Emma Bridgewater mug handles keep dropping off!

[Ilovecleaning]

Earlier posts on the same subject are a bit old now.
I love EB mugs and have bought 14/15 but I’m now down to about 7. The handles simply drop off. At £25 each I think this is ridiculous.
I emailed EB pointing out the weakness, making it clear I was not seeking recompense but telling them I am no longer collecting them.

I received a reply explaining their quality control. Not much help.
if anyone else has had the same experience please contribute to the thread and I shall advise EB to have a look at your responses.
Many thanks.

I’ve been using EB mugs for years, have about 20 and never had this happen. How odd!

I'm drinking a tea out of an Emma Bridgewater mug now. Looking at it closely the handle does seem rather flimsy in comparison to the large heavy mug. I can see how the mug is slightly too heavy for the handle. The mugs seem very heavy at the bottom, almost weighted.

I have a friend who collects them, and when a handle breaks off he uses them as little plant pots - they look so cute!

Quality is very poor IME too, the glaze crackles and the handles fall off.

The handle dropped off my Emma Bridgewater mug too😠. I went on a factory tour at Denby , saw them putting the handles on by hand and bought one of those - it’s lovely and chunky, I think it will outlast me .

I have at least 30 mugs, used regularly and go through the dishwasher and the only handles that have come off have been when one has been dropped and broken

I'm shocked to read this. EB patterns are amazing. I actually have very little by EB as I find the China a little too chunky. So the shape of mugs I love best are Dunoon and Lust Ceramics. (But as I am a ceramic fiend I do of course have mugs, plates, cookware from other factories collected over many years). I have never had a handle fall off. Crazy quality. Crazing is more typical with pottery, rather than porcelain, due to how the glaze and body react together. Eg Poole Pottery - all my tableware crazed.

For me it's the cracks. I had a gorgeous Shakespeare mug and the bottom of it cracked so it leaked tea. Never dropped or anything. I've had two other mugs where they've just suddenly cracked through the pottery itself (not just the glaze) too. Of the rest, the glazing crazes like nobody's business. So disappointed. I have Staffordshire Tableware that's much more robust than EB. I think it must be their manufacturing process, their pottery is just too brittle or something. It's a shame because I'm from Staffs originally and like to buy Stoke-made pottery where possible and so many of the other big names make their stuff abroad now but somehow the quality of EB is just so poor.

Part of me wonders if they think most use them for display only.

This happened to me yesterday morning! Handle came off as I picked it up to drink and the mug cracked open like an Easter egg. Luckily the tea was tepid as I’d got sidetracked after I made it earlier. I agree the quality of Emma Bridgewater has gone down the last few years, I have some that are well over 10 years old that look brilliant and more recently bought ones that are very crazed.

I actually won one on MN about 15 years ago, can't remember what for
The handle fell off within a year

Same here. I stopped collecting EB a while back as almost every piece I have is badly crazed and the handles have been falling off the mugs. I’ve switched to Cornishware - far better quality.

Yes, had this happen a lot. Including more than one order where the handles didn't even make it through delivery on several mugs at a time, and also including multiple times where a hot drink has scalded me as the handle has broken whilst I was holding it.

I mentioned to DH the other day that I'm now running low on EB mugs having had loads at one point because the handles have snapped off so many (I love the style and size so they are what I always drink out of at home, and I used to buy a few at a time each year in the sales...). The older ones seem to last much better.

Omg me too I always just thought I was heavy handed! We live not far away from the factory so have quite a few and had loads that the kids painted in the studio when they were little - I have snapped handles off them all. They are all pen pots now as I don’t want to throw them away 😆

I've gradually built up my EB collection over the last 18 years, we use it for all our day to day crockery. I've never had a single problem with anything, the 18 year old mugs are still going strong! (As are the newer ones, some of which are only a year or so)

I’ve stopped buying too. I have some heart mugs that look new after 10 years or more. Also have a new bee one that has developed a massive crack in the glaze which has turned black. I’ve never had that before in any mug, let alone a £25 one!!

For a few years Denby have been doing a straight sided mug which is about the same size as an EB mug with a nice big handle, I've bought six in my colour (green) but they come in a few variants including cream. Much as I love Denby I don't like their other mug shapes/sizes whcih is why I started buying EB mugs in the first place. mugs

EDIT: maybe those of you lucky enough to have a big EB collection don't wear out the mugs as quickly as those of us who are "this cost me £25 and I'm going to use it every day no matter what"

We had a handle come off a matching pair wouldn’t buy again

Noooooo! I’ve just started collecting them and have 5/6 ish! More on my wish list! I will heed this caution and not buy any more though so thank you!

My CK mugs that I’ve had over a decade are still going strong!

To anyone who's lost a handle...do you stack your mug upside down at any point - say on the draining board when washing up?

I suspect this puts pressure on the joint as the handle stands proud of the mug, so it can't "sit" flat.

I've 2 older ones and 4 newer ones. The newer ones are definitely flimsier and don't get used v much, which is a pity as they're rather expensive to be left in a cupboard.

If anybody wants another alternative, I LOVE the Le Creuset mugs. Have 9 or 10 of them in a variety of lovely colours, they are sturdy and weighty, and bombproof - we've had them years now, they are used every single day, in the dishwasher every single day - and they're as good as the day they were bought. Worth every penny, and I often buy them as housewarming presents for others now.
None of our other mugs get used unless under duress!

I've got about 10 and never had a handle fall off. I have one broken one that was dropped.

Use everyday, wash in dishwasher, microwave etc with no issues. I rather like the look of the cracked glaze which for me has only really been noticeable on the inside anyway.

We got given the Mr and Mrs ones as a wedding present, I was sad when the handle fell off my Mrs one after about 2 years.

Just searched and found quite a few posts on Facebook if you search - "emma bridgewater" mug handle
people who've had it spill tea all over them, or laptops...lots of people saying they've had poor response from the EB customer service team too

We have had several handles come off