Chopbox: A Completely Unsolicited Review
It Weighs! Sanitizes! It Sharpens! Does It Work?
Yes. The answer is, yes. It does all of that, and more.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is the link to the Kickstarter campaign my sister backed two Christmases ago as her present to me that year. (Although, if you’re here reading this review, I’m guessing you do know what it is.) The thing was supposed to be completed…I don’t know, ages ago? I’d actually completely forgotten about it, so when my sister told me it was in her possession and finally heading my way, I got to experience the excitement all over again.
What Does the ChopBox Do?
- It Cuts. Or rather, it’s a surface for cutting on. Because it’s a cutting board. Specifically, it’s a bamboo cutting board. Cool. My review of that feature: great. I mean, how could it not succeed at its #1 purpose, right?
- It Cuts (II). That’s right, this puppy has an extra cutting board hidden tucked underneath the main surface. Which, when I realized it was there, sort of blew my mind. Yes, I can use it to avoid cross-contamination…or I can — and do — use it for easy food transfer. I can cut vegetables for soup on the main surface, slide out the second cutting board, shove the veggies onto it, and tip them straight into the pot. No annoying transfer! This feature alone almost makes the board worth it. But wait, there’s more!
- It Sanitizes. This isn’t a feature that I’ve played around with much, but it’s there. When the second board is placed on top of the main board just so (there are contacts for this) you can turn on a UVC light, which sanitizes both boards AND any knives you want to stick in the convenient space between the boards. The one tiny criticism I have here is that I don’t actually know how long the light has to be on to kill the 99.9% of germs as promised. I’ll have to do a bit of Googling to figure that one out. NBD.
- It Weighs. This is also quite cool. I can zero out a bowl on the scale portion and then just chop and add my food to it until I reach the specified weight. Also, it’s really sensitive — more so than my current kitchen scale (which I’m keeping around because I weigh my coffee beans on it every morning).
- It Times. I haven’t actually used this feature yet, but it is neat that it’s an option.
- It Sharpens. Yep. Two sharpeners are included right on the board, which makes it great to quickly touch up your knife if you’ve started chopping and realize it’s a bit dull.
- It Grooves. Okay, this isn’t really a feature I find compelling, but they highlight it: it has a groove along the edge for catching liquids. Which, I suppose if it wasn’t there I might find it annoying to have puddles of tomato liquid dripping onto my counter or something.
- It’s Waterproof. Now I’m just grasping to reach the 10 features they’ve promised. Woo! Waterproof! I can wash it in my sink! I still generally just wipe it with a wet rag. I don’t want to ruin any components, after all.
Okay, I guess the other features are the quick charge (it charges just fine, no real feelings there), the battery that lasts up to 30 days (actually come to think of it, I’ve only charged it once since opening it!) and the replaceable parts (good to know).
The Verdict
If you haven’t already figured it out based on my gushing above, I’m a big fan. I was honestly a bit worried about the thing based on all the angry comments on the Kickstarter campaign, but for me it’s been working like a charm. If you have some extra money to blow on a kitchen tool that you probably don’t need but which makes the experience of cooking all the more convenient, I say go for it. Here’s to a great chopping experience!
mins
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