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FlyingMonkey

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for the moment I'm pretty happy with my Citterio 98 from Ittala, even after 20+ years of use:

View attachment 1569860
(The lighting here make the neck of the fork and spoon seem slimmer than they are IRL.)

Yeah, that's what we have too. They may be a bit big to be perfect for my hands, but I do like them more than a lot of more expensive sets.
 

venessian

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Oh and I'm also looking at this, Prisme by Stelton (formerly Jensen, I think):

View attachment 1570019

It seems the triangular prism shape helps them with not wobbling, which appeals to me, and provides a nice excuse for an otherwise too sculptural design.
?
GJ "Prism" is superb. It is very elegant but not ostentatious, beautifully designed and proportioned, completely pragmatic and very well balanced in hand.

I suggested "Prism" (and the Alessi Castiglioni "Dry" + Alessi Bouroullec) way back in "Flatware Discussion v.1" here around 50/500 pages ago (it is too boring to count back to exact pages here, what with the endless interludes of off-topic Nietzschean pseudo-thesis self- and SuperFan- fap sessions, etc etc). We have used the complete set of "Prism" for ~20 years. It is fantastic, every piece, speaking from real and long-term experience. If you like the design I highly recommend it.

If you are truly worried about the feeling in hand first, just order a single piece with return option from eBay, Replacements, etc., and try for yourself.

?
As for the asinine post following yours asserting, "Now, that looks too “designed” to me. That pointy bevel will stick into your thumb flesh. Seems no reason for it to exist."..., while haughtily puffing that "flatware design is tragically under-examined", that critic might be better served by in fact actually examining the flatware in question, rather than simply spouting further gibberish.

The "pointy bevel" under accusation isn't exactly chef's knife sharp (that seems quite obvious from the photos but, if not, trust me...), and occurs only at the very end of the handles, the grip lengths of which are superbly tapered and very flat under all fingers (that also seems quite obvious from the photos but, again, if not, trust me...), in addition to which afaik nobody normally holds their flatware by the very end, "pointy" or not, even if one does have unfortunately undersized hands and extremely heightened princess/pea thumb flesh sensitivity....
 

GeneralEmployer

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?
GJ "Prism" is superb. It is very elegant but not ostentatious, beautifully designed and proportioned, completely pragmatic and very well balanced in hand.

I suggested "Prism" (and the Alessi Castiglioni "Dry" + Alessi Bouroullec) way back in "Flatware Discussion v.1" here around 50/500 pages ago (it is too boring to count back to exact pages here, what with the endless interludes of off-topic Nietzschean pseudo-thesis self- and SuperFan- fap sessions, etc etc). We have used the complete set of "Prism" for ~20 years. It is fantastic, every piece, speaking from real and long-term experience. If you like the design I highly recommend it.

If you are truly worried about the feeling in hand first, just order a single piece with return option from eBay, Replacements, etc., and try for yourself.

?
As for the asinine post following yours asserting, "Now, that looks too “designed” to me. That pointy bevel will stick into your thumb flesh. Seems no reason for it to exist."..., while haughtily puffing that "flatware design is tragically under-examined", that critic might be better served by in fact actually examining the flatware in question, rather than simply spouting further gibberish.

The "pointy bevel" under accusation isn't exactly chef's knife sharp (that seems quite obvious from the photos but, if not, trust me...), and occurs only at the very end of the handles, the grip lengths of which are superbly tapered and very flat under all fingers (that also seems quite obvious from the photos but, again, if not, trust me...), in addition to which afaik nobody normally holds their flatware by the very end, "pointy" or not, even if one does have unfortunately undersized hands and extremely heightened princess/pea thumb flesh sensitivity....

Xvb86dJ.gif
 
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Van Veen

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By the way, the taper in flatware is absolutely functional. It changes the balance. Otherwise all the weight is in the head. (A clever flat/minimal design could do this by tapering the thickness rather than the width.)
 

GeneralEmployer

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...Many talented designers have realized the inward taper from head to handle is pointless (e.g. Pott, Mellor, Jacobsen, etc.). If you don’t need to taper a handle, why go through the trouble of tapering it? If we understand a thing or feature to be useless, we should then consider it enlightened and good to do without it. Truth, in my experience, is always more beautiful than falseness, no matter what one’s immediate impression.

By the way, the taper in flatware is absolutely functional. It changes the balance. Otherwise all the weight is in the head. (A clever flat/minimal design could do this by tapering the thickness rather than the width.)

download.jpg
 

TheFoo

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By the way, the taper in flatware is absolutely functional. It changes the balance. Otherwise all the weight is in the head. (A clever flat/minimal design could do this by tapering the thickness rather than the width.)

That doesn’t make any sense. If the weight at one end is X and the weight at the other end also equals X, so long as the weight between is evenly distributed, the ends will be balanced. This is achievable with and without a taper.

Also, what is more important: balance with or without being loaded with food? And do we even want “balance” in all cases? A heavier, longer handle can give greater leverage.
 

Van Veen

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That doesn’t make any sense. If the weight at one end is X and the weight at the other end also equals X, so long as the weight between is evenly distributed, the ends will be balanced. This is achievable with and without a taper.

Also, what is more important: balance with or without being loaded with food? And do we even want “balance” in all cases? A heavier, longer handle can give greater leverage.
You're missing the point. I'm saying that the taper is functional, not that you can't make balanced flatware without a taper. The fact that you can make balanced flatware without a taper (by lengthening the handle or shrinking the size of the business end a la the Jacobsen) does not mean the taper on other flatware isn't functional.

If the flatware is front heavy when it's not loaded with food, it's going to be more unbalanced when it is loaded.

I can't imagine a situation where you need extreme leverage from flatware. The worst is the cold ice cream you already mentioned. Though I guess butter knives can double as pry bars in a pinch. (And I thought I was prone to overthinking...)

Whether you care about the balance point of flatware is up to you because (believe it or not) people can have different preferences.
 

TheFoo

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You're missing the point. I'm saying that the taper is functional, not that you can't make balanced flatware without a taper. The fact that you can make balanced flatware without a taper (by lengthening the handle or shrinking the size of the business end a la the Jacobsen) does not mean the taper on other flatware isn't functional.

If the flatware is front heavy when it's not loaded with food, it's going to be more unbalanced when it is loaded.

I can't imagine a situation where you need extreme leverage from flatware. The worst is the cold ice cream you already mentioned. Though I guess butter knives can double as pry bars in a pinch. (And I thought I was prone to overthinking...)

Whether you care about the balance point of flatware is up to you because (believe it or not) people can have different preferences.

No, I think you’re missing the point, though you’ve tacitly admitted it: taper has nothing to do with function, at least with respect to balance.
 

Van Veen

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No, I think you’re missing the point, though you’ve tacitly admitted it: taper has nothing to do with function, at least with respect to balance.

Thus, barring another functional reason for taper, a function-focused design would have no need for it.
A taper allows a design to accomplish a function that cannot be accomplished without a taper. If a designer starts with a particular handle length and front-end shape, the taper is a variable that can be manipulated to alter the weight and balance. It's not purely decorative as you seem to believe. You are implying that the lack of a taper is more important than balance and/or length and/or implement shape by saying that it is not function-focused.

You seem to have the same fundamental misunderstanding of design that most people have. You think about individual elements, when design is about the combination of elements to produce a desired end result. It's odd to me considering how well you dress.
 

Van Veen

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No, I think you’re missing the point, though you’ve tacitly admitted it: taper has nothing to do with function, at least with respect to balance.
Actually I think I can see where our differences are.

you’re asking “is a taper necessary for the flatware to function?” The answer to that is obviously no.

I’m asking “can a taper improve its function?” The answer to that is yes. It is not purely aesthetic. It’s a variable that can be manipulated by a skilled designer to alter the object’s function.
 

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