MIU France Maple Cutting Board with 7-Slot Knife Drawer, Natural

These units are just as sturdy and nicely designed as suggested in the photos. However.... In my opinion the company that makes these is supplying Amazon with second quality cutting boards. I'm in the process of returning my second one.

The first one I received had obviously been returned by a previous customer and had a dinged up drawer. The top on that one had a few dark knots but they were tight though unattractive. Remember, the tops are made up of end grain pieces, so it's relatively easy to throw out the bad pieces before glue up. These are, however, packaged very very well. Triple boxed no less. The second one that I received appeared to be a fresh item but the inner box had a yellow sticky note stuck to it with some cryptic writing on it....hmmmm. Upon inspection this one had a perfect drawer but had a pithy knot on top that I consider not only unattractive but not food safe. It also had a large knot on the side of the board that was so large it had been filled with a yellow plastic filler. So back it goes.

Otherwise this is a really heavy duty, nicely designed unit. It measures 141/8 by 113/4 inches and holds 7 knives up to about eight inches long. It does have one odd quirk to the design though. The drawer, when fully closed, protrudes out the back of the assembly about 1/8 of an inch exposing the the very end of the knife slots and leaving them vulnerable to falling food scraps that would be very difficult to remove. If you push this tight against the counter back-splash, it will push the drawer out to be flush with the front of the cutting board. On my second unit, the front of the drawer lined up nicely with the cutting board above it, so if it had been a keeper, I would have just adjusted the slides to compensate for the 1/8 inch.

Bottom line....when I look at the picture of the unit in obviously first quality condition, I"m tempted to order a third one (third one's the charm they say). However, it is a hassle returning these, although kudos to Amazon for their excellent return policy and free shipping. As they are triple boxed, I know there's no way they can inspect them to find me a good one. So.......

Pro's..... Nice design with one small quirk

Very heavy duty

Reasonable price

Cons.....Poor quality control by manufacturer results in second quality appearing prod-

ucts rather than the first quality suggested in the photos.

Mine arrived damaged. Otherwise, the cutting board top is nice and solid. However, the drawer doesn't close all the way and certain of the newer cutlery doesn't fit inside. Also, very big and bulky. I opted to go for the Wustoff drawer knife tray that fits nicely in any kitchen drawer.

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