The Best Flatware of 2025
Heath Ceramics Muir Flatware
Top pick
Why it’s great
This set has a strong design aesthetic. The Heath Ceramics Muir Flatware in Polished (5 piece setting) looks like it could be featured on the cover of a modern design magazine.
Although it’s somewhat similar to the IKEA Dragon cutlery, the pieces are weightier and feel much more refined due to the subtle upward flare at the base of the fork and spoon handles.
The set is polished to a brilliant shine (though it’s available in other finishes too) and has a substantial thickness the IKEA set lacks—you can’t bend this set, even if you tried.
You can’t deny the quality. It was designed in 2018 in partnership with Sherrill Manufacturing, America’s last remaining flatware producer (whose factory we’ve toured), and each piece is carefully hand-tooled. The weight and smooth surfaces on each piece make them a pleasure to hold.
The utensils are quite wide, which gives this set a cohesive look. Those who prefer large, wide cutlery will appreciate this collection. Many of our testers liked the flat handles because they rested nicely in their hands.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
This set was more polarizing than most—some felt it reminded them of airplane cutlery or disposable to-go utensils. But others loved this set and said they’d be excited to eat with it.
The size and shape of the utensils aren’t the most practical, and if you like smaller utensils, these aren’t for you. Most testers said they’d use the smaller teaspoon as their go-to spoon.
The spoon bowls are a bit shallow and don’t hold as much liquid as others we tested. The wide-set fork tines may make it more difficult to eat certain foods, like quinoa, which could slip right through the gaps. But we had no issue eating rice with either fork in this set.
The knife and soup spoon are a bit heavy, so these utensils aren’t as evenly balanced from piece to piece as others we tried. The knife also required more effort to cut through a chicken breast.
Though this collection comes in amber and onyx finishes, we’ve seen how that type of coated flatware fades with use—and they’re over $30 more per set. If you’re spending this much for flatware, we’d stick to the polished or tumbled finishes; they develop a patina over time, but the finish will be more resilient than coated flatware.
Key specs
- Pricing: $98 for polished and tumbled five-piece place settings (color-coated sets cost more)
- Finishes: polished, tumbled, amber, and onyx
- Serving utensils: none
- Where it’s made: Sherrill, New York
You may also like: IKEA Dragon 20-Piece Flatware Set
Dinnerware pairings: Heath Ceramics Rim Line, East Fork Pottery, Jono Pandolfi The Coupe Collection, Kinto Porcelain CLK-151 Collection, Jars Cantine Collection, Iittala Teema Collection, most all-white porcelain or bone china
IKEA Dragon 20-Piece Flatware Set
Budget pick
Why it’s great
It’s the least expensive set we’ve tested. The IKEA Dragon 20-Piece Flatware Set, designed by Swedish silversmith, Carl-Gustaf Jahnsson, costs just over $6 for a 5-piece place setting (that’s just over a dollar per utensil).
It’s a terrific option for college students or anyone setting up their kitchen for the first time (though if you’re looking for even cheaper utensils and don’t mind a mismatched set, we recommend scouring thrift stores).
The modern, industrial styling adds interest without being impractical. The design has a lot in common with the much pricier Heath Ceramics Muir Flatware. The fork tines are wide set and extend only about halfway to the neck of the handle, akin to a spork—one tester said, “they remind me of MC Hammer pants.”
While some testers found the tines comically short, others were charmed by their quirkiness. Their shape may also prove more adaptable for people with certain hand limitations or mobility issues because you can spear and scoop with the same utensil.
We liked the angle and design of the dinner knife too, and the serrated edge made cutting easy—the blade was a bit sharper than the knife in our pick from Heath Ceramics.
This set has proven longevity. According to the IKEA website, this set has been sold for over 30 years and has even been used in IKEA restaurants, which is a testament to its practicality and functionality.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
This is the only set we recommend that’s made of 18/0 stainless steel. The utensils didn’t rust in our tests, but that type of steel is less resistant to corrosion and easier to bend than 18/8 or 18/10.
With a collective weight of 7.85 ounces, this set was the lightest we tested.
The teaspoon is quite small—it looks more like a demitasse spoon. It’s great for tea, coffee, or eating sorbet, but it’s too diminutive for eating cereal (though it may be just the right size for young kids).
Compared with the more design-forward (and much more expensive) Heath Muir set, the weight and feel of the Dragon set isn’t as refined, and the stainless steel isn’t as highly polished. You could bend the IKEA set if you apply enough force. One tester said this set felt “stamped out and inexpensive” when compared with the other utensils we evaluated.
Key specs
- Pricing: open stock sets (prices vary), $26 for a 20-piece set, $60 for a 60-piece set
- Finish: mirror
- Serving utensils: none
- Where it’s made: China and Vietnam
You may also like: Heath Ceramics Muir Flatware
Dinnerware pairings: Heath Ceramics Rim Line, East Fork Pottery, Jono Pandolfi The Coupe Collection, Kinto Porcelain CLK-151 Collection, Jars Cantine Collection, Iittala Teema Collection, and most all-white porcelain or bone china
Crate and Barrel Aero Mirror 20-Piece Flatware Set
Top pick
Why it’s great
If you like retro flatware, this set is for you. The Crate and Barrel Aero Mirror 20-Piece Flatware Set, designed by José Joaquim Ribeiro in 2004, has a mid-century modern aesthetic with a strikingly thin silhouette.
It’s dramatic yet elegant, and it elicited all kinds of reactions from our testers—some good and some bad. But everyone agreed the Aero set would make a strong statement on any dining table.
Many testers liked the thinness of the handles. The short, closely arranged fork tines and the round spoons were also appealing, as was the delicate knife blade. Most testers who preferred daintier, smaller flatware were drawn to this set.
It’s still practical to use. The rounded curve and the pointy tip of the knife blade were surprisingly sharp, and we had no problem cutting through a chicken breast.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
This set is pricey, but you can find similarly styled sets for less; you may be interested in the Fortessa Constantin set, which is about $30 for a five-piece place setting (versus roughly $75 for an Aero place setting).
It’s an obvious imitation, but the Constantin handles are wider, flatter, and longer, which some testers actually preferred. The fork tines are also longer, and the spoon bowls are more elongated.
Though nearly every tester was drawn to this set for one reason or another, some felt it was too formal for everyday use. Others said the thin handles were difficult to hold and reminded them of surgical tools.
Most liked the small forks (though these could be more challenging if you eat European style, since they have a smaller surface area), but some weren’t fans of the round spoons, since they make it harder to scoop food from tighter spaces.
Some testers said the pointy knife blade would gouge toast and be too small for spreading butter. One person also noted that the tip of the knife was dangerously pointy, especially for young kids.
Key specs
- Pricing: $75 for the stainless steel five-piece place setting (color-coated sets cost more)
- Finishes: mirror, black, white, champagne (also sold in various colors under the Goa style on the Cutipol website)
- Serving utensils: yes
- Where it’s made: Portugal
You may also like: Fortessa Constantin
Dinnerware pairings: Heath Ceramics Rim Line, East Fork Pottery, Jono Pandolfi The Coupe Collection, Kinto Porcelain CLK-151 Collection
