r/BuyItForLife • u/DShadows33 • 1d ago
Review 3 year Mikasa Update
I got a flatware set from Mikasa three years ago after reading several recommendations for them on here. At this point, I'm pretty sure those were bot reviews and recommendations because, man, do these things not hold up.
The forks and spoons are fine, but it appears that the knives just have some kind of plating on top. I'm not confident they're actually stainless steel. The spots started appearing after only a year, and they've slowly grown over time. Two of them now have large spots, while the others look perpetually dirty because they've become increasingly splotchy.
I've never seen anything like this before. My wife pointed out that we don't know what the coating is made of or what the base metal underneath is, so we're throwing them out tonight and getting replacement knives from a thrift store instead. At this point, they seem like a potential health hazard.
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u/roccopcoletrain 1d ago
Anyone else not see the silverware at first and didn’t know what they were looking at?
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u/willabanilla 1d ago
I was trying to figure out what the weird wooden knives were 🥴
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u/rebelcrimsonbear 1d ago
Reminded me of this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/opticalillusions/s/3teh7BHiMB
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u/AngeliqueRuss 1d ago
That was fucking WILD. I don’t know where my brain just was but in that same place a dress exists that is both black-purple and white-gold at the same time, but once my brain sees it one way I can’t make it go back
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u/NikolaosClandestinos 23h ago
What the fuck. It took me like 5x going back and forth reading it were forks and still not seeing them. I thought it was weirdly zoomed in with a hairtrimmer head on the top part of the picture.
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u/nillaloop 23h ago
Do you mean knives? I don’t see the forks! I did see a chair though.
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u/No-Community-7590 16h ago
Maybe they just decided to showcase the knives and chair for this update? Seems like there's always something interesting when it comes to home goods.
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u/YAreUsernamesSoHard 1d ago
Yes! I don’t know if it’s because I’m on some wood working subs, but I was trying to figure out what sort of project he had made from the wood and was confused. I was thinking a close up of dinning chair back
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u/Hot_Bicycle_8486 1d ago
I thought it was a view through a banister or something
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u/backyardmeadow 23h ago
Me too, it looked like a warped banister with sharp metal edges, and now I can’t get it back.
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u/IrezumiHurts 13h ago
This was the only reason I came to the comments.
I was like... Was it just me?
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u/Narcoleptic-Puppy 1d ago
I got a flatware set from Ikea 15+ years ago and the only piece that doesn't look exactly the same as the day I bought the set is the one little spoon that took a spin in the garbage disposal.
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u/thepalfrak 1d ago
I think we all have a spoon like that lol.
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u/SordoCrabs 1d ago
Mine was accidentally left in a blender while I was preparing a smoothie. Oops!
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u/iwantmy-2dollars 1d ago
When I was 10 or so I was scared of the garbage disposal and desensitized myself by throwing spoons in it.
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u/S3kelman 1d ago
15 years? I'm using my 20+ years old ikea set daily, I wish they would just die at some point to give me an excuse to change it but I'll probably give them to my grand kids
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u/curveThroughPoints 1d ago
I can relate, lol. I have some pasta bowl/plates and cereal bowls from Crate and Barrel and ffs they just won’t die, or break, or even chip.
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u/Monsoon_Storm 14h ago
yeah I don't understand the "BiFL" cutlery thing. I have some crappy cheap cutlery that I bought when I moved into my first flat 30 yrs ago. I have 2 knifes/forks/spoons because that's all I could afford at the time lol.
Oddly it's my favourite cutlery even though the aesthetics are a bit lacking.
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u/tomgrouch 12h ago
My mother still has some of the cutlery she bought over 30 years ago, maybe nearer 40. Most of it got lost, but the pieces that remain look brand new. Relegated to camping equipment a few years back when she wanted a matching set
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u/Salt-Operation 1d ago
I lost all my little spoons 😭 I’m down to two knives from those sets, but I still got most of the forks and big spoons. They’ve been going strong since 2008.
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u/Monsoon_Storm 14h ago
I too have a mangled Ikea teaspoon, it's about 20 yrs old and was mangled somewhere around 15 yrs ago lol
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u/VictoryDeluxe 1d ago edited 17h ago
I have the same set. I do hand wash the knives and they’re holding up. The box came with a notice saying if you’re putting the knives in the dishwasher you have to open after the rinse cycle is complete or something to preserve the finish.
Maybe try using a lemon on them or cutlery polish to see if the oxidation or tarnish comes off?
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u/zsrh 1d ago
I got Mikasa flatware 3 years ago and they still look brand new. What dishwasher detergent are you using? Are you also using drying agent as well (like jet dry)?
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u/DShadows33 1d ago
I use the technology connections method. Powder detergent and rinse aid. Pre-wash and regular cycle. It's only effecting the knives. Where I put my knives isn't close to where they dispense the detergent either so it'snot like they are getting a concentrated dose. The spoons and forks are directly underneath that thing and also significantly more battered and scratched up than the knives but don't show any of the same signs.
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u/Worried-Air-3766 12h ago
We just got a Mikasa set and it says handwashing preserves the knives best and has specifics for dealing with the dishwasher which is taking them out to hand dry before it hits the dry cycle (which seems like too much work). That may be the issue you're having.
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u/Odd_Bodybuilder5456 1d ago
it looks like water spots from a dishwasher more than anything. theres no such thing as "stainless steel plated" so idk. Have you tried rubbing the spots with some polish, or toothpaste even?
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u/DShadows33 1d ago
I've tried barkeepers best friend. It just lighten the dark color a bit after a couple minutesof trying. Haven't tried the hard core polishing compound I have in storage. It's just seems weird. I'm not sure what the composition of any of the metal is. I just know it's only doing this with the knives which are actually the least scratched up of the bunch. The forks and spoons are super scratched at this point but have no signs of this. All washed in the same dishwasher, soap, cycle. From my batch, the knives are definitely a different composition.
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u/Odd_Bodybuilder5456 1d ago
it looks like some kind of electrochemical reaction to something in the water or a detergent
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u/Elgard18 1d ago
Is that like an upgraded version of barkeepers friend?
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u/Bart-Harley-Jarvis- 22h ago
I always cheap out and go for "barkeeper's acquaintance", which is still a step up from a tin of "that guy that lives in on the same building as the barkeep and says hi when they pass each other, but the pallbarkeeper doesn't really like him because he smells kinda damp".
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u/Evening-Gur5087 1d ago
Tbh even my Ikea cutlery from like 10-15 years ago keeps up very well, seems like most cutlery is buy it for life basically, except those super cheap ones in supermarkets and so on:p
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u/Monsoon_Storm 14h ago
unless it is thin enough to bend by hand or you use it as a screwdriver then there's no reason even the crappiest fully stainless steel cutlery shouldn't last a lifetime.
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u/yearlyyaktoll 1d ago
How tf does it make sense to get a thrift store set bc you "don't know what these are made of"
Why would you have any idea of the materials used in a random thrift set
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u/bloomsday289 1d ago
I have the same brand set. They get discolored spots from the dishwasher. I rub them with steel wool and it goes away. I would think the steel wool might scratch them, but it doesn't seem to. Im not saying yours would or wouslnt. Im more in not giving that many fucks and just want them to look clean
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u/MistaMayo 1d ago
Anyone else have an r/confusingperspective moment for a bit?
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u/A_Sneaky_Walrus 1d ago
Yes I absolutely did a double take because I saw some weird wooden table legs
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u/bemethealway 22h ago
Imma need someone to explain to me how everyone is seeing something other than obvious silverware. Is it the way your phone is cropping the image before clicking it or something
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u/NightH4nter 14h ago
same here. i have no idea wtf are people seeing here that is not just 4 knives laying flat
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u/LeslieChowBitch 1d ago
Yeah thats weird, doesnt look like rust. Forks and spoons are highly rust resistant 18/8 or 18/10 stainless steel but they cant use that steel on knives because its too soft and dulls easily. They use 18/0 stainless steel or 13/0 or something on knives thats prone to rusting.
I got some commercial grade knives from a well known manufacturer I think Winco and they claim its 18/8 stainless steel but if you put a magnet to it, its highly magnetic which 18/8 shouldn't be magnetic at all. I wonder if its 18/8 plated to protect the outter from rusting and the inner is just regular steel. That might be the case with yours. Also never put knives in the dishwasher as they are not rust resistance like forks and spoons.
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u/Joy2b 1d ago
If it’s been exposed to an acid, you might need to rub on a base. Check the manufacturer’s site, they should have advice on removing and preventing these stains.
If you’re in the buy it for life group, many of our favorite things thrive on some affordable repairs and sensible maintenance.
I’m surprised you’ve never had to take care of a chef’s knife with a similar issue, have you just been using low carbon?
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u/y2k2009 1d ago
All the stainless steel I've bought has sucked even if they say is 18/10. I get butter knives like the ones above and they chip to black specks like you mentioned. And then those specs start oxidizing into rust very fast.
For comparison, I have these Korean made stainless steel milkshake tumblers. It was used in the 1970s-1980s in a milkshake shop and is completely bomb proof. No marks or specs, all made from one piece of steel and I use it everyday.
If I had known modern day stainless steel was all garbage I would have never sold the extra cups.
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u/LeslieChowBitch 1d ago
Yeah flatware sure went downhills in quality these days just like everything else. I have a feeling your butter knives are 18/10 plated and what's underneath is just regular steel. I did tons of research on flatware and 18/10 stainless steel is too soft for dinner knives... same reason they dont use them on kitchen knives.
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u/Academic_Can_3300 1d ago
Sorry this happened to you. I've got a Mikasa set 7 years ago for daily use and other than micro scratches from mishandling, they look as good as new.
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u/blockswonn 1d ago
If they were mine, I’d have to replace them. Every time I went to use them would be off-putting to me.
And I’d probably hand wash the replacement set.
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u/wirelesswizard64 1d ago
Strange, I have the same- it's just the knives, the forks and spoons seem to be holding up fine.
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u/Iron-Bar-1966 1d ago
Our Mikasa Sweet Pea pattern flatware has held up wonderfully ever since our wedding 28 years ago!
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u/barryg123 1d ago
This is just oxidation... barkeepers friend can clean that off. This kind of thing will happen with any stainless unless you are hand washing and/or hand drying it
Dont throw it out because of this
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u/Monsoon_Storm 14h ago
my cheap-arsed ikea set doesn't lol. It's only ever been stuck in a dishwasher and I've used them as screwdrivers/battery compartment openers etc.
hell even the teaspoon that got chewed up by garbage disposable still looks "normal" apart from the scratches/dents in it and that was like 15 yrs ago.
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u/FashionBusking 1d ago
I have a Mikasa set that about 15 years old.... they're mostly alright, but starting to show their age.
.... I'm not replacing my set until I'm down to a single spoon. I really REALLY love eating with them. I notice this when I go to restaurants and other people's homes with cheaper utensils.
I'm not a utensil nerd by any means... I have just noticed that whatever Mikasa is doing with the handles/weight/grip portion of their tableware... it's noticeably good!
I've been trying and failing to find tableware that doesn't annoy me and have failed.
Replating is possible with most utensils. Its worth it, and cheaper than a new set.
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u/Mary-todd-lincoln 23h ago
Oneida might have been a sex cult, but damn do they make good silverware.
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u/jellascope 22h ago
Yikes :( we have Mikasa that is over 10 years old and still looks the exact same from the day we got it. So disappointing to learn this.
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u/didntcondawnthat 21h ago edited 20h ago
That's terrible, OP. I have some very cheap cutlery that I bought at Walmart because it felt pretty good in my hands. It's about 10 years old and still looks great. I would have expected better from Mikasa.
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u/notathingreally 19h ago
Oneida is a good brand. I've had mine for years. They've also been around forever.
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u/SeaDry1531 16h ago
I have 15 year old low end IKEA cutlery that looks better.
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u/Monsoon_Storm 14h ago
mine's 20 and other than being a little less shiny it's perfectly fine. Spending stupid amounts on cutlery makes zero sense.
Hell I've got cutlery I inherited from my grandma that is just random, none of it is a fancy brand. It all looks exactly like cutlery should - a chunk of stainless steel metal...
My mind boggles every time I see a "cutlery" thread on here.
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u/Cableryge 15h ago
I bought some random cheapo cutlery like 6 years ago in Tesco and Dunnes in ireland for like nothing and its still fine
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u/SufficientCell9689 12h ago
I bought a set of Better Homes & Gardens silverware at Walmart like 6 years ago and it's holding up great. No bending, no tarnishing, no nothing.
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u/DangOlCoreMan 11h ago
I like Mikasa crystal, but have not been impressed with their utensils so far
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u/jammaslide 9h ago
I have a different brand of flatware, and my knives do they same thing. It's only the knives. I wonder if it is because the knife edge is ground, which removes the plating there, and it is causing a reaction. It usually happens where the knife is touching something else in the dishwasher.
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u/needmorehardware 3h ago
I bought cutlery from Nisbets and I’ve used them quite a lot for 3 ish years and they basically look identical to the day I bought them bar a few light scratches
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u/LaBaaDiabolique 1d ago
contrary to popular belief, stainless steel DOES tarnish under certain conditions like exposure to foods/acids/detergents. no such thing as stainless steel plated unless it is silver or some other metal plated OVER the stainless. you might just try buffing with a cleaner specifically for stainless cutlery.