Selecting New Flatware

After many good years, it was time to say goodbye to my flatware and find something new for our kitchen. Here is what we found selecting new flatware.

I liked our flatware.  It was service for 16, had a good weight and shape for my hands.  But it looked shabby.  Sort of rusty and discolored.  Embarrassing, really.  Searching for enough decent looking pieces for company was becoming a chore.  And wasn’t always successful.

Nobody was rude enough to ask me to rewash anything, thank heavens.

So I went on a search selecting new flatware.  This is what I considered and this is what I ended up choosing.

Weight, Size and Shape

Who doesn’t love a piece of real silver to eat with?  But who wants to polish that?  Not me.  And I’m not doing dishes by hand.  Forget that.

The weight of real silver is ideal, but I didn’t want anything too heavy.  The shape is also important to me.  Rounded ends without too many protrusions was on my list.

For instance, Pottery Barn has a set with bamboo handles.  They are heavy and well, they are bamboo.  So wooden with big ol’ knots or whatever you call those indentions.  Just about as uncomfortable in the hand as I could imagine.

Finish

The two finishes I liked best were mirror (very shiny) and satin in silver. I saw beautiful black, gold and rose, but silver is what goes best in my house.

Reviews

Luckily everything I was looking for is also sold online so reading the reviews was helpful.  Since the heft and feel was too important for an online purchase, I checked some of my favorite stores. I packed up the hub and we made a few trips looking for new flatware.

World Market

Everything I’ve bought for my kitchen from World Market has been a success.  I love their quality, style, price and the fact that they are just a few miles down the road from my house.

Everyday Flatware was the set that met my criteria at World Market and it was so-so.  It didn’t light any fireworks for me.

Additionally the reviews were mixed with rusting and flaking plating being the top complaints.

Crate & Barrel

Caesna Air at CB is five-stars for style.  The ends are not only rouned, they are also puffy so very dimensional.  Gorgeous.

Really.  But a set of 40 would cost over $500.  And, by the way, although the store had a ton of sales people, not one person approached us to see if they could help in any way.

So, next.

Pottery Barn

PB (as you might know, one of my favorite stores) had a big selection but honestly nothing stood out to hub or to me.  Except the bamboo.  Which was a no.

Costco

Yes, you read that right.  Costco.  A couple years ago Instagram polled their users on top flatware reviews and Costco came in on the top five.

They have a number of different brands to choose from – both in the warehouse and online. 

Here’s the thing with Costco.  Everyone has Costco stuff.  Because it’s good, prices are reasonable and everyone shops at Costco. So when you purchase from Costco, you are not getting anything unique.

In case that is important to you. Maybe for an outfit or a purse, but flatware. Umm, I’m okay with mundane as long as it checks the other boxes.

This week the Mikasa Bravo went on sale for $15 off for a set of 45 and was available in both a rounded end (which I wanted) and a squared off end (which I didn’t).

So after we checked all the other stores we took a trip to Costco.  And there was the flatware of my dreams.

Nice, heavy pieces.  And the finish?  The handles are satin and the tines are mirror.  Actually very, very pretty.

And the best part is Costco’s guarantee.  If something doesn’t work out or a product doesn’t meet quality standards, it’s easy to return.

Wrap Up

We now have service for 8 instead of 16 and our other set is now looking for a new home from the thrift store.

I’m really happy with our new flatware and don’t regret purchasing from Costco.  It’s perfect for us.

Have a wonderful weekend and if you need a flatware recommendation, I hope our legwork is helpful.