This is really good quality, but... the product description leaves out a big aspect, and that is that the entire inner surface of the mortar, and the end of the pestle (and just above it) are unglazed and rough, bare porcelain (see my pics - the cream colour areas are unglazed/rough). This can be either good or bad, depending on your use - good if you want to grind/mill in addition to crush, bad if you just need to crush and want a smooth surface that wipes clean and allows you to retrieve/use every bit of what you crushed. Pros: - Rough inner surface and pestle end (prevents slipping, and allows grinding/milling as well) - Heat proof - Well made Cons: - Rough surfaces not easy to clean (can't wipe clean, have to wash) - Rough surfaces trap/hold part of material (not good for tiny pills and small material quantity) - May chip if pestle is used like hammer to pound (unsure if grinding may add ceramic into mix) The rough surface does prevent things from slipping/sliding, and it also allows you to far more easily grind/mill into an ultra-fine powder (like ground cinnamon) rather than just a powder (like sugar). For mortars/pestles, I've looked at wooden ones (not recommended for many reasons, and only good for soft crushable things at best), stone ones (some are rough inside, some smooth, but most are marble which is porous and even if sealed, that quickly wears off, generally not recommended), glass ones (smooth inside, very, and ultra easy to clean and recover all material, but also very slippery and can chip if you bang pestle on mortar, recommended in some cases but not many), stainless steel (smooth but still has a bit of grip, varies depending on how fine the steel has been brushed, wipes clean, can recover all material, doesn't chip if knocked, can use pestle to pound down on material, recommended for most uses). I recommend this ceramic/inner-unglazed mortar/pestle if you need to grind/mill to an ultra-fine powder, almost like flour, but if you just need to crush/pulverize to granules or normal powder (like sugar), then I would mostly recommend a stainless steel one instead. For medication use, pills (especially small), this one is not good or convenient, as you have to wash it, not just wipe it, and it leaves some of the pill behind. For medication/pill use, I find stainless steel is the clear best choice, can pound a pill if you want (without worry of chipping the mortar/pestle), it grips well enough to crush/mill yet wipes clean and you can retrieve every bit of the pill without some of it being left behind in the surface. Hope this helps (let me know below).
