Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Review of Corelle Livingware 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Corelle Livingware 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4, Classic Cafe Black
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $51.10
Sale Price: $27.00
Today's Bonus: 47% Off
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It says a lot about a product like this when it's been continuously available since 1970. I've owned Corelle for most of the past 30 years. I recently bought a 17-piece set from Wal-Mart (same as this + a 1-quart serving bowl) for about $24 to replace some Corelle pieces that didn't match my Winter Frost pieces and to have more place settings. The mugs are cheap stoneware made in Thailand, not Corelle. They don't quite match the Corelle and they're going to the Goodwill along with the mismatched plates and bowls, but it was still a good deal for the rest of the set.

I love Corelle. All Corelle looks as if it was stamped out of a sheet of white glass, which is a result of the way it's made. There are no "base rings" or loop handles (which is why there have never been any Corelle mugs). The design makes Corelle very easy to wash and dry. They're very thin, and they stack with virtually no extra space in between them so they use remarkably little cubbard space. A stack of ten dinner plates is only 2" high. Try that with those heavy stoneware plates that chip every time two of them bang together. They're microwaveand oven-safe (don't use on the stove or under the broiler). And they're still made in the US.

It's as if Corelle was invented for large families with lots of kids. It's durable, so the kids won't be breaking it very easily (although it will break on ceramic tile or the concrete if the kids drop it while playing outside ;-). Second, you can easily put 8, 12, or even 16 place settings in any cabinet. If you have kids, you know why that's a good thing. Every time kids eat anything they have to use a clean dish, and they snack a lot, so they go through clean dishes at a frightening pace. With Corelle you can have a big supply of dishes without breaking the bank or using a lot of cabinet space.

Another nice thing about Corelle is that you can use the plates to cover the bowls. The small plates that come in this set are the same diameter as the cereal bowls in this set. The 8.5" luncheon plates (sold separately) are the same diameter as the 1-quart serving bowls and the pasta bowls. The dinner plates in this set are the same diameter as the 2-quart serving bowls and the 9" deep dish pie plate (which makes a fabulous pasta bowl).

The Winter Frost White looks simple, clean, and never goes out of style. Really, after using Corelle for nearly 30 years I don't have even a nit to pick with it. Get a bunch of it and enjoy the best designed dishes ever made. With any luck you'll still have them in 20 or 30 years, and don't be surprised if they still look new after that all time, especially if you go over them with Bon Ami once or twice a year.

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Corelle is great stuff, it takes rough handling without chipping or breaking (Corelle is a laminated, tempered glass that resists all measures of damage):

it's dishwasher and microwave-safe;

it's lightweight without being too light;

it stacks in a nice, small profile;

and a set like Cafe Blue for 4 here costs around $25.

Honestly though, the reason to get it is because it's going to take a beating, a few drops, a lot of clinking into other pieces, and it's not going to look the worse for wear the price is almost immaterial considering how well this set will hold up over time (I've had my set for years, and other Corelle pieces for decades, all in great shape from moderate use). I would think for families with kids who do the dishes, or for senior with shaky hands, Corelle sets like this would be ideal due to their toughness and lightness -a few years ago, I got this set for my grandparents after they suffered a few dish-breaks during washing of their decades-old hodgepodge of fragile dishes, and while they were initially resistant to the notion of using this set they ended up using it exclusively.

I love this set's look simple yet alive without being overstated. Corelle offers the Cafe pattern in red and black as well, I have 2 of the blue and 2 of the black lunch plates, but the blue ones are more pleasant over the black (the red seem like they're being a tad too bold). I have seen the occasional piece in stores with an off-center printing of the color bands, but I haven't had that problem in my set or the extra pieces I've bought.

This set includes 4 dinner plates, 4 bowls, and 4 bread & butter plates. I love the little bread plates, they make nice saucers for bowls or mugs, and they're the best size for little snacks, I use them the fastest. The bowls are a nice size as well, and of course the dinner plates are just dandy. Other classic Corelle sets similar to these come with pattern-matched, Corelle-material mugs, but this set comes with stoneware mugs that are bigger than those, and these are all blue in color. The mugs seem to insulate temperature a little better than the Corelle-material ones, but I haven't done a strict test to be sure.

Oh, since I mentioned it, Corelle sells companion pieces to this set if you want to expand your set to a full service: lunch plates (between the dinner and saucer plates), 2 different kinds of larger bowls, and I think a few more odds and ends. Unfortunately, over the last few years in brick & mortar stores the blue Cafe pattern pieces have become hard to find Walmart of all places has the red (you'd think it'd be Target due to the color) but no longer the blue.

There is one thing folks might want to know about owning this set: Corelle can occasionally pick up rust stains from rusty dishwasher racks or silverware which don't seem to come off with a mere dish soap and sponge. Those stains can be defeated by non-abrasive kitchen cleanser and some elbow grease (it took me years until someone told me about trying it).

So, bottom line: great value, very strong, simple yet attractive looks, and expandable. Seems like a winner to me.

Best Deals for Corelle Livingware 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

The description for the Corelle Geometric dinnerware is confusing but the set is so fab it deserves all 5 stars.

Each 16-pc boxed set contains 4 of each 10.25 inch dinner plates, 6.75 inch bread/dessert plates, 18 oz. soup/cereal bowls, 11 oz. stoneware mugs. (Being practical and not wanting to slop liquid all over the place, it's more like 12 oz. for the bowls and 10 oz. for the mugs.)

The pattern is done in a mocha brown, warm beige and cool celadon (a pale sea-green...I had to look that one up in the dictionary) on a bright white ground. And, all the dinnerware pieces have the pattern though, for some reason, the bowls are printed with only the mocha color.

The stoneware mugs are a vast improvement over the tiny teacups in the older sets. They are big enough for that java in the morning or a great cup of cocoa at night. My hubby appreciates the bigger handles.

Get a set or two of these in your hands for a cool 50s retro look.

Honest reviews on Corelle Livingware 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Okay, I decided to write a review about this particular design of Corelle because there was one flaw!!

The ACTUAL color of the designs on the plates are much lighter than pictured here. I thought this was a good mix of masculine and femanine (definitely refreshing compared to all the florals this company usually has) and was totally in love with the darker colors.

However, upon receiving these plates, the colors are really more pastel and "girly". The dark lines are a lighter brownbut look almost black in this picture. Mine also have a few 'mistakes' in the patternsmudges and things. This could be due to the fact that this is a brand new design and all the kinks haven't been worked out yet.

So, if you get over the color issues these really are fantastic plates. I grew up with Corelle plates and was looking forever for a modern and fresh design. After about 12 years my mother decided to get rid of her/our set because she was sick of them! Not one plate broke. Even after being dropped and banged into things multiple times. So the plates outlived her desire to have them. They never scratch and are so functional and pratical that it is unbelievable. Just find a design you really like because you won't ever have to get rid of these! No chipping, no scarring, and they always look as if you just bought them. Even years and years later. Great for every day use especially in a family full of kids.

In the end I decided to keep the two sets of this design I ordered and it has grown on me. It is a great design, but would be better if the color was bolder as it is in the image here. I love the fact that this set came with mugs...but realize that they are stoneware and not the same material as the plates so they probably won't last as long. I wish they would offer luncheon plates in this design too!

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Many years ago, when Corelle first came out, I had small children, and my sister gave me a gift of Corelle for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful because the children had broken so many plates and cups prior to this durable gift. Through the years, and many moves, I have used ordinary dinnerware. But now, remembering the good quality and other features of Corelle, I decided to rid myself of all the old, heavy dishes and get a small set of dinnerware just for me. I have arthritis in my hands, and the lightness of Corelle is perfect for me. Of course I love the retro look from diners of yore that I ate in as a young woman. Great buy!!

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