Mainstays Flatware and Caddy Set: A Product Review

Silverware has a habit of disappearing in our household. With two youngsters who like to carry food to their bedroom, many spoons and forks have vanished over time. I did not worry about it since after a quarter century of marriage, we had never invested in a matched set of silverware. When I saw the Mainstays Flatware and Caddy Set in our local Wal-Mart, I thought we could finally own a nice but inexpensive set of flatware for daily use.

The Mainstays Flatware in the photos comes with either a stainless steel mesh silverware drawer tray or a 4-1/4 inch diameter gleaming metal caddy. I opted for the caddy, thinking how easy washing, rinsing, and placing flatware directly into the caddy would be. It proved to be more durable than the flatware.

Mainstays is Walmart's private merchandise brand and many of the items are made in China. The chrome-finished caddy is sold online and in stores without the flatware for about $7.00. The flatware and caddy set, service for four, cost $9.88 plus tax in the Walmart store. The flatware comes with blue, red, or clear handles. The metal portion is stainless steel and the caps at both ends of the handles are molded plastic made to simulate silver. The working part of each utensil is not riveted into the handles as with many other kinds of plastic handled flatware. Instead it is molded or glued into the silver colored cap.

One of the first things we noticed was how difficult it was to get all twenty pieces of flatware back into the caddy after use. No matter how we tried arranging the salad forks, dinner forks, knives, tablespoons, and teaspoons the handles would poke out of the open sides of the caddy.

Within two months after we purchased the 20 piece Mainstays Flatware and Caddy Set from Walmart, a fork handle snapped while my husband was cutting meat on his plate. About once every two weeks a knife or fork snapped in someone's hand and was thrown away. The end caps loosened and came off many of the remaining pieces. A family member left a spoon too near a gas stove burner and melted the handle. The stainless steel part of some knives and forks wobbled in their handles. Within a year after purchasing this flatware and caddy set, we bought stainless steel replacements for the broken flatware.

I can not recommend Walmart's Mainstays Flatware and Caddy Set for everyday use. Perhaps it is durable enough for a few summer picnics or when going camping. It is not attractive enough for formal dining with guests. The caddy is useful for storing a few utensils but can be purchased separately.