Customer Reviews

Bodum Pavina Double-Wall Thermo Glasses, Set of 2

5 star:		(404)
4 star:		(127)
3 star:		(62)
2 star:		(57)
1 star:		(82)

 

 

I purchased these after seeing them on the Bodum.com website. I admit the cool factor lured me in.

The cups maintain the temperature of a cappuccino for as long as it takes me to get to the bottom of the cup. Additionally it is nice not to need coasters (especially if you have men or children in the home).

The 9 oz cup is less than 4 inches tall, making it fit perfectly under the fill spout of my super-automatic Saeco espresso machine (which I also love).

My husband and I have had 4 of these cups for more than 6 months and not one of them has broken. I mention this because the 9 oz cups seem to be much more sturdy than the 21 oz Pavina ice tea glasses. We broke one of the 21 oz cups with the first ice cube that went into the cup. We broke 2 others in the first two weeks.

Bottom line, I cannot recommend the 21 oz Pavina. However, the 9 oz Pavina cups are very tough, having survived 6 months of daily use with less than dainty owners. I think you will be very pleased with your purchase of the 9 oz Pavina cups.

UPDATE: JULY 18, 2006
All 4 of the 9 ounce Pavina mugs are still intact even with frequent use. I continue to recommend this product.

No picture can really do these glasses justice. They have nothing aesthetic in common with any other double-walled cup I've ever seen--elegant, minimalist, super clear and light as a feather. They really keep stuff cold (or hot, as the case may be). They're even dishwasher safe. However, they are remarkably fragile. I accidentally rapped a spoon on the lip of one and within half an hour, the little crack had spread and the glass was in fragments. But if you're careful with them and keep them away from kids, animals, and, apparently, me, they will serve you well.

I loved the previous version of this glass, which was completely hermetically sealed. The new version has a small hole in the bottom, covered in a silicone(?)-like rubbery compound. On one of my two new glasses, this compound came off in the dishwasher, which means that water gets in between the two walls and is impossible to dry... sort of like double-paned windows where humidity gets in between the layers of glass. So it's ugly and foggy, rather than clear and pristine.

Wish they had left well enough alone!

Another product that I wanted to love because the idea seemed so good but the functionality did not live up to the design. When an iced tea glass breaks the first time you put an ice cube in it, that is bad design. We lost two more glasses later that first week even though we were being very careful. Of the original four glasses there is only one left and that is because we do not use it. Don't waste your money.

If you want to try the coffee mugs they seem to be much more sturdy. We have had four of the 9 oz Pavina coffee mugs for more than 6 months and none of these has broken even with everyday use.

Bottom line, the 21oz glass is a beautiful product but is not serviceable. I feel as though I wasted eighty dollars and I don't want to see anyone else make the same mistake.

Update: June 13, 2006
My husband took the last remaining glass to work to use there. Within one day of being on his desk the last glass had broken. Again, DON'T buy these unless you don't mind spending $20 for a glass that you will use once or twice before it breaks.

However, the 9 oz version of these glasses are still intact, not one has broken yet. If you want to buy the double wall glasses for the cool factor buy the 9 oz instead and leave the 21 oz version behind.

The Amazon description says that these glasses are stronger and lighter than regular glass, but I disagree. They are certainly lighter, and when you pick the glass up it feels like the glass is very thin. But they are extremely delicate. I ordered two sets. One arrived pre-smashed in the Bodum box even though it was wrapped in bubble wrap, plus the Bodum box was in the Amazon box surrounded by big bubbles. Since these iced tea glasses are so tall, they do not fit in my dishwasher, so I have to hand wash them. Today I had one in the sink to wash, and as I picked up a Pyrex measuring cup it clinked against the edge of the Bodum glass, shattering it. Whatever you do, don't skoal with these glasses! Aside from the breakage factor and the hand-washing factor, they are okay. The smaller glasses that I bought came out of the dishwasher with the regular water spots on them, so that is no different than regular glass. I would like to see if they could stay clear after 1000 cycles, but I don't think they will last that long.

I'm rating this product at five stars, because Amazon has combined reviews for at least five different products - and each one surely deserves at least one star.

Before you reply to, or accept any review for these products, know that the reviewer may be talking about a different product.

The only way you can be sure that the reviewer is talking about the same product is to click on the comment(s) link under the review, scroll to the top of the page, and look at the image on the upper right.

Thanks for breaking the reviewing system, Amazon. Looking at the one-star reviews, quite a number of them seem to be for the 21oz iced-tea glasses. So maybe the 9oz tumblers deserve a higher rating - but we'll never know, unless we click on each review to verify which product broke/didn't break/leaked, and tally the results ourselves.

Sort of defeats the purpose of a review system, doesn't it?

The Bodum Pavina glasses are beautiful. Each one is mouth-blown to form a clear one-piece glass chamber that holds your drink. Since it's clear, your drink appears to be floating in the glass. Cool point #1.

Cool point #2 especially for those of you living in hot places: It doesn't sweat. You know what I mean here? When you put really cold liquid in a glass and condensation runs down the outside and collects in a puddle at the bottom of the glass. That looks attractive on a Coke or Beer commercial, but not great for your desk or nice table!

Cool point #3: You can put hot drinks in the Bodum Pavina and the glass doesn't get hot. Because of the double-wall construction there's an insulated layer of air between the glass you touch and the glass that holds your coffee. Like a plastic thermal mug it stays warm a long time (also cold when you pour in something cold), but it's oh so beautiful.

Now to address some user complaints. Users have universally complemented the design and "cool" factor of the glasses, but some complained about them breaking. I've been using mine all day, everyday for 2 weeks [UPDATE: I finally broke one in May 2007, 14 months after writing this review]. I start with cold water in the morning, followed by hot coffee. More water later. Some ice coffee or a Coke in the afternoon. All fine. It's thin, but tough glass. However, you've got to be sensible: just because the company says it CAN be washed in the dishwasher, doesn't mean you should. Throwing rock-hard ice into a glass and then stirring briskly with a tablespoon just isn't smart! How tough are these glasses? From readers' comments not as tough as a regular heavy drinking glass but with a little caution they are plenty strong enough.

The Bodum Pavina are the functionally perfect drinking glass that so beautifully shows off your drink. Now you can drink with all your senses!

I purchased four sizes of these very expensive glasses: 3.5 oz, 7, 12, and 21 oz. I love the 3.5; in fact, i love all of them for how cold they keep drinks. the 7 and 12 oz ones we found very nice for white wine as it keeps it so cold. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, these glasses break if you whisper too loud. Not quite that bad, but if you just happen to bump them against another item in the dishwasher, etc, you will find yourself with a broken/useless glass, and at $20 per pop for the big ones, that is rough. Also the big ones are very top heavy, so the slightest nudge knocks them over, which, unless your reflexes are supernatural, will end up costing you some broken ones.

It's a shame the durability of the glass and the design couldn't match the quality.

jim g

It's been about a little over a month since I purchased a sizable quantity of these glass for home everyday use (assorted sizes, 24 count total), and two glasses have spontaneously cracked on us. Other than using them for everyday-use, we have been very careful with them - they've been washed with a soft sponge, we have a designated space in the cabinet to store them (not stacked), etc. These glasses are just not cut out for everyday use. We have been using the glasses to drink warm (hot chocolate) and cold drinks (iced beverage). Both broken glasses spontaneously cracked at the bottom while it was sitting on the desk holding a drink. At first, I thought someone had accidentally slammed it, but I actually witnessed the spontaneous cracking when the second glass broke.

I am very disappointed with the functionality of the product. I'm a sucker for good designs, but I expect a reasonable level of durability. These glasses have been incredibly sub standard - my cheap ikea glasses I bought for $5/dozen have fared better. Maybe these glasses are meant to be put away in some display case, only to be used for special occasions... but what's the point of buying glasses if you are not going to use them?

These work very well, but be really careful when using them. Do not:

Drop ice in the glass -1 glass
Jam your hand in to wash -1 glass

Other than that, they will keep cold drinks really cold. You ice cubes don't melt for a long time.