Jar comparison
Le Parfait vs Lock-Eat: Two Premium European Glass Jars, Compared
Le Parfait and Lock-Eat are both premium European glass jars, both beautiful enough to leave out on the counter, and neither lets metal touch your food. The choice comes down to one thing above all: an integrated French hinged lid, or a detachable Italian one. Here is an honest, spec-by-spec comparison.
Two takes on the bail jar
Both jars seal glass against glass with a rubber gasket and a steel clamp, and on both, no metal ever touches the food. The difference is the lid.
Le Parfait's lid is hinged to the jar. The wire bail flips up and down in one motion, and there is no separate part to set aside or misplace. Lock-Eat takes the opposite approach: the glass lid lifts off completely and the steel clamp is fully removable, which Luigi Bormioli markets as easier to fill, clean, and serve from. One design keeps everything attached; the other takes everything apart.
Product by product
| Le Parfait Super Jar | Lock-Eat | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | France, since 1930 | Italy (Luigi Bormioli), since 1946 |
| Closure | Hinged wire-bail glass lid + replaceable rubber gasket | Detachable glass lid + rubber gasket + removable steel clamp |
| Reusable / replaceable parts | Jar and lid reusable indefinitely; gasket replaced each canning batch, reused for years in storage | Jar and lid reusable; rubber gasket replaceable |
| Pieces to handle | Jar with attached lid, plus gasket | Jar, detachable lid, gasket, and removable clamp |
| Metal touching food | None | None |
| Shape | Cylindrical, straight-sided | Cylindrical, straight-sided, wide mouth |
| Sizes | 8oz to 96oz (250ml to 3L) | About 3oz to 68oz |
| Color options | Clear glass; color-lid options across the wider range | Clear glass |
| Best known for | Fermentation, storage, French design | Italian design, preserve and serve |
| Pricing | $50 to $84 per set (sets of 3 to 6) | Premium, specialty and online retail |
Two European makers
Le Parfait has been made in France since 1930. Lock-Eat is made by Luigi Bormioli, an Italian glassmaker founded in 1946 that styles itself the designer label of glassmaking. It is worth clearing up a common mix-up: Lock-Eat is a Luigi Bormioli product, not a Bormioli Rocco one, even though the two Italian companies are now corporately linked. Either way, this is a choice between two premium European makers, not between premium and mass production.
Design and convenience
Lock-Eat's whole idea is the detachable lid. Lift the glass lid off, slide the clamp away, and the jar is wide open for filling, deep-cleaning, or serving. It is a clever, genuinely useful design. Le Parfait answers with a different kind of convenience: the lid is hinged on, so there is nothing to size, match, or lose, and across the wider range you also get a color-lid option (red, orange, teal, mint, pine, violet, gold, and more) that Lock-Eat's clear-glass line does not offer. Le Parfait also runs to larger sizes, up to three litres, where Lock-Eat tops out lower.
Fermentation and storage
Because neither jar puts metal against the food, both are well suited to fermentation and long storage. The difference is ecosystem. On the Le Parfait side, fermentation is a dedicated category: the ChouAmi kits and fermentation accessories turn a standard jar into a complete setup for sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles. Lock-Eat is positioned more as a preserve-and-serve piece, equally at home holding dry goods or going from fridge to table.
Where Lock-Eat is the better choice
Lock-Eat earns its place. The fully detachable lid is the easiest of any jar here to fill and clean, the Italian design is striking on a table, and it doubles neatly as serveware. If a removable glass lid and a design-forward Italian look are what draw you, Lock-Eat is a lovely jar. Le Parfait is the pick when you want an integrated lid with nothing to lose, color options, sizes up to three litres, and a dedicated fermentation range behind the jar.
Which should you choose?
Choose Le Parfait if
You want an integrated lid with nothing to lose, color options, a dedicated fermentation range, and sizes up to three litres.
Shop Super JarsChoose Lock-Eat if
You love the fully detachable glass lid for easy filling and serving, and Italian design is what draws you.
Both are premium European jars with no metal touching the food. This is a design-and-workflow choice, not a quality one.
Common questions
Is Lock-Eat made by Bormioli Rocco?
Lock-Eat is made by Luigi Bormioli, an Italian glassmaker founded in 1946. It is a separate brand from Bormioli Rocco, though the two companies are now corporately linked.
What is the difference between Le Parfait and Lock-Eat?
Le Parfait uses an integrated hinged wire-bail lid, made in France since 1930. Lock-Eat uses a fully detachable glass lid with a removable steel clamp, made in Italy. Neither lets metal touch the food.
Which is better for fermentation?
Both keep metal away from the food, so both work well. Le Parfait offers a dedicated fermentation range, including the ChouAmi kits, for sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles.