Gabriel Glas = Fail

[M_A_T_T_H_A_R_T_L_E_Y]

If it doesn’t go in the dishwasher I don’t drink out of it…

[Craig_G]

@Andrew Kaufman

Here in CA we are in full water shortage mode. Dishwashing is great if you are running full loads.

I’m really upset that you edited “Phish washing” before I could quote it.

[George_Chadwick]

@Doug Schulman

@Rich Brown

So I recently (less than a month ago) purchased 2 Gabriel Glass hand-blown glasses due to the glowing reviews received here on this board, and while I have absolutely LOVED the glasses for the 20 days or so that I’ve had them…I have to report on a major fail from tonight.

While very gently hand cleaning one of the glasses tonight (and I preface this with “gently”, as I hadn’t even had a sip to drink yet), the base of the glass snapped off in my hands, and sliced my palm wide open (happy to provide pics, if you’re into that kind of thing).

Obviously nobody likes cutting their hand open…but my first though was “damn, I just bought these freaking things, and I really liked them”.

I realize that these things happen, and I’ve seen it before with some past Riedel Sommeliers glasses…but given the anecdotes on this board where users have essentially slammed them into granite counter tops and seen them live…I’m pretty damn disappointed in the durability.

Just my bad luck, or has anyone else “felt my pain” so to speak??

Rich

That section where the stem meets the bowl is the weak point of any delicate glass like these. There’s plenty of vertical holding power and not much horizontal. That’s why you should NEVER clean the bowl while holding the glass by the stem. You should only be holding the bowl itself while wiping that part. So, not to be mean, but it might have been your technique that failed, not the glass.

This. For Riedels the worst thing is to cause rotation where you are wiping the bowl which makes it want to rotate while holding the stem immobile. For all glasses I hold the bowl while wiping the bowl.

As for GG I love them but they don’t look or feel durable and I handle them more gently than Riedels or Zaltos.

[Pat_Burton]

This evening I knocked one of my hand blown Gabriel over and into the sink. It sustained no damage.

[Rick.T]

@ybarselah

moderate thread drift: for those that dishwasher their zaltos, etc., what do you use to keep them straight/standing up, or otherwise keep them from moving around?

I purchased a few packs of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Quirky-Tether-Stemware-Saver-Dishwasher/dp/B005Z49FKW

[John_Morris]

@Rich Brown

@Keith Levenberg

Don’t hand-wash them. They can go in the dishwasher.

That actually brings up another point. While I totally get you’re supposed to dishwash these bad-boys as opposed to hand-washing…I typically use my wine glasses more frequently than our dishes get washed in the dishwasher.

for instance…I’m drinking some wine tonight…and will probably drink some wine tomorrow night. But we might not be running the dishwasher until Friday night…so I don’t have much of a choice other than hand-washing…or buying a whole bunch of Gabriel Glases I guess

Thoughts/Suggestions??

It’s the same rule/solution as how many pairs of underwear you should have: Buy enough glasses to cover the number of days between washes.

[Rich_Brown]

@John Morris

@Rich Brown

@Keith Levenberg

Don’t hand-wash them. They can go in the dishwasher.

That actually brings up another point. While I totally get you’re supposed to dishwash these bad-boys as opposed to hand-washing…I typically use my wine glasses more frequently than our dishes get washed in the dishwasher.

for instance…I’m drinking some wine tonight…and will probably drink some wine tomorrow night. But we might not be running the dishwasher until Friday night…so I don’t have much of a choice other than hand-washing…or buying a whole bunch of Gabriel Glases I guess

Thoughts/Suggestions??

It’s the same rule/solution as how many pairs of underwear you should have: Buy enough glasses to cover the number of days between washes.

Easily the best response to a question I’ve heard in a while

And I’ve actually got a free replacement glass coming since I bought the things less than a month ago, so hopefully this one will last a little longer.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[Chuck_Anderson]

@ybarselah

moderate thread drift: for those that dishwasher their zaltos, etc., what do you use to keep them straight/standing up, or otherwise keep them from moving around?

We got one of these - works great. Make sure to use unscented DW detergent; I like Biokleen (powder) and Method (tablets).

Sadly one of my two mouth-blown glasses broke about a week into its life. Wife & au pair made a new rule that only I wash or load the good stemware.

[Corey_N]

@Berry Crawford

I did this 5 minutes before la paulee was starting. Showed up late with a bandaged hand. Looked like a crime scene in the hotel bathroom.

Rewind. Five minutes before La Paulee you were handwashing glasses in a hotel sink?

[greg_gartland]

i’ve found them to be very sturdy.

[Scott_Brunson]

@John Morris

It’s the same rule/solution as how many pairs of underwear you should have: Buy enough glasses to cover the number of days between washes.

Great wisdom John.
And since you can’t turn stems inside out/back to front,

Back on topic, so far I am a big fan of the GG stems. I looked for a special on Prime Day but have seen them cheaper at other times.

[Rich_Brown]

Just had to follow up on this to note that as I took the 2 pieces to the trash today (after confirming I was being sent a replacement from WayFair.com…who had really great prices and awesome customer service), and figured I’d give the thing one last durability test.

I dropped both pieces one by one from up above the large garbage bins, where they both fell to the bottom of the empty cans (a good 5 feet), and both of them bounced off the ground without so much as a scratch on them. Pretty damn impressive actually…and just goes to reinforce the fact that my misfortune the other night was almost certainly caused by user error (and a little bit of bad luck

[T3rry_D3an]

Ok, so I have Zalto and I love 'em. The pinot glass and bordeaux glasses are perfect (those are the ones I have). Be that as it may, I don’t use them every day as I choose to hand-wash them. For every-day, I go: Products - IKEA

I know what you’ll say: “they’re not thin enough at the lip!”. But after several house parties, runs through the dishwasher, outdoor picnics, and travels, I can attest to the luxury of not caring if a glass tips over - both because they are like a tank and because they cost so little to replace. And they shape is indeed very close to the cab zalto.

[Leonard_Maran]

This only applies to Zalto, and has been posted before here:

[kiaraajohnson]

I am sad to hear about the injury and I think there is no need of stitches. The glass should be replaced or move on.

[Rich_Brown]

And I digress - received my replacement glass from Wayfair.com (actually, the customer service is so amazing, that they sent me a fresh 2-pack, as they didn’t have any singles…so it more than made up for my mishap), and while I’m now overly careful with my glasses when cleaning, I still managed to forcefully knock one over onto the quartz counter-top while going to refill it.

The glass (mouth-blown, gold edition) held up like a champ. Not only fully restoring any potential faith that I had lost in the brand/glass…but certainly confirming that my initial mishap was absolutely a fluke…and proving once again why I should probably not have nice things

Rich

[Chris_Seiber]

I use Schott Zweisel titanium glasses, cab, burg and universal. They cost about $7 a glass and are quite durable for hand washing or the dishwasher.

I get from these threads that I’m probably missing out on some increment of improvement by not moving up to the cost and delicacy of Gabriel Glas or Zalto, and I’m kind of on the fence between “I don’t have any problem, so why spend hundreds of dollars solving it” and “I spend all this money on wine, why not have the best glasses?”

I’ve had some Gabriel Glas sitting in my Amazon cart for a few weeks, but haven’t pulled the trigger. One of these days, the impulse will probably hit me.

[Arthur_Lev]

I am in Chris’s camp and use SZ glasses as well. I have tried Spiegelau and Riedel and don’t perceive material differences. Could be the glasses, the wine or my tastebuds … and I’m guessing it’s my tastebuds…