Looking for some affordable everyday glassware,  

Did anyone notice that the ice cubes
are all stuck to the bottom of all the glasses in the promo shots? Ah, good old marketing...always form over function!
And before someone points out that they're probably not real ice cubes...yes...I know...

Gustaf
We bought a new set of Kaj Franck's Kartio 6 months ago, and I don't know if we perhaps got a bad set, but 3 already are chipping around the rim. Beautiful, but disappointing.

the_beloved
Disappointing indeed. Seems like you got a lemon batch. I have used mine (in different colors and sizes purchased over time) for between three and ten years. They have survived wild parties and the harshness of everyday use, and still look brand new. The difference may be that they have all been hand washed (never had a dishwasher). I would exchange them if I was you though.
ite, remind me to get some plastic cups when you visit 🙂
I second Pegboard's suggestion to go vintage. The one thing I would add, to avoid heartbreaks, is to pick a model that is easily replaceable, or to buy spares. But it's nice to mix and match too.

Buying vintage is impractical
While you can find spectacular onesies, twosies, or even complete sets-- quantity & eventual replenishment is problematic for reasons of supply and identification (good luck in identifying miscellaneous decades-old glass patterns!).
Am I the only one who's a stickler for clear glass, as opposed to colored? Truth be told, I don't approve of colored-glass drinkware-- I think the ideal glass should display the color of its contents accurately.
(I guess there's no denying it-- I'm an anal, fussy design geek. That's why I appreciate this forum-- where else could I indulge my mania?)

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*sticking tongue out at Gustaf*
Oh man, I think you're just trying to get out of speeching (you know, generally introduced by someone tching tchinging a glass with easily accessible cutlery) by hiding the glasses ! :o)
WHC, I hear you. There is something very unpleasant about drinking orange juice from a blue glass. I love colored glass as eye candy, but I don't particularly care to drink from it. Come to think of it, the only drink I'd like in a colored glass would be water -or vodka.

After making a big megillah of the buying decision,
She ends up with an ordinary design, at an ordinary price, from an ordinary resource ("Otis" glasses @ 4.95, from Crate & Barrel). Whee!

Let us know how they hold up
I'm curious to learn if the thin wall heavy bottomed style will survive your hubby.

Olive--
Why do you think that a heavy bottomed style is more prone to breakage? If anything, I'd guess that it'd be less likely to be knocked over, thus broken.
Granted, they're thin. But I can't bring myself to do a complete 180* overnight (it was enough for me the resist the pricey controlled-bubble base "Direction" glasses, at $8.95 each!). If he destroys these in short order, then I'll resort to the thicker stuff.

Yeah, I do
We had some 'fancy' glassware at one point that were a lot like the one second picture in your first picture post. I think they were Dansk, they had a bubble in the base. The base was thick and the walls were thin and we found that they had a tendency to break along the change in thickness. Seems somewhat counter intuitive, cuz it seems like a heavier base would be more stable, but that's not what happened! I came to think that glasses with a more consistent wall to base ratio were hardier. We totalled quite a lot of Reidel stemware right where the vessel met the stem too.
So, I'm curious to see what happens with these. Some of my jelly glasses are getting all etched and foggy from bazillions of runs through the dishwasher and I'm wondering if I buy more or upgrade. My dearest glass assassin husband is no better in his bionic arm control, so it'll probably be more jellies!
Although, I do quite like the ittalia ones that Gustaf posted...

william, ite
Phew! I thought I was alone in preferring clear glass. I have the Kartio glasses in colors, but only use them for water. Even clear alcoholic beverages require clear glasses. I guess we can all share a room at the asylum!
william, I quite like those, but like Olive I wonder how well balanced they are. Let us know.
ite, it's a bit too early for that, actually. See below link, especially step one to five 😉 *runs away*
http://teenadvice.about.com/cs/kissing/ht/frenchkissht.htm

I guess I'm simple. I do like...
I guess I'm simple. I do like masons and jellies. Moreso for sentiment. But my favorites are simple, cylinders with minimal thickness change.. I don't require much high end drinking.

i don't know what to...
i don't know what to suggest, but perhaps something more focused on the "grip" area rather than the thickness. Would a thinner design with a nice grip make a break less likely while maintaining the enjoyment of lightness?

Nice choice.
I've had a similar struggle with the everyday glass.
I settled for the two sizes of French jellies with the red lids.
Yes, they bounce!
Also good for salad dressing and leftovers. I like a multi-purpose.
A shame they don't fit the new car cup holder. I used to take
iced tea along in summers past.
Eva Zeisel for everything else including wine.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Jellies are just the most practical solution for us. And I do like them. The lids are also great and I store stuff in the glasses all the time. A better environmental choice than plastic!
I like to think that although I am a design addict, that I am a pragmatist first. Form ALWAYS follows function, and both of those follow making an environmentally sound decision. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

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oy, I see someone's been enthusiastically testing which glasses to use for clear vodka.
Olive, oddly, I noticed the same with a vase : the thick walled glass vase with an extremely thick bottom did break first, before the thinner -walled glass vases. Line of breakeage = where the cilinder meets the thick base. So I guess whitespike might be on to something here. Perhaps stability of the glasses are rather important ? Something stable (big flat bottom surface, glass not overly tall, or going out too much ) might help ?
What i like about jellies is not only that you can store left foodstuffs in them, but that you can use them for warm drinks such as tea, coffee or hot chocolate. You can actually see the milk swirl in your tea, or the froth on the coffee or hot chocolate, which I love.
Cheers !
Ack, is there an easy way to resize photos ? Can't seem to make it work. This one's a bit too big for my liking.