Back in the day, there were two places where you could buy Martha Stewart branded merchandise — K-Mart for Martha Stewart Everyday budget-friendly items, and online/mail order from Martha Stewart: The Catalog for Living. It was the catalog offerings that perfectly embodied the Martha Stewart Living image: beautiful and elegant yet practical objects for home and entertaining. Lovely reproductions of vintage milk glass cake stands, sturdy terra cotta planters for the garden, Emile Henry pie plates in signature Martha green — everything was high-quality with a touch of luxury.

The catalog and online business folded in 2004, much to my dismay, since it had become one of my favorite sources for housewares and gifts over the years. So imagine my elation when I read an excerpt from this press release: “The Martha Stewart Collection at Macy’s is a true reflection of her magazines and the product in the original Martha by Mail Catalog coming to life in our stores.”

Breaking my year-long Macy’s boycott, I went to check out the new collection last week. One word: disappointing. If this collection is a reflection of the product in her original catalog, it must be a very cracked mirror indeed. While there are some products worth buying, the majority of it is lackluster and unoriginal, some of it even of poor quality.

Let’s start with the items you should avoid:

The soft grip tools and utensils are cheap and flimsy, even the stainless steel items. Good stainless steel should have some heft to it, and it felt as if these were made of plastic. I’m not sure what sort of metal is used in the others, maybe aluminum? The nylon heads on items like the slotted turner may be heat resistant to 450 degrees, but they’re really thin and unappealing to use. And at prices from $7.99 – $12.99, the Soft Grips aren’t even cheap. Oxo Good Grips are a better option if you want rubberized, non-slip handles in the same price range.

These “Hadley” all purpose glasses are absolutely terrible — once again, thin and flimsy. Just tapping my fingernail on the glass tells me that these would shatter easily. They’re $15.99 for a set of 4 small, $19.99 for the large size, definitely not worth the price. You’d do better with basic and much more affordable glassware from Target or Crate & Barrel.

The design of the “Magnolia” flatware set is handsome enough, but the matte finish somehow makes it look cheap and aluminum. They’re made of stainless steel, but see (1) above for my stainless steel comments. I especially like my flatware to have a nice heft, something to distinguish it from utensils used in a dorm cafeteria. I wouldn’t trust the spoons to make it out of a solid pint of Häagen-Dazs without bending. I was shocked at the $100 price tag, but then realized I was holding the 53-piece service set for 8. The more reasonable $50 20-piece set for 4 still isn’t worth the money. Again, I’d recommend Target or Crate & Barrel for good quality, basic flatware instead.

Other products in the collection fare much better than the ones above. Most of it is of above average to good quality, but nothing special — you can buy items like these at Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens-N-Things, except without the Martha Stewart logo. Still, some are worth a mention. Here are a few things I might buy if I didn’t already have them:

The 10-cup Bavaria bundt cake pan by Nordic Ware is described as “only@macy’s”, which isn’t exactly true. You can also buy this at Amazon.com and Wal-Mart, for example, although Macy’s appears to have the best price at $29.99. It also includes a recipe for malted dark-chocolate cake, a nice little bonus.

These cheerful green colanders are also available in white, red, and light blue and would add a lovely splash of color to your kitchen. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what they’re made of — some sort of colored metal? I don’t think they’re enameled, though. The 1.5 quart size is $9.99, the 5 quart is $19.99.

As much as I hated the all purpose glassware, the “Waterman” glassware is pretty good stuff. It’s made in Poland, sturdy yet delicate, and elegant with clean lines. Pictured are the flutes, which are just as pretty in real life. There are also small and large wine glasses, along with double old fashioned, highball, and martini glasses. All are $19.99 for a set of 4.

Despite my blah feelings toward most of the things I’ve seen, there were three I liked a lot and would definitely recommend. These are the items I consider the best buys of the collection. They’re great deals, really useful, and nice to look at as well:

These beautiful blue ceramic canisters have air-tight seals with snap locks and come in a set of 4 (1.4, 2, 2.5, and 2.5 quarts) for only $29.99. I’ve seen this type of canister selling for up to $29.99 a piece, so this is a really good deal. If you’re not into Martha’s signature araucana blue, they’re also available in taupe, which looks more like a chocolate brown. Or get both, since the colors complement each other well.

I’m a big fan of flour sack towels — they’re big, they’re sturdy, they’re versatile. I have a huge stack of them in within reach at all times when I’m in the kitchen. They’re super absorbent, lightweight, lint-free, great for straining liquids, lining bread baskets, etc. They’re $9.99 for a set of 4. Of course, you can get them cheaper elsewhere, but not in such pretty colors.

And finally, the least expensive item in the entire collection may be the most useful. This set of 12 Everything Clips are $3.99 and perfect for closing up bags of chips or frozen veggies. They’re even practical for non-kitchen tasks like clamping down stacks of receipts. I suppose they could work as clothespins, too.

Although I’m not impressed with the collection overall, I think it’s mostly because I’d been expecting beautiful, unique items exclusive to the Martha Stewart brand that were the hallmark of the old catalog. When you ordered something from Martha by Mail, it was likely you were getting a keepsake you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Gone are the whimsical glass turkeys and Wedgewood dessert plates — the new Martha by Macy’s is all about catering to the masses. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that — I’m a huge fan of Target and H&M — but that’s what the Everyday collection is for, and at far better prices. Then again, it’s Macy’s, which is known for semi-upscale prices for not-so-upscale merchandise. And that’s not a good thing.