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I actually own that cheaper Ironwood Gourmet Acacia board. It definitely feels cheap, in that the surface is a little irregular, and it took some work at the beginning to sand it finer and get some errant glue spots off, but it's good for the money. Someday I'll drop cash for a BoardSmith, though.
 
If you live in north america, I'd also rate Boardsmith as a top pic.

Start with a good, solid main board and add some other boards play to different roles,
...often they are lighter and smaller, easier to stack/store, and task driven.

Second board is probably a rubber board easily fit in sink/sanitized for proteines,
and thrid priority is a thin, cheap (to replace) sacrificial board for Breadknifing, etc.

Large format workspaces and commercial setups have different considerations.
 
Thanks guys!!

July had been really slow for us, as it often is. I had no idea about this article until my phone started blowing up on Tuesday.

I can't tell you how good it felt to see someone value/appreciate our approach when it comes to quality and craftsmanship. And to say some of the things about the factory-made competition that I knew to be true but can't say.

I especially love that he has been using one of my boards for 3 years (I didn't know that) and so his opinion is informed from more than a brief test.
 
John Loftis said:
Thanks guys!!

July had been really slow for us, as it often is. I had no idea about this article until my phone started blowing up on Tuesday.

I can't tell you how good it felt to see someone value/appreciate our approach when it comes to quality and craftsmanship. And to say some of the things about the factory-made competition that I knew to be true but can't say.

I especially love that he has been using one of my boards for 3 years (I didn't know that) and so his opinion is informed from more than a brief test.
Click to expand...

Curious: how big of a deal is such a review on serious eats to a maker of your size? Have you been seeing a sustained uptick in sales after the fact? I have no idea about the business side of any of this, and would be interested to learn.
 
ian said:
Curious: how big of a deal is such a review on serious eats to a maker of your size? Have you been seeing a sustained uptick in sales after the fact? I have no idea about the business side of any of this, and would be interested to learn.
Click to expand...

Put simply, it's huge for us. We are small enough, and our margins are tight enough, that any mention has a direct impact. Not just in official reviews, but here on the forums too. I admit that every time there's a thread on the main forums about "which cutting board to buy" and people respond with hi-soft, or oak, or some manufacturer or maker other than us, it feels a bit like a kick to the gut. Threads like that are one more opportunity for people to hear about us, and the only way we'll survive is through continued endorsements. We aren't in dire straits, but If I weren't supplementing the butcher block with custom furniture and cabinetry, we wouldn't be able to keep our doors open.

The Serious Eats article probably doubled our July butcher block sales, and introduced us to a new set of (non-KKF) customers. The timing was good, because Summer is often very slow for us. The review allowed me to order a new load of nice maple and walnut from my favorite sawmill in Pennsylvania. The sales are trailing off now significantly, probably because the review is being relegated to the back of the bus on their website. Would sure be nice if they'd just leave it as their cover article forever...
 
Keep posting regularly on IG, Facebook, etc. to help keep your name out there.

Since this is an international forum, there will be many threads where recommendations do not include a BoardSmith -- often it is due to prohibitive shipping costs.

Also, there is a limit to how many Boardsmith boards one can have. We currently have 5 at our house, and it is hard to regularly use more than that :D
 
WildBoar said:
Keep posting regularly on IG, Facebook, etc. to help keep your name out there.

Since this is an international forum, there will be many threads where recommendations do not include a BoardSmith -- often it is due to prohibitive shipping costs.

Also, there is a limit to how many Boardsmith boards one can have. We currently have 5 at our house, and it is hard to regularly use more than that :D
Click to expand...

Don’t you need some wall hangings?
 
WildBoar said:
Keep posting regularly on IG, Facebook, etc. to help keep your name out there.

Since this is an international forum, there will be many threads where recommendations do not include a BoardSmith -- often it is due to prohibitive shipping costs.

Also, there is a limit to how many Boardsmith boards one can have. We currently have 5 at our house, and it is hard to regularly use more than that :D
Click to expand...
And if I had a Christmas card list, you’d be on it!
 
Sadly I just realized it never crossed my mind to reach out before we went down to Dallas in April. It would have been nice to go by and check out your shop and meet you face-to-face. When we go there again in 2020 I need to plan better!
 
John Loftis said:
Put simply, it's huge for us. We are small enough, and our margins are tight enough, that any mention has a direct impact. Not just in official reviews, but here on the forums too. I admit that every time there's a thread on the main forums about "which cutting board to buy" and people respond with hi-soft, or oak, or some manufacturer or maker other than us, it feels a bit like a kick to the gut. Threads like that are one more opportunity for people to hear about us, and the only way we'll survive is through continued endorsements....
Click to expand...
Well I can guarantee this, I will mention my BoardSmith board in every cutting board thread I see going forward!
I had gotten to the point of avoiding them because they are all just a bad rerun of the same opinions and misinformation.
 
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