UK HDPE Hypiglas chopping boards

[WaterPixie]

I bought HDPE Hypiglas chopping PLASTIC boards from amazon.

I live in the UK.

They're sold by a company that sell professional cookware to restaurants called Nisbet, but the delivery charge was too much so I bought them from amazon.

They are meant to be hard boards. High density.

But they scratch very easily. They're not hard. And they're kinda expensive.

Good thing about amazon is they have a no hassle returns. So they'll take them back for a full refund.

I want plastic chopping boards that ARE hard and don't scratch easily.

What ones would you recommend? Again. I live in the UK. So they HAVE TO be available here.

Thanks

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I have those chopping boards from Nisbets and yes they do initially scuff up a fair amount but it does settle down.
I bought mine in 2021, they’re still going strong and look no worse than they did after the first few weeks use.

I like them as they are available in a very large size with a reasonable amount of weight to them.
I can often get away with using just one chopping board rather than two (or sometimes three) because they’re so big and bonus they fit in the dishwasher (only just).
I honestly don’t think £12 for the small size and around £30 for the jumbo size is a lot given how long they’ll last.

With chopping boards the problem is the harder the board the more it will damage/blunt your knife. That’s why a lot of people choose wood materials for their boards. They feel nicer and aren’t so hard on your blade. Bamboo is now a popular choice but as I’ve said the harder the material the less kind it is.

If you don’t mind the potential knife damage then marble or granite is as tough as you’re going to get.

I don’t use wood just because something has to be exceptional for me to bother with hand washing it!

 

[WaterPixie]

I have those chopping boards from Nisbets and yes they do initially scuff up a fair amount but it does settle down.
I bought mine in 2021 and they’re still going strong and look no worse than they did after the first few weeks use.

I like them as due to being avaible in a very large size with a reasonable amount of weight to then.
I can often get away with using just one chopping board rather than two (or sometimes three) because they’re so big and bonus they fit on the dishwasher (only just).
I honestly don’t think £12 for the small size and around £30 for the jumbo size is a lot.

With chopping boards the problem is the harder the board the more it will damage/blunt your knife. That’s why a lot of people choose wood materials for their boards. They feel nicer and aren’t so hard on your blade. Bamboo is now a popular choice but as I’ve said the harder the material the less kind it is.

If you don’t mind the potential knife damage then marble or granite is as tough as you’re going to get.

I don’t use wood just because something has to be exceptional for me to bother with hand washing it!

If you don't mind, can you take photos of your boards. From various angles and distances. This will help me decide if I should keep mine or return them. I have to return them BY tomorrow, so it's rather urgent. Thanks

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

If you don't mind, can you take photos of your boards. From various angles and distances. This will help me decide if I should keep mine or return them. I have to return them BY tomorrow, so it's rather urgent. Thanks

When I’m in the kitchen I’ll do some snaps for you and try n find the worse angles (if you know what I mean) but at the moment I’m working so it’ll likely be later today

 

[WaterPixie]

When I’m in the kitchen I’ll do some snaps for you and try n find the worse angles (if you know what I mean) but at the moment I’m working so it’ll likely be later today

Here's my boards.
I've used the white one about 10 times, red one about 5. Please zoom in to see better on all images.

And I don't understand how to load it into the dishwasher. I took a pic of how I think it should be done. But that's only possible because of that tray it's leaning on with cutlery. The other side isn't possible.

The other small upright chopping board that's very scratched up. Well. Here's my concern. I will only hand wash the red one because I use it for raw meat. Not comfortable putting something that's had raw meat on it sitting in the dishwasher.
This upright ORANGE one is my mums. The one that's badly scratched. Last image I believe (forums can mess up image order).
When I attempt to scrub it using the green scrubbing thing you use to wash dishes with, it gets destroyed. It's essentially rubbing it against sandpaper. The board has basically become sandpaper from all the scratches.

This is why I wanted very hard plastic. I know it'll dull my knife more, but I don't care. I'll just sharpen it and hone it.
There's no plastic board resurfacing that's available to members of the public. So once the surface is scratched up it's for the bin.
Based on how little I've used the boards, in just a few months they'll need binning. That's why I think they're mad expensive.

 

[Rocklobster]

That's pretty normal. If you have anybody with a sander, they will sand down to smooth again. Do it outside, though. You can also bleach them if they get stained. Soak some paper towel in water bleach and lay it on top of the cutting board overnight. Try and keep it wet. I keep a spray bottle with a 50/50 bleach water solution for this purpose.

 

[WaterPixie]

That's pretty normal. If you have anybody with a sander, they will sand down to smooth again. Do it outside, though. You can also bleach them if they get stained. Soak some paper towel in water bleach and lay it on top of the cutting board overnight. Try and keep it wet. I keep a spray bottle with a 50/50 bleach water solution for this purpose.

Have you ever sanded a plastic chopping board? If so what exact sandpaper did you use, what exact sanding machine? How did you keep the board steady while doing so? Please detail the process. You say do it outside. What did you put down on the floor outside for the board to be on?

Surely the sandpaper just gets clogged in seconds because it's plastic?!

 

[Rocklobster]

Have you ever sanded a plastic chopping board? If so what exact sandpaper did you use, what exact sanding machine? How did you keep the board steady while doing so? Please detail the process. You say do it outside. What did you put down on the floor outside for the board to be on?

Surely the sandpaper just gets clogged in seconds because it's plastic?!

I use a standard vibratory hand sander with medium to fine grit sandpaper. I just put it on a worktable, then brush and sweep up the nylon dust. It's not a very complicated procedure. But, it will get rid of all of the rough edges your knives have created.

We do the ones at work about once a year. Usually on our day off in the parking lot behind the shop.

There are many YouTube videos out there to give you some ideas on how to proceed. Good luck. You'll be happy you looked into it.

 

[WaterPixie]

I use a standard vibratory hand sander with medium to fine grit sandpaper. I just put it on a worktable, then brush and sweep up the nylon dust. It's not a very complicated procedure. But, it will get rid of all of the rough edges your knives have created.

We do the ones at work about once a year. Usually on our day off in the parking lot behind the shop.

Yeah I don't have a worktable with a vice etc. They cost tons too. What could I use instead? And to stop it from slipping while I'm sanding it outside too?

Don't have a sanding machine but I could buy one.

Vibratory doesn't help me understand what exact sanding machine you used. There's rotating ones, belt ones, ones that just move back and forth and a bit side to side, etc.

There's so many different types of sandpaper and grits.

Please do be specific as I requested.

 

[Rocklobster]

I don't use a vice. Just lay it on the table or even on cardboard on your outdoor walk or driveway. The nylon is pretty soft so it only takes a few passes to get those rough edges out. Google palm sander, and then you can figure out what size of sandpaper sheets they take. You can pick them up pretty cheap. They sell new here for 30 bucks Canadian. You'll have it forever and might use it for other jobs over the years.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I think if you want something that looks nice you’d be better off calling it quits and buying a wooden one.

Mine are scratched up similarly to yours (maybe not so badly) but it doesn’t bother me.

I took these in bright daylight on the worktop next to the window so you can see them at their worse.

The brown one I don’t like, that one definitely scuffs up more than the others. That’s in the dishwasher at the mo so no pic.
Mine are kept in a cupboard so I only see them when I’m using them, I don’t think I’d enjoy looking at them out on a countertop.

For washing I slide the board into the bottom rack upright against the side of the dishwasher under the top racks runner.
I always make sure the side I’ve used is facing inward so it gets the full blast of the spray arms.
I also always wash over 60 degrees so I don’t have any qualms about putting the meat one in there. There’s not a lot that can survive a couple of hours being washed and having a steam bath at the end of it.

 

[WaterPixie]

I think if you want something that looks nice you’d be better off calling it quits and buying a wooden one.

Mine are scratched up similarly to yours (maybe not so badly) but it doesn’t bother me.

I took these in bright daylight on the worktop next to the window so you can see them at their worse.
View attachment 118931
View attachment 118932
View attachment 118934
View attachment 118933
The brown one I don’t like, that one definitely scuffs up more than the others. That’s in the dishwasher at the mo so no pic.
Mine are kept in a cupboard so I only see them when I’m using them, I don’t think I’d enjoy looking at them out on a countertop.

For washing I slide the board into the bottom rack upright against the side of the dishwasher under the top racks runner.
I always make sure the side I’ve used is facing inward so it gets the full blast of the spray arms.
I also always wash over 60 degrees so I don’t have any qualms about putting the meat one in there. There’s not a lot that can survive a couple of hours being washed and having a steam bath at the end of it.

Your boards look totally different to mine.
Yours have a visible manufactured textured surface and I think straight flat edges.

Mines got curved edges which is incredibly annoying when I slide onions off the board and little bits get suck on the curved edge which is hard to clean as the damn board is so freaking huge.

I don't care how it looks really. It's how it functions. As I said, the scratches destroy scrubers straight away.

You just said yours aren't as scratched as mine, yet you've had yours for 3 years you said right? I've had mine about a month but only used it about 10 times (white one). 10 times. You've likely used yours thousands of times now.

Are you sure it's the exact same board as what I bought?!

Here's a screenshot of my exact one.

As I said. Despite it being HDPE, aka the harder of the two hardness variations of the boards they sell, they've scratched very easily.

Please note, the ORANGE VERY scratched board is not mine. It's my mums and it's some cheap one, not from Nisbets.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Your boards look totally different to mine.
Yours have a visible manufactured textured surface and I think straight flat edges.

Mines got curved edges which is incredibly annoying when I slide onions off the board and little bits get suck on the curved edge which is hard to clean as the damn board is so freaking huge.

I don't care how it looks really. It's how it functions. As I said, the scratches destroy scrubers straight away.

You just said yours aren't as scratched as mine, yet you've had yours for 3 years you said right? I've had mine about a month but only used it about 10 times (white one). 10 times. You've likely used yours thousands of times now.

Are you sure it's the exact same board as what I bought?!

Here's a screenshot of my exact one.

As I said. Despite it being HDPE, aka the harder of the two hardness variations of the boards they sell, they've scratched very easily.

Please note, the ORANGE VERY scratched board is not mine. It's my mums and it's some cheap one, not from Nisbets.



View attachment 118935

View attachment 118936

Yep a minimum of three years and yes probably thousands of times as the other three use them too and I cook a lot.

Are they definitely the Nisbets version and not a knock off?
I’m wondering if you were send low density rather than high density boards
Or perhaps they have changed their manufacturer

I bought mine directly from Nisbets
https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kitchenwa...nd-racks/high-density-chopping-boards/_/a33-4

 

[WaterPixie]

Yep a minimum of three years and yes probably thousands of times as the other three use them too and I cook a lot.

Are they definitely the Nisbets version and not a knock off?
I’m wondering if you were send low density rather than high density boards
Or perhaps they have changed their manufacturer

I bought mine directly from Nisbets
https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kitchenwa...nd-racks/high-density-chopping-boards/_/a33-4

I'll take a photo of two of the small ones which I never opened. They have labels on them, maybe you'll be able to tell if they're fake?

Looking at the white board on the link you gave, clicking to zoom in, it appears they have curved edges like mine. Maybe it's changed now since you bought is? Maybe it's become worse? Please take a look on their site as I did. Click the image on their site to zoom in.

It's the same on the hypiglas official amazon store. They have much clearer photos than the nisbets store. Please make sure you click the HDPE boards. The LDPE ones look like yours though..... I’ve shared a Brand Store on Amazon with you. Link - Hygiplas

Also look at the review screenshot. 'marks easily'

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Who knows
There’s something different going on. I’m not sure it’s possible to get to the bottom of it!