Crystal IS stronger, but that doesn't help if the glass is dropped. They aren't good in the dishwasher either. Most of the glasses we break are a result of putting them in/taking the out of the dishwasher (if they actually fit) or from hurriedly washing them by hand, and knocking them against the tap or just being too forceful with them.
I also prefer the classic tulip shape, and in the smaller white wine size. I feel stupid with a 750 ml balloon red wine glass, and they take up too much room for storage. Cheap wine glasses aren't easy to find in that shape - they are either a ridiculous half-sphere shape or made of absurdly shaped faux-crystal cut glass. Most annoying are the glasses that have thick rims that don't angle inwards, causing wine to splash out when you want to swirl and sniff. Plastic isn't an option - it kills the nose.
I bought a set of 6 tulip shaped white wine glasses just before Christmas last year. They were about £15 for the set, and they are all broken. Before that was a set of the Sainsbury's Chardonnay glasses. All broken. They were all quite thin glass (but the right shape!). This obviously isn't sustainable (and yes, perhaps I'm a bit rough with them), and I need another solution. The choices are either expensive, tougher crystal glasses, or....Kwarx.
Kwarx is a glass material that is supposed to have 3 qualities: strength, transparency, and the ability to endure almost endless washes without any degradation in colour (i.e. not turning white or cloudy after a few goes in the dishwasher). I found out about it after reading this article. The article is dated 2006, but I swear I only read it a few months ago in an RSS feed...not sure what happened there. The real attraction is the strength - they are marketed as 'unbreakable', and if you read the Decanter article I've just linked to (sorry if the link breaks), or watch the demonstration here, it's possible to drop the glass from 40 cm onto a table top and it won't break. This is just the thing I need.
Anyways, I googled Kwarx looking for somewhere that stocks these glasses in the UK. The (homeware?) site Torquato is selling sets of them for pretty reasonable prices. I ordered a set of what was advertised as '34 cl white wine glasses' for £34.90. This might seem expensive, but it's only really just under £6 a glass, and if they do what they say, it's worth it. Oddly, after I placed my order, the item on the website disappeared and a remaining one which looked exactly the same (only listed as 35 cl) is available for only £24.90. It might have been there and in my excitement to place the order I just didn't notice it.
So, I've had my Kwarx glasses for about a week and a half, and they've seen moderate use. No breakage, no cracks and no chips. They've been in the dishwasher almost every night, and look great. These are obviously early days, but it's looking good. I can't bring myself to actually drop them on the table, or clang them together with too much force - they really don't seem any different to glass or crystal, and I have a hard time believing they won't break (and I have to pay for this stuff myself). However, if they stand the test of time and live up to their billing, I really don't see any reason at all to ever buy anything else. Will keep you posted....
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