Full Windsor Magware

Sporks are useless, get these instead.

OK, let's get the ugly out of the way first.

Sporks are stupid.

Spork tines are so short to be practically useless. It is basically a two-headed spoon. And the knife? Seriously, how do you hold down what you are cutting?

A utensil set is necessary if you are eating anything other than rehydrated meals.

So... I went on a search, and saw products from the big names—Sea to Summit, MSR, etc... All had benefits and drawbacks. Happened across this Full Windsor set in a local REI, and was intrigued by the look of the set. Checked it out, and turns out they are pretty solid, but not perfect. Good reviews on Amazon, etc... Figured I would give them a try.

Benefits:

1. They are lightweight. The box says 2 oz. My kitchen scale says 2.4 oz. I am guessing the box weight does not include the carry pouch.

1a. Have weighed the utensils individually.  The fork is just a hair over 1/2 ounce, with the knife and spoon coming in at about 3/4 ounce.

2. They come with a carry pouch (more on that later)

3. Anodized 7075-T6 aluminum, they are not flimsy. I am sure I could bend them, but not under normal usage.  (The lightweight stuff from the big names does appear really flimsy.)

4. Several colors are available.

5. They nest together nicely with the magnets (more on that later), and you can nest several sets together if needed. The big names all have 'biners to keep their sets organized, which allow a LOT of noise, and frankly, those 'biners are crap.

6. They are nicely sized.  The fork and spoon are long enough to get to the bottom of common backpacking food packaging.  

Overall, this set would get a 5-star review, if not for a caveat or two.

Caveat #1:  the carry pouch. Adds weight, will probably get all kinds of nasty with use. Interacts poorly with the magnet system.

Caveat #2:  the magnets. The magnets prevent you from pulling just a single utensil out of the pouch at a time. If you need just the spoon, all three have to come out to get to the spoon (or knife or fork). Not a major issue, but an inconvenience.

Caveat #3:  the magnets. I dropped one of the utensils into some sand, and now, I cannot get the sand off. Apparently, there is some ferrous (iron) content in the sand, and it is stuck to the magnet. I can wash it, push it around, etc... but cannot get it off. Will try a rare earth magnet before I put them away with the camping stuff, but it is a PITA.

With those caveats, I would like to give this set a 4.8 star review, but that is not an option. So, 4.5 it is.

Background

Used it camping and hiking on several trips. Overall more than 20 days usage, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.