Simax Glass Bake/Storage Ware (and Pyrex Update)

 

 

**** A select, top- rated product at My Real Life Reviews: to order ****

 

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As some of my regular readers will remember, I previously wrote this review/post about my recent BAD experience with a Pyrex glass container that "exploded" on impact, when I dropped it a short distance, onto a kitchen counter.

 

Since that upsetting and potentially dangerous experience, I've been doing a lot of reading online about various glass bake ware options and also about the different types of glass used in popular kitchen glass bake ware that is available. You can read more about  borosilicate glass vs soda lime glass here.

 

 

I recently found out about Simax glass bake ware that is made from borosilicate glass, not the soda lime glass that is now used in Pyrex and also Anchor Hocking products, another popular glassware product line.

 

 

I decided to recreate a similar experiment to what happened the day I dropped the Pyrex storage container.

 

I dropped the Simax storage container (seen below) from approximately the same height (about 8-10") as I had dropped the Pyrex container previously (this time wearing safety goggles, just in case).

 

 

First drop:

 

 nothing.

 

I tried again, second time:

 

 nothing, nada...

 

The Simax container came through with flying colors! :<)

 

It just bounced slightly and landed on the counter completely intact, as seen here:

 

 

Unlike what I was left with, after dropping this similar sized Pyrex container, once:

 

Here are just s a few of the larger glass shards that I saved from that experiment.

 

The whole kitchen counter, floor and carpet in the room adjacent where covered with tiny, sharp glass shards that we were finding even a week later, embedded in the carpet fibers, under heat registers etc... A REAL MESS!

 

 

On the plus side, this experience with Pyrex has inadvertently been an education in itself.

 

 I've also been reading extensively online about many, many bad (and most a lot worse than mine) experiences reported by angry (and usually long-time)Pyrex users have had. Some lawsuits reported too, I'm not surprised.

 

It also led me to try a viable alternative for glass bake/storage ware: Simax Glass and as someone who uses glass in the kitchen whenever possible, that's been a real plus!

 

 

Here's just a small sampling of Simax's gorgeous bake ware/ glass products:

 

 

Nyko Pot 

 

 

Baking Dish

 

 





 

Eva Jug with Glass Insert

 

Isn't this beautiful? I want this teapot!

 

 



 

One of their many casserole dish options.

 

Simax Glass (Technical Information) from their website:

 

"By its chemical composition and properties Simax glass ranks among the types of glass of the group of clear „hard“ borosilicate glass „3.3“, which excel in a high heat and chemical resistance and which are defined by international ČSN ISO 3585 Standard. It complies to the full with the properties prescribed by these standards.

A wide range of technical and laboratory glass products, industrial equipment and household boiling glassware is made of SIMAX glass. Thanks to their properties and a high use value these products have become much-sought-for in many countries all over the world.

Owing to its properties SIMAX glass is utilized there, where the highest demands are made on the products with regard to the heat and chemical resistance and neutrality in relation to substances or preparations, which may be in contact with them. i. e. in chemistry, petrochemical, food and power energy industries, metallurgy, medicine, microbiology, pharmacy, machinery and laboratories,

Products made of SIMAX glass mass are smooth and imporous, perfectly transparent, indifferent to catalysts, corrosion resistant even in a heavy duty operation of up to 300 degrees Centigrade without a sudden temperature variation.

SIMAX glass is very much environmentally-friendly and in terms of environmental protection it is absolutely faultless."

                                                           

Simax is available from these online retailers:

 

 Amazon

 

Ebay

 

Kavalier Glass

 

 

I'm looking forward to trying more of Kavelier Glass/ Simax's bake, serving,storage...products, in the future. I'll keep you posted with my results.

 

So far, I'm impressed, not only by their beautiful and durable products but also their outstanding customer service team. They have been most helpful in answering all of my questions, promptly and completely. And that counts for a lot too!

 

Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 





Pyrex Bake/Storage Ware

As any of my regular readers already know, I am an avid cook and cookbook author.

 

(My cooking/craft/cat blog can be found at: Veggies, Yarns & Tails if you'd like to take a look!)

 

 

With all the time I spend in the kitchen, I have definite likes and dislikes when it comes to bake and storage ware. Up until the past couple of months, I was a big fan of Pyrex ware, but no longer!

This is one of the bowls (lid colors have recently changed) that came in a set of Pyrex that I've had for about 2 years.

 I used these bowls on a fairly regular basis but ONLY for food storage.

I have never used any of them for cooking or baking, not even for heating anything up. And when I've stored anything that was hot that needed to go in the fridge, I always made sure that it was cooled before I did, to insure that the temperature change wouldn't be a concern for breakage.

  

One of the things I always liked about Pyrex was that if a piece was dropped (in the past) it usually didn't even break/crack. Well, Pyrex isn't what it used to be. I found that out a few weeks ago when I dropped this same size container a short distance, onto our arborite kitchen counter and....

 

BAMMMM!!

It shattered like a piece of fine china!

 

Shards of glass everywhere, most of them so fine that they needed to be vacuumed up, which I did in a big hurry as Mr. Cheddar was curious to check out what was going on! I wish I had a photo of the mess from that day, but I did save a few of the bigger shards:

How I didn't end up with some of this glass in my eyes is a miracle. It just exploded on impact.

 

Even days later, after several vacuuming, there were tiny shards of glass in the hall and living room, adjacent to the kitchen. On the day the container broke, I had a large pot of soup cooking on the counter and that all had to go in the trash too. WHAT A MESS but it could have been so much worse.

 

 

Somewhere along the way, Pyrex has changed in terms of durability/formula although according to their company website, that never happened. This is not the same quality that I remember from years ago. My mom used Pyrex in the stove and for food storage for years and never had anything break like this container did.

 

 

This was a very upsetting and unexpected experience and a few days later, I decided to contact the Pyrex company to let them know about my experience. I filled in a customer service form at their website, explaining what had happened. Then I waited....and waited.

 

 

After sending this third detailed email:

 

DECEMBER 19th,

 

Third attempt to contact your company! No one is getting back to me. Here's the previous email I sent last:

I wrote about an product issue I had over a week ago and haven't had an answer, it was in regard to this set:

http://www.pyrexware.com/index.asp?pageId=14&CatID=380&SubCatID=1169&upc=71160223691

one of the bowls in this set shattered into a million tiny pieces, when I recently dropped it a short distance to the kitchen (arborite) counter. It was very upsetting and unexpected and we were picking glass shards out of the carpet in the next room for days afterwards, they flew that far. Also, I had a large batch of soup cooking on the counter at the time, and this all had to be thrown out, with the risk of glass having landed there too.

These bowls were never even used for cooking, just for storage. Very unexpected and upsetting as I said above. I expect something to be done by way of compensation for the lost bowl, wasted food, wasted time and the shock of having this happen. It could have been even worse, if one of these shards had hit my eye.

 

Sincerely,

Geraldine Hartman

PS: This set is a couple of years old fyi

I AM NOT GOING TO STOP ASKING FOR SOME COMPENSATION FOR THIS. THIS WAS NOT A CASE OF HEATING UP THIS GLASSWARE WITH HOT WATER ETC, IT JUST SLIPPED OUT OF MY HAND AND SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES. I AM GOING TO START POSTING THIS EXPERIENCE ONLINE AT MY PRODUCT REVIEW BLOG, AMAZON ETC, IF YOU DON'T GET BACK TO ME AND SOON. THIS IS VERY POOR SERVICE AND i AM NOT IMPRESSED. GH

 

 

 

Finally, I got a high priority email in reply to this one, with apologies and an offer of a credit for more Pyrex by way of compensation.

 

Funny that it took three emails AND mentioning my upcoming reviews to get any response! ;<) Well, not really funny, I'm guessing they get a lot of complaints to respond to, these days.

 

The last thing I want or need at this point is more Pyrex!

 

 I explained the whole experience in detail, repeatedly and asked for a small monetary credit in lieu of the shock of what had happened, all the cleaning, wasted time, wasted food....and was told I would have to submit a detailed, written complaint and send in some of the broken glass to be analysed and they would consider my request.

 

 

More delays, more wasted time, several emails back and forth and LOTS of forms (customs, labels, incident report....) to print again and again and fill out. Then, for over  a week this package was suppose to be picked up but never was.

I finally gave up in frustration. This whole fiasco had been going on since the early December with no resolution in sight.

 

 

I won't be buying anymore Pyrex in the future and I'm now in search of a safe, reliable alternative for glass bake/storage ware.

 

If you've been using Pyrex with a sense of security when it comes to it being safe/shatter-proof, think again! This was a very unexpected and upsetting experience and as I said above, it could have been so much worse!

 

Here's just a sampling of the Pyrex horror stories  I recently read online. What I think is even more frightening in my own experience is that these containers were NEVER even heated for cooking or baking, not once and this one still shattered like china.

 

This is not safe bake OR storage ware. Buyer beware!

 

Overall rating for this product: BAD 0 out of 5.