16 Best Drinking Glasses of 2025

Thin but surprisingly durable glasses: Fable Glassware Set

Thin glassware is not known for its durability, but the Fable Glassware Set is an anomaly. These wafer-thin glasses are surprisingly durable—by far the most resilient of the thin glasses we tested—so if you’re a bull in a china shop but still want delicate-looking glassware, these are for you.

In our drop tests, the Fable glasses didn’t survive as long as the thicker, tempered Kähler, Duralex, or Bormioli Rocco glasses we recommend, but they sustained seven tumbles onto a hardwood floor from a height of 3 feet—which is pretty impressive for such a thin glass (for comparison, most regular soda-lime glasses broke on the first impact).

However, unlike some tempered glasses we tested, they weren’t able to survive even one drop onto a marble slab. That’s still a reasonable tradeoff since they’re so thin.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The biggest drawback to these glasses is that they don’t stack, so they take up more room in a cupboard. (If you’re after thin, stackable glasses, check out the Alessi Glass Family Water Tumbler.)

The glasses are expensive, but according to William LaCourse, PhD, an expert on chemically strengthened glass with 30 years of experience, the process for treating glass with an ion-exchange process is quite lengthy, which likely contributes to its higher cost.

Unlike tempered glassware, the Fable glasses break into sharp shards (versus relatively dull cubes).

Key specs

• Material: chemically strengthened glass
• Available colors: clear
• Available sizes: 11.8 and 18 ounces
• Where it’s made: Japan

You may also like: Duralex Le Picardie Tumblers, Bormioli Rocco Rock Bar Stackable Drinking Glasses, Kähler Hammershøi Tumbler, Alessi Glass Family Water Tumbler, Bormioli Rocco Bodega Drinking Glasses, Riedel O Water Tumbler, Toyo Sasaki Glass Circle Glass Tumbler

Elegant, stackable glasses: Alessi Glass Family Water Tumblers

If you want the ultimate fine-dining experience in your own home, the Alessi Glass Family Water Tumblers were among our favorites of the thin, delicate glassware we tested. These glasses were designed by Jasper Morrison, a renowned product and furniture designer. Their simple, elegant design is beautiful and practical.

Though the silhouette appears straight-sided, the Alessi tumbler has a slight taper so the glasses can stack compactly, a boon for smaller spaces. (Keep in mind, though, that stacking glasses can lead to more scratches and damage over time.)

The majority of our testers preferred the practicality—and lower price—of the Alessi glasses over the similarly designed Riedel O Water Tumbler and Toyo Sasaki Glass Circle Glass Tumbler, which don’t stack.

The slight taper also makes them easier to hold. The Alessi tumblers are very light, but the extra bit of weight in their base prevents them from drifting across a table when covered in condensation. These tumblers could also be used for cocktails on the rocks or juice.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Since these glasses are so thin and made of nonleaded crystal, we recommend them only if you don’t mind treating them with care. Some of our testers said the Family Water Tumblers seemed too breakable for everyday use and not appropriate for young kids.

One glass had a tiny bump on the lip of the glass, but this minor imperfection didn’t seem to bother our testers. However, if you want a perfectly clean rim on your glasses, we’d opt for the pricier Fable Glassware Set, Riedel O Water Glasses, or Toyo Sasaki Glass Company Circle Glass Tumblers (none of which stack).

Some of the weighted bases on the Alessi glasses are a bit uneven (though we could only detect this when holding the glass up to the light).

Key specs

• Material: crystalline glass (nonleaded crystal)
• Available colors: clear
• Available sizes: 10 ounces (this collection also includes red wine and white wine glasses)
• Where it’s made: Slovakia

You may also like: Fable Glassware Set, Bormioli Rocco Bodega Drinking Glasses, Riedel O Water Tumbler, Toyo Sasaki Glass Circle Glass Tumbler

Casual with clean lines: Bormioli Rocco Bodega Drinking Glasses

You may have spotted the tempered Bormioli Rocco Bodega Drinking Glass at restaurants, as it’s become a popular, durable choice that can take some abuse. If you’re looking for something simple and casual, these glasses would look great in your own home too.

They’re suitable for all occasions, whether fancy or informal. And though they’re not as durable as the Kähler Hammershøi Tumbler we recommend, they still survived three drops onto a marble slab from a height of 3 feet (for comparison, the Kähler tumbler never broke after 20 consecutive drops onto a marble slab—it even survived one drop onto a concrete floor).

We appreciate the versatility of these glasses, which can be used for other tasks besides drinking. For instance, though the smallest glass in this collection is quite tiny, it could also be used as a ramekin for mise en place while preparing dinner or as a serving cup for snacks, fruit salads, Jell-O, or puddings.

Though we favor wine glasses for wine, sometimes it’s more practical to drink from a low, shallow glass that won’t get knocked over while, say, cooking in the kitchen. That said, the 12-ounce cup was our favorite all-purpose size in this collection.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Some of our testers found the small 7.5-ounce glass too tiny for drinking water. It’s fine in a restaurant when a server is constantly refilling your glass, but it’s a bit impractical in your own home.

Key specs

• Material: tempered glass
• Available colors: clear
• Available sizes: 7.5 (Mini), 12 (Medium), and 17 ounces (Maxi)
• Where it’s made: Spain

You may also like: Fable Glassware Set, Alessi Glass Family Water Tumbler, Riedel O Water Tumbler, Toyo Sasaki Glass Circle Glass Tumbler