MUGAA 17.7 Stainless Steel Cutting Board Review: The One With a Built-In Sharpener
The single biggest reason people hesitate on a steel board is the knife. MUGAA's answer is to bolt a sharpener onto the board itself. It's a clever pitch, and mostly it works, but the honest read is more interesting than the marketing. This is a big, dishwasher-safe, steel-and-PP board with a couple of built-in gadgets, and it's one of the few boards on our list you can actually put in the machine.
Steel grade: 304 stainless (steel side) + food-grade PP (flip side)
Thickness: ~0.8" including border
Size: 17.7" x 12.6"
Extras: Built-in knife sharpener + garlic grater
Grip: TPE anti-slip edges + handle
Cleaning: Dishwasher safe
Price: $18.99 at last check (Amazon's Choice)
The Good
It's genuinely large. At 17.7 by 12.6 inches this is the biggest board we recommend. Carving a holiday roast or breaking down poultry on it doesn't feel cramped, and the extra real estate is the main reason to size up from a 16x11.
Dishwasher safe, for real. Most of our picks are hand-wash-recommended. MUGAA rates this one for the machine, which is a legitimate convenience if you hate babying kitchen gear.
The built-in sharpener is a smart hedge. A steel board dulls edges faster; a sharpener on the board itself means the fix is right there. Owners report the pull-through does enough to keep a working knife keen between real sharpenings. Treat it as a touch-up tool, not a replacement for a proper stone.
Steel side for meat, PP side for veg. Same sensible split as the other hybrids: sanitize the metal face hard after raw protein, flip to the softer side for herbs and vegetables so your edge isn't always hitting metal. TPE edges grip the counter and a deep juice groove catches runoff.
The Not-So-Good
The soft side is still plastic. Be clear-eyed: the flip face is polypropylene, so it will scratch and, like any plastic surface, can shed particles over time. If avoiding plastic entirely is your whole reason for switching, an all-steel board like the INZOO is the cleaner answer, and you keep a wood board for delicate knife work.
A board sharpener is a touch-up, not a system. Pull-through sharpeners are convenient but aggressive; they're fine for a beater knife and wrong for an expensive Japanese blade. Don't run your good knives through it. More on matching knives to steel in are steel boards bad for knives.
It's heavy. At about 3.6 pounds it feels premium and stays put, but it's more to lift and store than a bare board.
The steel side still marks and still dulls. The sharpener helps you live with that, it doesn't erase it. This is a steel board and it behaves like one.
Who Should Buy It
- Cooks who want the largest board here and the convenience of a dishwasher
- People whose #1 worry is dull knives and who like the safety net of an on-board sharpener
- Anyone who wants steel for meat plus a softer side for veg in one big unit
Who Should Buy Something Else
- Zero-plastic buyers who want both faces in steel: the INZOO all-steel 16x11
- Owners of pricey Japanese knives who won't use a pull-through sharpener
- Small kitchens that don't need a 17.7-inch board: the BEVISS compact
Verdict: The MUGAA is the practical big-kitchen board. It's the largest pick we list, it's actually dishwasher safe, and the built-in sharpener is a genuinely useful hedge against the one real downside of cutting on metal. The catch is the same as every hybrid: the soft side is plastic, so this isn't the pick if killing plastic entirely is the goal. But if you want one large, low-fuss board that answers the knife worry head-on, it earns its spot. At $18.99 and Amazon's Choice, it's easy to recommend.