At 23, I haven't had a vast experience with flatware; no weddings full of choices about what to return and what to keep, no decades of watching flatware got through tends. But as someone who spends a great deal of time in the kitchen and with a constant stream of guests, I can say that this flatware is not only beautiful but durable and functional. While it could be slightly sturdier (ice cream frozen particularly hard will make the serving spoon bend slightly), I have gotten repeated compliments on the style and handling of the flatware and other than that slight serving spoon bend, it has held up beautifully through all sorts of different dishes. The forks in particular are worth mentioning, in that they are definetly high quality enough for those of us to tend to cut our meat with the fork edge instead of a knife; I've have no problem with any flexing or bending in that regard.