Fun Read! We've been using our set for over 20 years and had none break due to numerous drops, raising a family. Love the stuff! It stays good looking, functional, and lightweight. After all that time, we've had 2 shatter explosively when dropped (onto linoleum and hardwood floors) in the past 2 weeks. Maybe age and number of cycles in a dishwasher/microwave?? Who knows. Obviously, part of the secret to their lightweight strength is being pre-stressed between the layers of glass that they are made from. That's why failure is so explosive. While I agree the shards are small and sharp, it was not much different than cleaning up after a dropped light bulb. Unless mine start spontaneously exploding as described from some above, we're sticking with it. Still the best value for durability and functionality for the cost IMO.