Most attempts at a board-and-knife set are a board with a knife supplied alongside it, or a board with a slot cut into the side. Both have the same problem: the knife can leave, and eventually it does.
How does a knife stay attached to a cutting board?
On the BACA Board, magnets set into the board hold the blade against a recess milled to the knife shape. The handle sits proud so you can get a finger under it, and the blade sits into the board so nothing sharp is exposed. It is friction plus magnetism plus geometry, not a clip or a strap.
Why not a sheath?
A sheath is a third object. Third objects get lost, and a sheath is the easiest thing in a kitchen bag to lose because it looks like packaging. Once the sheath goes, the knife is loose in the bag, which is how people cut themselves reaching in.
Why not a slot?
Slots collect water and food, and they are almost impossible to clean properly. Anything that creates a cavity you cannot see into is a hygiene problem in a board that will be washed outdoors in cold water.
The recess on our board is open and shallow. You can wipe it with a cloth and see that it is clean.
Does it hold in transit?
Yes. The retention is strong enough to hold the knife when the board is turned over and shaken, which is the test most people try in the first thirty seconds. In a pack, in a truck bed, in a boat locker, it stays put.
What the rest of the board does
- Juice groove. The channel around the edge is not decorative. It catches liquid from meat and fruit so it does not run off the board onto the table.
- Drainage and carry hole. One hole does double duty: it hangs, and it lets water out when the board is standing on edge to dry.
- Bottle opener. Worked into the spine of the blade rather than added as a separate tool.
- Staggered hard maple. Built up from strips rather than cut from one panel, which is what keeps it flat through wet and dry cycles.
What is in the box
The board with its integrated knife, a dual-sided 400/1000 grit diamond sharpening plate, a travel bottle of food-safe mineral oil, and a 100% cotton cooking cloth. The maintenance kit ships with the product rather than being sold afterwards, because a board you cannot maintain is a board you will replace.
Who it is for
Anyone who cooks somewhere that is not a fitted kitchen: camping, tailgating, on a boat, in a van, at a picnic, in a rental with a drawer full of blunt knives. And plenty of people who just keep it on the counter at home.
See the board, or read the FAQ for materials, dimensions, care and returns.