It would probably be more helpful if you shared the number of pieces in each of these sets.

The CB2 set includes 1 placesetting for 4 people (20 Pieces) for $49.95.

The Certo set is only 5 pieces for $230. INSANITY!!

I would avoid wood handled silverware unless you want to handwash it forever.

we bought some seriously expensive flatware from "À table tout le monde" in Montreal. It's a japanese designer. name escapes me.

as beautiful as the flatware is.

Round handles = uncomfortable.

.

As lovely as most all Arne Jacobsen design is, I simply cannot stand forks with small teeth :o/

I have the CB2 flatware. It's really lovely. I get compliments not only on the design but also the weight of each utensil. They make their presence known. Additionally, because each item is one solid piece of metal, it makes for way cleaning, no nooks and/or crannies for food to hide. I've had this set for about 2 years now and know that I'll have it for many years to come.

I have to say, both times in my adult life that I've bought flatware, it has been a process. For me, it's always comes down to the shape of the knife. For years I had the Strand pattern from CB and was very happy with it. My husband and I replaced it with the Thompson series, also from CB (I believe that both have been discontinued.) Thompson is nice, but I'm less happy with how it's wearing than I was with the Strand.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=105434

This is the flatware we registered for when we got married 4 years ago... It is great! Modern, comfortable and really elegant looking. It also is fairly inexpensive.

I love the Robert Welch 'Dot'-line. It has won the Red Dot Design Award 2010

http://red-dot.org/3195.html?&L=0&cHash=a5fddd5dfb577f2db48ee88aae8ac66a&detail=6745&year=0

fairly expensive though

for me it comes to the overall 'experience' of the flatware used. It has to have a certain weight and shape in hand.

I've been nursing a crush on Gourmet Settings' "Stand By" pattern for years, but am still working my way through some inexpensive stamped flatware that was given to me years ago. Should probably just chuck it all to the Salv Arm and go big.

http://www.gourmetsettings.com/stand-by

hate to say it, but those last three designs sort of look like what would be used when one was say, camping. and $230 for five pieces? ouch! i do like that first set a lot, though

Just try twirling pasta with the forks that have wide/flat handles (#'s 2 & 4) or eating soup with a spoon that has a bowl that's round and flat (#5)- It's about impossible!

And remember when the style was flatware that was shaped like twigs? Again, near impossible to use.

IMO, Flatware is one of those things where traditional forms, simple shapes and well balanced pieces are best.

I wish there were a way to try eating with the stuff before buying it. Our spoons have deep bowls that leave behind food when I try to eat from them. It's disgusting. I would never have bought this style if I'd known. Basically I can't use the spoons at all. I use the good silver instead (which is fun, but still).

Not doing it for me.

we've owned alessi/jasper morrison's knife:fork:spoon which was insanely expensive and ikea's 365 line... both look appropriately modern and sophisticated and both "rusted" (rust spots and stains) in the same amount of time. if you didn't see the maker-stamp on the reverse, you'd be hard pressed to tell that one was 10X the price of the other (actually, the ikea feels more substantial). thusly, we've learned not to spend too much money on everyday use silverware that you put in the dishwasher.

Haha I was going to write a post to say "There's no good way to shop for flatware except by putting it in your mouth at the store", because those straight-up-and-down forks with no waist would drive me BATTY; ditto the spoon-vs-mouth issue.

But then I got distracted by fantasies of horrifying sales staff by bringing your lunch to the store and eating it off their display samples.

I have CB2 flatware similar to that shown (handles about the same, my spoons aren't as round) and I love it. Feels really good and sturdy in your hand, and only ever bent in the most frozen of ice creams :) However, CB2 changes their designs frequently, so no luck replacing that one spoon that disappeared.

Love the David Mellor flatware! I just visited his factory/workshop/store in the UK http://t.co/xfuxs8K . Very nice that some of his line is available through Heath in the US! They make handsome table-fellows.

I have C+B's Couture line of flatware and I'm smitten. It's reasonably priced, has iced tea spoons and steak knives (which are important to me!), and a wide array of serving utensils. It's just modern enough without looking weird or impractical, and it sits so beautifully in the hand. Nice and heavy (without being dumbells), dishwasher safe, and beautiful enough for a formal table (but great for ramen on the couch, too).

I have been looking for new flatware this week! Perfect flatware, for me, would be: comfortable to hold with a little bit of heft (not too light-weight); stainless and dishwasher safe; 4 tined forks with reasonably long tines; knives with blades that are pretty traditional (none of these fancy modern looks that aren't very pragmatic); oval (not round) spoons that are suitably concave ("just right")... and very plain and simple. (Nothing resembling a spork!) Maybe matte finished handles, depends on the design. Overstock has some inexpensive options, but I can't touch them, which doesn't please me.

saragrz, that's the same flatware I have. I love it.

I'm thinking of getting the CB's Clark flatware. http://www.crateandbarrel.com/dining-and-entertaining/place-settings/clark-flatware/f4281

Anybody has any thoughts on this set?

Art --

Me too, I'm a big fan of David Mellor's "Thrift"! Sadly, it is only available on Ebay.

For years, I have admired Achille Castiglioni's "Dry" (Alessi). It's very handsome, and has a nice weight.

What I have found in my family (we currently have most of a set my husband and I bought 22 years ago -- a poor man's knock-off of Dry, from a Dutch company) is that each person prefers something different in their cutlery. Me, I am always reaching for my favourite fork (light, balanced, curved) and the spoon I dug up one day in the garden of our first house when I was planting roses (a delightfully round bowl, perfect for scooping out the middle of a melon and for eating a bowl of soup). My 4 year old son goes for the longest knife we have, which is decorated with roses. Then there are the 2 teaspoons from my favourite Czech cutlery (which is no longer in production) which my daughter likes for puddings and yogurt. Only my husband sticks with our dutch contemporary set. In short, we all seem to like quirky mismatched cutlery...

Would be nice to have a full set of something though... If only I could decide what.

I would put in votes for two similar patterns:

Georg Jensen's Bo Bonfils

(http://www.georgjensenstore.com/index.php?do=product.details&productid=44&catalogid=125&lineid=61)

and WMF's Nomos

(http://www.wmf.com/cutlery-collections/nomos_82511102.html?sid=BC13819B-FFA5-43C4-8DC1-BBD61244089D).

Both are minimalist modern in design but unlike the #4 Arne Jacobsen design classic, are practical for actually eating food. Also, both are award winners - a Danish Design Award for Bon Bonfils and a Red Dot award for Nomos. one problem though, they're hard to find in the US. (We bought our Nomos in Germany, where it's easy to find WMF dealers).