Mastrad Mortar and Pestle Set

This is just perfect

This is a great addition to any modern-styled kitchen. The pestle is heavy and easy to handle, and the mortar has a rubberized grip on the bottom and will stay in place. It is not too big that you can't hold it while grinding, either.Both components are solid steel, and feel like they will last for a very long time.

Seems to be well made, and I like that I can use both ends of the pestle depending on what I'm grinding. First use was some pretty coarse material, and while there were some surface scratches, nothing I wouldn't expect. Great size.

Fait pour ce qu' il est conçuBonne prise en main

This m & p is similar in dimension to the Healthsmart one (ASIN B00FBEC9RM), but more than twice as expensive. So I expected it to be better.But it's actually not as well designed.The bowl is about 6 cm deep, and the bowl of the Healthsmart m & p is 6.5 cm deep. A deeper bowl is good, so things don't jump out. The bowl of the Healthsmart mortar is more sloped, which helps keep things near the middle, where the pestle is hitting them.But mostly, the base of this mortar is not well designed. It's made of sheet metal about 1/32" thick, with a rubber trim. The rubber trim is fragile, and it got cut the first time I pounded the pestle in the mortar.So, I took the rubber trim off. Then I noticed the sheet metal in the base was bent up in one place, which happens easily since there's nothing to keep it in place.The Healthsmart version has a metal trim on the edge of the base, which won't get cut when you pound on it. It should also help keep the base from getting deformed.This m & p is heavier than the Healthsmart one, mostly because the mortar is heavier.The mortar of this one weighs 406g. The Healthsmart mortar weighs 300g.The pestle of this one weighs 334g. The Healthsmart pestle is almost as heavy, 314g.It helps with pounding to have a good heavy pestle.But the weight of the mortar doesn't matter much, because the bowl is smooth. So it's hard to do much grinding by moving the pestle circularly, unlike with granite. It's just for pounding down with the pestle, so far as I can tell. For that a heavy mortar doesn't help. The mortar just needs to be strong enough to withstand the pounding. For circular motions of the pestle, a heavy mortar probably does help.So, the extra weight of this m & p doesn't give it an advantage over the Healthsmart one.