I'm surprised to see the report of Chicago Cutlery knives without full tang. I haven't seen one like that in the local trade. Just goes to show ya' that you can't go by "brand name" alone. Most of the makers produce both good and bad, depending on your standards of goodness and evil.

Re the report on wood vs plastic cutting boards: Local "Health Department" regs in my area now prohibit wood in "commercial use." They also require a separate surface for each kind of "meat." If you want to stay in business, you don't get to choose. In the home kitchen the choice is less obvious.

Most oils, vegetable or mineral, are to some extent "bacteriostatic." They inhibit growth of bacteria, although they won't necessarily kill the little critters. The "food film" that adheres to many plastic surfaces is a nutrient for them, and is almost impossible to remove completely with ordinary "hand washing." For some of the common plastics, the "film" that adheres can't even be reliably penetrated by strong germicides/antiseptics.

If you can (and do) run your cutting board through the dishwasher, at "sanitizing temperatures" the bacteria will be killed in the wash, and the plastic board will stand the dishwasher. If your board is too big for "sanitizing," or is bolted to the kitchen floor, then the wooden surface is arguably better. Keep it clean, and don't let stuff sit on it long enough to "grow into" the wood. Frequently, wash with a "germicide" (Clorox was often used in commercial kitchens before the wood ban), and as soon as the block is dry, replenish the oil (and the bacteriostatic properties) with a good vegetable oil or, if available, a "butcher block oil" specifically for this use. (NEVER put a mineral oil on wood.)

The same treatment you use for the wooden cutting block/board can also be used on any wooden knife handles.

Note that this interpretation is not accepted by all. They're entitled to their own damfool opinions.

John