How to Choose Dinner Sets?

Choosing a cutlery set is a big decision because it's something you'll use every day and on special occasions -- from a bowl of cereal in the morning to a holiday dinner with family and friends.

It's important to find a cutlery pattern you like, but factors like weight and durability should also play a role in your choice.

Before you start shopping, determine how many locale Settings you want to get and how much you want to spend. We recommend 4 to 6 location Settings for a two-person family and 8 to 12 location Settings for a family of four or five. If you are only entertaining occasionally, you can choose a smaller main set for daily use and pick up some cheap plates as your guest list grows.

 Stoneware Solid Color 16pcs Dinner Sets     

Local Settings usually consist of three, four or five pieces. Many local Settings are also available off-the-shelf, and some collections include additional service pieces sold separately. Some retailers lower the price of cutlery when you buy the full set, so it's usually cheaper to do so than to buy open stock.

Each manufacturer assembles the collection in a different way, so be sure to check each location setting carefully before buying and choose the location that suits your lifestyle. In other words, if you're more likely to use cereal bowls, don't buy cutlery with soup bowls.

Pantry sets are very affordable - many 16-piece sets cost less than $100 - but we recommend avoiding them unless cutlery is also sold in open stock. Without outstanding stock pieces, replacing items can be difficult: If the plate breaks, you'll have to buy another complete box to get a new one -- and at the end of the day, you'll still have an incomplete set.

New Bone China Waved Rim Leaf 20pcs Dinner Set
    

Place settings usually include three, four or five pieces. Many place settings are also available in open stock, and some collections include additional serving pieces sold separately. When you purchase a full set, some retailers will reduce the price of the dinnerware, so doing so is usually cheaper than buying open stock. 

Each manufacturer assembles collections differently, so be sure to double-check each place setting before you buy and then choose the one that fits your lifestyle. In other words, don't buy a dinnerware set with a soup bowl if you're more likely to use a cereal bowl.

 

Dinnerware box sets are very affordable - many of the 16-piece sets cost less than $100 - but we recommend avoiding them unless dinnerware is also sold in open stock. Without open stock pieces, replacing items will be difficult: If a plate breaks, you'll have to buy another full box set to get a new one - and at the end of the day, you'll still have an incomplete set. 

 New Bone China Waved Rim Leaf 20pcs Dinner Set

You usually can't buy service pieces in addition to the main set, either. In addition, most sets are inexpensive to make and have quality issues, such as uneven edges, pinholes, or dripping glaze.

 

You always get what you pay for when it comes to dinnerware, so we encourage you to spend as much as you can. But you don't need to buy all your dinnerware at once. If it's expensive, you may prefer to buy just a few pieces at a time until you get the full set. You can also stay strategic in your purchases and wait for post-holiday sales.