cutting board. I didn’t want to invest until I was sure, but now that I’m the one using the knives more often, I see what he meant. It finally dawned on me that the knife company would probably make the best cutting board for their own products. I looked up Shun’s cutting boards, fully expecting to spend a couple of hundred dollars. To my surprise, the price was very reasonable, so I ordered it immediately. It was supposed to arrive later this month but showed up in just three days! First impressions: The board is gorgeous and lightweight, making it easy to handle. Using it today was a dream—it’s gentle on my knives, easy to clean, and feels so much better than my old plastic board. I’m so impressed with the quality and performance that I plan to order the small and large versions next. Highly recommend this cutting board to anyone with quality knives—it’s a worthwhile investment!

I really like this cutting board. I bought it after purchasing a fairly nice carbon steel knife to prevent chipping and dulling. The hinoki smell when you wet it down is amazing. It does have some small stains after use but doesnt affect the functionality of it. No warping so far, bit I hand wash both sides and air dry completely.

Everyone is bound to have their favorite cutting board, and that's great! Not everyone needs the same style of cutting boards. This Hinoki cutting board is great if you use lightweight and fairly sharp knives. My favorite everyday knives are Mac Mighty Santoku knives, which are both lightweight and fairly sharp. I also have a variety of Japanese knives. Most importantly, this cutting board is made from very soft wood which is very gentle on your knives. Your knives won't dull as quickly when using a soft wood cutting board made from Hinoki cypress. Another benefit is that this specific cutting board is nice and lightweight. It's easy for me to rinse in the sink, unlike my larger cutting boards which are more cumbersome. However, there are a few things to consider. These cutting boards stain easily. After a while they'll start to look a bit grungy, and there's no way (that I know), other than sanding them down, to restore their appearance. I would also avoid using them with knives that could leave deep scores in the wood. They also warp easily when exposed to water. However, don't worry too much if your cutting board warps. Over time, it should even out if you treat it right. I'm sure that there are video's on this, but my advice would be: When cleaning this cutting board, always clean both sides, even if one side needs it most. This will ensure that both sides get equally wet, which helps keep the cutting board from warping. When drying the cutting board, make sure that airflow can reach both sides.

These are very nice and good looking boards! But I think there might be some considerations you should have before buying these. These boards are very soft, but should also be good for your knives. I have found them great for cutting vegetables, but they are not really sealed. The wood does not absorb water that well, so if you make sure to wipe them off with a damp towel and dry them after use, they do not really seem to stain too bad (dark spots will form obviously, but nothing that concerning). They should still last a while, but since they are so soft, I feel like it isn't that great for the price. Also, the sizes are reasonable and fit into a lot of spaces in a kitchen a butcher block would not. They are light and can slip a little unless you use a mat or a paper towel underneath. If you are doing some chopping though, you shouldn't have a problem. And again for harder knives the chopping shouldn't chip your knife if you do not go too crazy. Now the caviets: The lifespan, the staining, and the price. For a lot of people and a lot of tasks, I think a nice sturdy end grain board would be better. These boards are pretty expensive considering you could get a nice end grain walnut or maple for not that much more. Doing some research though, it seems this is partly because the wood is sourced sustainably, which is nice. And I also would not cut meat on these as I would worry about the juices getting into the grooves and soaking in just a little. You could probably oil them, though. Lastly, I think these probably won't last forever, although they should last a while. They aren't that thick, and they are cut easily, so they will need to be refinished after a while most likely.

Having used this product (the Shun Medium Hinoki) for a week and butchered over 200 lbs of elk with it, I can understand why it is controversial. On the one hand, it is very soft and thus extremely gentle on blade edges. (As the knife sharpener in my family, I can't overstate this quality.) I've been chopping like a madman in the last week without losing ANY sharpness. My bamboo cutting board would not have generated the same result. The Shun is also very light (possibly one quarter the weight of my bamboo board), which makes it easy to wield and clean in my sink. On the other hand, because it is so light, it is more susceptible to cut marks, particularly inadvertent stabs from my blade tip. I've cut it up quite a bit, but the marks aren't more than an aesthetic issue. Also, because it is so thin, light, and soft, it has the tendency to warp if the manufacturers instructions are not followed. It needs to be religiously wetted (and dried with a towel) on both sides BEFORE use. When you follow this procedure, the board stays flat and stable and can be easily cleaned. In sum, I love the new board, while my wife is a little ambivalent about it. But she's not the knife sharpener in the family! :)

So far so good. We have had it for a few weeks. No sign of warping. It's thin and light. I am thinking of replacing my much thicker cedar board with this one because of easier storage and less weight. FYI: when I received it, I washed it and then dried it for a few days. I put it in the oven on bread-proofing (96-100F) until it was warm. I then applied wood butter to the board and put it back in the warming oven for an hour or more so that the butter soaked into the grain. This reduces staining and might protect the board from excessive moister changes, which I hope will prevent warping. So far, I am pleased.

It was hard to press the order button on this cutting board due to the cost, but I'm glad I did for reasons that made my wife happy, which is the most important reason. She liked it immediately because it smelled like a Christmas tree. She didn't use it for three days while it acted as an air freshener. It is thick (1/2") and large, but light weight so a nice complement to the small/thinner board we bought first. The wood is soft, which I understand some view as a negative, but if you spent $1,000 on a block of Shun or other high end knives it helps protect the razor sharp edges from dulling as quickly.

I purchased the medium board because I’ve had the extra large for 5 years and it’s amazing. It’s heavy, has the juice groove on one side for carving meat or chopping fruit, and is gentle on my knives. I got the medium to have a smaller lighter board for quick small tasks. The medium board has these inserts at either end. I think they are a harder wood to give the hinoki some rigidity but not sure. The wood inserts are now coming out like they weren’t properly glued in. I never soak the board. I wet the surface to prevent stains and then promptly clean and dry the board. It’s coming apart after 30 days. Steer clear of the smaller thinner two piece boards. If you want the big solid one piece boards go for it. Love mine.

Al 3 keer een plank ontvangen met deuken en bescahdigingen

Exactly as hoped

Il tagliere è bello solido, anche se non molto spesso non flette grazie all’ incastro di un listello sui lati. Il materiale è di estrema qualità ed è adatto al filo delicato dei coltelli giapponesi. Appena aperto ha un gradevole odore di cipresso. L’ho subito trattato con olio di vaselina alimentare per preservarlo più possibile.

Needed a replacement for a hinoki board my ife threw out because 'it looked dirty' so my wife bought Ikea ones which were too small and had the useless dicth around the periphery. Wanted the largest hinoki board I could find, which was this one, but not only is it larger than my old one, it is also thicker. Overall a great performer and I am seriously pondering buying a second to pi$$ my wife off further.

la calidad es lo que importa, y este producto la tiene, sin ninguna duda, es madera de un tipo de cipres al que se le llama HINOKI, tiene unas muy buenas cualidades como tabla para cortar, y al mismo tiempo cuidar el filo del cuchillo