Review on John Boos CHY-R02 Cherry Wood Cutting Board | 24" X 18" Reversible & Edge Grain by Brandon Hayes

I bought this board to replace the flimsy plastic cutting boards which were dulling my expensive knives. It's the second-best purchase I've ever made for my kitchen, after my knives. It lives on my counter and gets used every day. The size is a few inches less than my countertop depth, and the generous width means I can cut a few different ingredients and keep them in piles on the board. I've been cooking with more fresh vegetables because it's a joy to prepare them with such a professional tool.I highly recommend purchasing a bench scraper to move ingredients from the board to the stove. I like the OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Pastry Scraper/Chopper : it has a sharp edge that can be used for dividing dough or chopping, and it's easy to clean.I would like to give this product five stars because I like it so much, but the surface was so rough when it arrived that the edges snagged a few of my microfiber dish cloths. I think the company could sand it more thoroughly before shipping. I did it myself, with a very fine sandpaper (1200 or more) on the whole block, including the edges, wiped off the dust, then oiled it thoroughly with John Boos Mystery Oil Butcher Block Oil 16 oz and let it soak in overnight. I've been oiling it about once every 1.5 - 2 weeks, or whenever it looks dry (lighter) in the middle. It seems to take quite a bit of oil, but I expect that to taper off once it's more thoroughly conditioned.As the instructions say, clean it promptly after use. It only takes a minute, and as time goes on and it gets more conditioned, cleanup is even easier.