I've been looking for an everyday set of dishes and have been very disappointed, until now. The plates are good sized and durable. My kids rotate on who does the dishes so I'm always worried about the durablity but I haven't even seen a chip in 4 months, a record for my family. They are subtle which allows me to dress them up with my linens and food. The bowls are HUGE! I have 3 teenagers and with my other dishes they were going back for 2nd and 3rds with cerel, soup, etc. With these they can barely finish a single bowl, it's awesome. The mugs are perfect for a decent size cup of tea, coffee, or hot cocoa. As for microwaving in them, I have yet to get them hot enough that they are difficult to handle. Always an issue with kids. With my other dishes they would put their food on the plate/bowl, pop it into the microwave for a minute or two and have to leave them in the microwave for 5 minutes to let the dishes cool down enough to handle, not an issue with these. I would, and have, recommend these dishes to family and friends.