In short

Verdict: Yes, I’d recommend the Robert Welch Radford Bright cutlery. It is excellent cutlery: comfortable to hold, reassuringly weighty, and extremely robust. I even used one of the spoons as an ice cream scoop without bending it — rogue, I know — but it does show how strong it feels.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – half a point reduction as it is quite pricy.

Best for: People who want comfortable, strong cutlery that feels like it could last a lifetime.

Watch out for: Think carefully about which set you actually need. Do you really need two different sizes of knives and forks? We went with the larger size only and are very happy with that. Also consider how many people are in your house. For two people, I would recommend buying two sets of six as a minimum, otherwise you may still end up running out.

Biggest lesson: Do not wash stainless steel cutlery with aluminium in the dishwasher. Robert Welch warns on the packaging that aluminium can cause stainless steel to rust in the dishwasher.

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Why we bought it

My girlfriend had a cutlery problem. She had several different cutlery sets all merged together, but had always wanted a proper matching set of knives and forks. I found the mismatched cutlery mildly frustrating too, and we also regularly ran out of knives and forks because there were never quite enough.

I housesit so I am exposed to many different cutlery sets. My girlfriend often comes to visit, and we realised that the only cutlery set that stood out at us from all the sits was the Robert Welch Radford Bright 5mm set. We corroborated these thoughts, by heading to John Lewis.

John Lewis often has cutlery displays, at the Kingston Branch we explored all the Robert Welch that they had on display and decided that the Radford Bright was the only one that looked and sat right. It’s very elegant, has the right weight, and is timeless.

First impressions

The Robert Welch Radford Bright cutlery is excellent. The pieces have a good weight and balance. A lot of cheaper cutlery feels slightly too light or flimsy, as though it might bend if you press down too hard. In my experience, some of it eventually does.

How they feel in the hand

This is probably the main reason we chose them.

The Radford Bright knives, forks, and spoons sit very well in the hand. They have a good heft to them providing a sturdy feel. The handles are smooth and comfortable, and the proportions feel right. Some sets I’ve come across feel too thin and have angular edges that dig into your hands.

How robust are they?

I used the table spoon as ice cream scoop to dig out some very solid ice cream. It survived without bending. That gave me quite a lot of confidence in the set.

You could no doubt bend them if you really tried, but they are significantly sturdier than most cheap cutlery I have used. They do not feel delicate or fragile. They feel like they are made to be used.

Will Robert Welch Radford last? Old versus new.

We had our cutlery delivered to one of the houses I was staying in, which also happened to have an older Robert Welch Radford set. That was quite helpful because it gave us a direct comparison between a new set and one that had clearly been used for years.

The Robert Welch I saw in my housesits was “decades old”. They have dulled slightly over the years, as they haven’t been polished, but other than that they look as good as new. The knives also seem to retain their cutting ability well over time.

It is quite easy to repolish stainless steel which reassures me that if we wished to keep ours shiny forever we could.

What we chose

We chose the Robert Welch Radford Bright 30 piece set with ‘free steak knives’ this gives six of each knives, forks, spoons, teaspoons, and steak knives. Most larger sets have both smaller knives and forks, which I don’t think are needed unless you regularly lay out formal place settings or host three-course meals. For everyday use, one uniform size makes more sense to me.

We also got some serving spoons, additional teaspoons and cheese knives (because everyone needs a cheese knife)

What I think you should choose

I would suggest the 30-piece Robert Welch Radford Bright set, but you might want to buy two sets or more. We bought extra forks and spoons in addition to what was in the set, but it might be better just to buy another set of 30.

There is also a smaller 16-piece set with four of each main item, excluding the steak knives.

Dishwasher care

Robert Welch says aluminium can cause stainless steel to rust in the dishwasher, so avoid washing them together.

Downsides

Realistically the only downside is the price. Robert Welch cutlery is not cheap, which is why I have knocked half a point off the rating. But other than that, there isn’t really anything other than having to think carefully about what you need.

Robert Welch has many sets and variations some with small knives and forks you may not use, so it is worth checking what is included before buying.

Is it better than cheaper cutlery?

It does exactly the same job as cheap cutlery, it won’t make your food taste better. You are buying purely for the aesthetics, so that is up to you. The Robert Welch Radford Bright set feels like something you buy once and use for years. Whereas some cheaper sets seem like they will only last a few years.

Would I recommend the Robert Welch Radford Bright cutlery?

Yes, I would. It is comfortable, strong, nicely weighted, and elegant. After using lots of different cutlery sets while housesitting, this was the one that stood out.

For me, it is a 4.5 out of 5. The cutlery itself is excellent, but it is expensive enough that I cannot quite give it full marks.

Cheaper alternatives to Robert Welch?

Just before we bought the Robert Welch we were looking at the ProCook Berkeley cutlery set. It is a perfectly adequate set, just not as nice as the Robert Welch set.