Watch this Video:
And / or read this article.
http://knifegrinders.com.au/SET/Chopping_Boards.pdf
HDPE all the way!!!
To quote:
COUNTER-INTUITIVE CONCLUSIONS
Important is that the testing was done with the load within natural cutting forces.
We were flabbergasted by the test results. Edge-friendly boards were undoubtedly making knives sharper as we continued cutting - this effect was more pronounced in plastic boards than in wooden, peaking in the high density polypropylene board. For the lack of a better term, we called this phenomenon edge-refining effect.
The Edge-refining effect of edge-friendly chopping boards is due to burnishing of the metal off the sides of the edge near the apex and smoothing away the apex irregularities. The tiny grooves on the board from slicing cuts are important for this effect to develop in full.
The experimental data tell us that the sharpness improvement starts immediately due to cleaning the microburr, smudge and residues from the edge, and stripping the oxidation layer off the edge, but fully develops only after hundreds of cuts, where we believe burnishing at the sides of the apex comes into play and continues, till the sharpness comes to an improved plateau after 1000-2000 cuts.
Of edge-hostile boards, which include end-grain Bamboo, Low Density Polypropylene and tempered glass, the glass is the worst of all for the knives. You will see glass cutting boards in some shops, and cheap plastic boards in every thrift shop. Let's set the record straight. There is no way in hell that you will keep your knife sharp using glass board or a board of Low Density Polypropylene.
Of all plastic boards, the most edge-friendly is the ubiquitous high density polypropylene, while the expensive Yoshihiro Hi-Soft board is nothing to rave about in comparison.
Acacia end-grain chopping board has no advantage over the long-grain in keeping your knife sharp; while the end-grain bamboo board is definitely bad. Comparing the long-grain acacia (Janka Hardness Index approx. 5000 N) to long-grain bamboo (Janka Hardness Index approx. 7000 N) we conclude that wood hardness as such does not affect the edge longevity.
We can summarise that the best board contender that is low maintenance for knives and long lasting are polypropylene and polyethylene plastic boards of trusted brands. These are most often used in commercial kitchens as well, and have the benefit of being able to toss in a dish washer. Even if you are a knife aficionado, our test results suggest no advantage in the expensive vinyl acetate and end-grain wooden boards. The cheaper high-density polypropylene, low-density polyethylene or long-grain wooden boards are also easy on your knives. Moreover, we've found the Yoshihiro Hi-Soft vinyl acetate cutting board too soft for chopping - it is favoured by sashimi and sushi chefs, but in an ordinary kitchen can be used only for portioning cuts and fine slicing of cooked and soft food.
With these data on hand, we can suppose that if the knife fails early on an edge-friendly chopping board, it is due to incorrect technique and chiefly due to the edge rolling.
Knives dull by two mechanisms: abrasion and edge rolling.
In our test, the knives are perpendicular to the chopping board and if they dull it is due to abrasion. If the cutter often scrapes the board laterally, or holds the knife out of the vertical, edge rolling will
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prevail. For example, the habit of scraping food pieces off the board using the spine of the knife rather than the edge eliminates one cause of rolling.
