breaking crockery

[juliascurr]

is it reasonable to think dinner sets from eg Tesco/Wilkinson/Argos to last longer than 3 years? Is it usual to chip/crack/smash items?
genuine question

Yes. They are all shite. Three years? Try three months. Chips ahoy :)

Mine have. Unless we've dropped them, or I've broken them over DH's head (joking!) Esp Wilcos. I'm not a massive Tesco or Argos fan.

We also brought plates for DD when she was ready to move onto them from Matterlan, which we still have and use (she's 13) and have crockery from Sainsbury's which is older than her.

It's crockery. It will last longer than three years if you don't chip/crack/smash them yourself. If you want smash proof, then buy plastic.

It wouldn't strike me as that unusual to chip one item from a dinner set within three years of getting it, regardless of where it was from - accidents happen.
That doesn't write off the whole set though, because
a) you might have bought an extra setting to start with in case this happened and
b) you just keep using the rest until you get so low due to breakages that you have to buy a top-up set of crockery in a design that sort of coordinates but doesn't actually match, then repeat this on a kind of five year cycle until after about 30 years you finally get sick of only having two plates in each design, give all those remaining plates to the cat and start again from scratch. :-)

Does it really matter where you've bought a plate if you drop it? It's going to break, surely? Expensive ones probably last longer because more care is taken.

I just keep buying the same colour / style. No one cares or notices. Least of all me, and tbh I serve a lot of stuff on Peppa /Mickey melamine. That never chips

What you need to do is have a really nice Denby set all ready and waiting to use, but decide that you'll only start using it when you've moved house (knowing it was coming up - happened to be twelve months later - because you didn't want the stress of unwrapping and having to move it), then when the new kitchen was fitted (we were told it would be six months later, was actually more like nine) and then you just think "oh, I'll wait until I've broken three more plates" (meaning you only have three nice plates).

What will happen then is that you'll go FUCKING 12 MONTHS without breaking a pissing plate.

We're moving in September-ish (assuming building works go to plan) and I don't care what state my current plates are in, my first "owned" kitchen will have my fucking wedding china in.

abigaarone brand stated to indicate quality/strength
very few dropped; often washed very carelessly

To be fair- the M&S stuff has chipped - the tesco stuff has not. Checked. Love my Denby mugs, but they chip on the base eventually.

I got a set of five large and small plates/mugs/bowls from Argos when I went off to university 8 years ago and only one has smashed - after the cat decided it annoyed him and he swiped it onto the floor!

The others have all been fine - no chips or anything.

I have a mix of Argos and Sainsbury basic sets, a few pieces have chipped, but mostly because I am a clumsy idiot who manages to bang bits on the taps when washing up. They have lasted well for the price, and it's easy cheap to buy a new set occasionally

I wouldn't expect to get three years out of them. The last set I bought in Tesco was £20. If I get a year out of it at that price I'd be happy

I've moved on to plastic and falconware now, we have a set of plates for best and that's it.

3 years sounds reasonable. Suppose it might depend on the style/shape and material, that'll have an impact on vulnerability to chips.

Denby. Only thing that breaks Denby (including dropping it on my tile kitchen floor) is hitting it with another piece of Denby.

Pricey but so worth it!

My first set, from Cargo, lasted almost all the way through Uni. I still have one of the cups at work. That stuff almost bounced, it took such a beating. All our sets since then haven't lasted very long. Little tiny bumps whilst unloading the dishwasher see the edges chipped. Doesn't seem to take much to chip a tesco plate. I got so fed up of having no nice plates, or not having enough for everyone who was eating, I bought 2 new identical sets from Ikea. Reduced too, they were a bargain. Opened one, kept the other in the cupboard ready for the first casualty. The 2nd set is still sealed, in the cupboard, 2 and a bit years later. Even DD1 hasn't managed to break one (yet!) The finish is more matt, less shiny glaze, which I think must help.

I have a set from ASDA which has lasted my sister through university, my brother through university, me through university and over 10 years since and hasn't a single crack or chip

Ahh yes hitting Denby with denby, I did this and broke a bowl before I had even used it. I was not impressed!

I have the opposite problem. I was given a set of Denby about 15 years ago. It's an ugly colour. Not a single piece has broken! I have donated the ugly salt and pepper to charity.

Oh blimey, our current set is from sainsburys and we've had it around 4 years with no chips or breakages. And I'm very clumsy and drop stuff a LOT. But that's exactly why I wouldn't buy an expensive set!

I've had my cheap asda plain white crockery for years and years. I break the odd bit by dropping it (because I'm clumsy) but it doesn't chip very easily.

The idea of buying plain supermarket white was that it would be easy to match new pieces when they need replacing, but I rarely have to do this. Can't really see the point in paying more, even if I had the money, when asda plain white does the job so well.

I had the same TheHappinessTrap I'm not a fan Denby stoneware. We were given a blue set, I ended up taking it all to the charity shop. Ditto an awful chintzy set from Argos that never broke.

I have some white china side plates I bought from Woolworths sale for 10p each. They are still going strong after 6 years.

I bought a set of expensive Jamie Oliver that chipped really easily, I also managed to drop all the bowls onto my slate floor . That got replaced with cheap Ikea and Wilko stuff.

My favourite crockery is too green Sophie Conran for Port Meirion bowls. I wish I could get more but they don't make the green any more. They are lovely.

Two green

You want that 1970s stoneware stuff.

You can drop it from a great height onto a kitchen floor and the only thing that'll break is your toes if they're in the way ..... :) truly it's the neutron star of crockery.

I do think you're right though. The 1970s hand me downs I got for going to uni are still going strong and my newer IKEA stuff is all chipped.

If you're smashing them you can hardly blame the manufacturing!