You have finally reached that age where you are starting to think about investing in a quality set of flatware. However, there are so many different kinds and brands of flatware on the market that sometimes it can be overwhelming. One of the first sets of flatware that you come across is Othenia, but how do you know if Othenia is the right flatware for you? Here is a comparison of Othenia to a group of similar popular brands on the market.
Othenia is a unique piece of Oneida flatware in that it was inspired by the designs and sculptural details of Scandinavian furniture. Even though the inspiration comes from classic design, Othenia flatware still presents a sleek, clean design for your tabletop setting.
Othenia is part of the many lines of flatware from the historic Oneida Ltd. Oneida has a history of top of the line craftsmanship in stainless steel silverware for over one hundred years. Oneida is considered the number one brand of silverware in the nation and has not only the top design in the industry but the top five designs. But how does the Othenia line stack up to its competitors?
One similar brand to consider is Gorham. Gorham is similarly priced but offers a much more traditionally elegant and fussy design. This is quite different than Othenia’s contemporary and clean styling. Also with Othenia you get Oneida’s open stock policy. This means that you can reorder a single piece of flatware in your pattern if part of your set were to be lost or stolen. With Gorham there is no way to buy each piece separately resorting to buying the entire set to replace one piece.
Another similar brand is the Towle Flatware Company. With three hundred years of experience, this brand has been known to offer classic style while still keeping up with the modern trends and designs of the market. However, Towle is still much more traditional then its Othenian counterpart. Towle also does not provide a “pattern for a lifetime gauruntee”. This means that unlike Othenia, once its pattern has been discontinued, you will no longer be able to order replacement pieces.
Another possible brand to consider is Heritage. Heritage is by far the most comparable brand both in style and in cost, but it also unfortunately does not provide the same guarantees that an Oneida brand can offer when it comes to replacing lost or stolen pieces of your set.
If a guarantee has become an important part of your search for flatware, you may want to consider comparing similar patterns within the Oneida line such as Aquarius. This pattern with similar lines and styling to Othenia offers the same safety in knowing that if you need to replace part of your collection for whatever reason, you will be able to do so quickly and easily without much hassle.
As you can see there are many options even outside of the ones discussed here to consider when looking for your new set of flatware. Hopefully you have seen that beyond looking at styles that compliment your tastes and your home dcor, you should also be looking for a flatware brand name that can not only provide quality product, but also a host of guarantees to protect your investment.
Buying high quality stainless or sterling silver flatware is not a cheap investment. This is why it can become an overwhelming process. However, as long as you look at all your options you will soon be enjoying a beautiful piece of history that will greatly increase the value of your home dining decor.