We have two, large boards in our kitchen. One is a round, 19" dia, 3" thick, end-grain maple Boos, purchased at SLT. The other is a 2 x 18 x 24, end-grain mahogany Boardsmith, ordered directly from Dave. We've owned each for a little more than a year.
Each are as good as any board I've owned in the past, and far better than most. In my opinion, the Boardsmith is well worth the money for its combination of construction quality and beauty.
In the past, I've tried to save money with boards which were "merely" functional and long lasting from WalMart, Home Depot, etc., but with the exception of the Boos side-grain boards they used to sell years ago at Smart & Final, they didn't hold up well. Before you get excited, those Boos side grain boards were a long time ago; and to my mind Boos side-grain doesn't offer enough price advantage over end-grain to make sense anymore.
Remember, that end grain "heals" faster and better than side grain, and consequently doesn't scratch as easily. And because the pattern is more complex, what scratches it holds don't show up as much. And -- in a home kitchen anyway -- looks count.
There are a lot of makers out there, many of whom look pretty interesting in terms of price/quality, and some of whom have good reputations. However, when I bought my last set of boards I wanted something I KNEW was really good, and didn't mind spending the few extra bucks to buy a Boardsmith.
Within a couple of days of putting in the order, my wife fell in love with the big, round Boos block -- and for the same reasons I didn't mind buying that either. Plus, there's the whole "happy wife" thing.
If you've got someone local who stands behind his work, or you fall in love with a board at a store with really good customer support (such as SLT), go for it. But otherwise...
So... comparing apples to apples, Boardsmith doesn't cost meaningfully more or less than boards of similar beauty and quality. Plus, you know in advance that you're getting the best -- and that assurance is worth a lot.
BDL
