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We all know glass breaks. Drop it and it shatters. Hit it and it cracks.
That's true of all glass, ours included.
And yet not all glass is the same. And not every knock is the same either.
For years, anyone at our trade fairs could try this for themselves:
What happens at the moment of impact?
The ball hits the teapot with real force. It's a steel ball, 25 mm in diameter and weighing 63.7 g. Two curved surfaces meet, so the ball transfers its kinetic energy almost at a single point.
The impact makes the glass vibrate. You can see it in the lid and the filter too. The ball never touches them; it's the vibration of the teapot body that sets them moving. That makes it even clearer how much energy hits the pot. Part of what helps the glass cope is its very slight elasticity, too small to see with the naked eye.
And afterwards? There's no trace of the impact on the teapot. Not even a scratch.
Over the five days of a trade fair, the very same teapot was certainly hit more than a hundred times. In all those years, not a single one of our teapots broke.
That doesn't mean our teapot is indestructible. It means that well-made glass can take far more than most people think. And that it's no accident.
Why does it survive?
Few people realise it, but glass is slightly elastic. You can see this in today's smartphones with flexible displays. The thinner the glass, the more it gives.
With a teapot, though, a very thin wall isn't good either, because it breaks more easily. A wall that's too thick is heavy and has less give. A good teapot's wall is neither too thick nor too thin.
Even more important is that the wall is the same thickness everywhere. If there are big differences within one product, or the thickness changes suddenly, a weak spot forms. That's exactly where glass cracks most easily.
What's behind it?
Our products are made from borosilicate glass 3.3, produced in Germany. The name refers to its coefficient of thermal expansion (3.3 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹): this glass barely expands when heated. Its physical and chemical properties are defined in the international standard ISO 3585.
The glass bodies are produced in a precise, machine-based process. This keeps the material composition constant and the wall thickness even. Continuous quality checks during production make sure that every glass body meets strict, specified quality criteria.
That's why we could hand the ball to anyone with complete confidence.
What does this mean day to day?
In a café or hotel, a teapot is in use several times a day. It's filled, served, put in the dishwasher and set down close to other pots. What matters there isn't a steel ball but all the small knocks of daily use. Good-quality glass with an even wall copes with this for a long time.
And if a lid or filter does break one day, there's no need for a new teapot. For many of our products, these parts can be reordered separately.
Please don't try this at home
With this test, we're not suggesting you tap glass with a spoon or anything else, at home or behind the counter. But it does show that our products can handle the knocks of everyday use well.
There is one thing to watch out for, though: scratches. If glass gets scratched, for example by another glass item, it can be much more vulnerable at that spot.
That's why our instructions for use ask you not to use scouring agents or metal-fibre scrubbers when washing up. They don't just spoil the look. Scratched glass also copes less well with knocks and sudden changes in temperature.
Before you buy glass
One last request. When you buy glassware, take a close look at what kind of glass it is and where it comes from. Then decide how much quality and reliability matter to you.
It's a question worth asking at home too. In a hotel, restaurant or café, where the product is in front of guests again and again every day, it's practically a must.
Take a look
If you're looking for glassware you can rely on in front of your guests, have a look at our MIKO teapot, or choose the area that fits you on our Business page. If you have any questions, just get in touch.
