OXO Good Grips Spice Jar Measuring Spoons

While these measuring cups have some fantastic design features, other design areas have presumably been overlooked and these negatively impact the functionality & convenience of this product. I have only used these for a short period of time, but in that time I have encountered functional issues of such severity that I cannot recommend this product.PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONThis OXO set is from the Good Grips line, which places silicone inserts on common kitchen tools to give more comfort and less slip (as well as heat shielding, depending upon the specific tool.) As a general rule, OXO Good Grips products are well-made, reasonably-priced, and make functional performances over other products. Sold in a quantity of 4 measuring cups, the sizes you get are 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 cup, respectively. The body is made from a relatively thick gauge stainless steel, with silicone inserts on the top, and hard plastic inserts on the bottom. The markings are done using laser-engraving (which is less durable than hard engraving) and each cup has only one marking. There are no internal half markers like many other products have. Unlike other measuring cups that are held together using a ring or chain, these are designed to stay together with the use of small magnets located in the tip of each handle.THE GOODThe fit and finish of these are excellent, as are the ergonomics. They are comfortable to hold, and like other OXO Good Grips products, they give a heckuva good grip even if covered in slippery oil. The flared lip at the top makes these easy to get a consistent leveling without excessive mess, and all of the edges have been machined consistently so there are no sharp angles remaining to cut skin on. The use of magnets to bind these over the standard O-ring or chain is ingenious in design since it is theoretically far more convenient (and therefore, time-saving.)THE BADThe MSRP on these is abut $20, but only 4 sizes are included. This is a BIG problem because the Bellemain and KitchenMade sets come with 6 pieces, are of the finest quality in their respective class, and yet they cost about the same. Further, many products in this price range use the more durable hard-engraving and have multiple markers (including internal half-way markers), and if only 4 sizes are included, the importance of these middle internal markers seems even more important! Given the nicer grips and the magnetic design, I could look past this if the magnetic design worked better than it did. But the magnets used are extremely weak. They do not generate enough force to hold these together, let alone stick to a metal object like a fridge, and I have included a video to show just how weak these magnets are. This issue is made worse because these measuring cups do not sit deeply inside of each other, and the only area of contact when stacked is the handle area, of which only about 10% of that is making contact, and by nature this makes the entire deal very unstable. Further, OXO did NOT drill loop holes into these in the event one wanted to use a ring with these, which makes these less flexible. Finally, the 1/4 and 1/3 cup sizes are unstable...the handle is too heavy relative to the body and if you are measuring some lighter ingredients, these will not lay flat on a flat surface. This can get frustrating fast.IN CONCLUSIONSo while I think many of the design ideas in this OXO Measuring Cup Set offer potential improvements over conventional designs, there are a couple pretty significant issues that prevent this set from reaching its full potential. The weak magnets is the single biggest problem since it is the only possible method you can use for binding these when stacked, and that's a pretty critical element. With there being so many high-quality measuring cup sets available at this price (not to mention how many of these other brands include two or three extra sizes, plus more detailed markings in a more durable engraving), I cannot recommend this OXO Good Grips set.---------------------------------------------------------------------===CUSTOMER FEEDBACK NOTE TO OXO...===If OXO reads Amazon Reviews to get customer feedback, I hope you consider making some minor revisions to this product and releasing it as an updated generation. This has the potential to be one of the finest measuring cup sets on the market, but only if the above-stated issues are addressed..

I like these measuring cups except for the magnets. The magnets are very weak and are not strong enough for the intended purpose. If this is an important feature for you, you probably will be disappointed. I was also disappointed in the fact that the measurement markings (meaning 1, 1/2, 1/3,1/4) aren't engraved. These are overpriced for these reasons and I wouldn't recommend them.***REVISION***After using these a for about a month, I DO recommend. These are good weight and actually the best measuring cups I've ever owned.

My fault, I thought the magnets sounded like a good idea but. once you put them in a drawer with the rest of your items they do not stay together. I am going to remove the magnets and going to use a nylon tie to keep them together.

 There's a lot to like about simple measuring cups. They are low and wide, giving them a low center of gravity to not make them tippy. The handle is level with the cup, with no ridges that will hook on a blade as you try to level of a cup of flour. The ends of the handles have magnets, which makes them stick together conveniently in the utensil drawer. These will probably be the only measuring cups I'll ever need to buy thanks to the quality manufacturing.

I have liked all my other OXO products very much, but this one is a big disappointment. The measuring cups don’t fit together efficiently without the plastic spacers that I can’t imagine anyone would use after opening the package, and the handles are so thick that the stack up cups take up more room than they should, in my opinion. I realized that there would be no 3/4 cup in the set, but I miss it because it makes measuring take up an extra step. I ordered because this was the highest rated in the equipment review by America’s Test Kitchen, but I would not order them again.