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Did I get knock off or 2nd rate All-Clad Set???

post #1 of 17
8/13/09 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
I recently purchased my first All-Clad, a 7-piece set, and I got it off ebay. Stainless steel set. Macy's on the box with the number 5077-7. Everything looks legit, but the pieces feel kind of light. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice or take one of the pieces and stick it on a scale.

I have a good scale and have weighed each piece. I have also recorded the weights with the covers on, and their weight when packed in their individual smaller box.

The pieces in question:

10" fry pan. Weight: 2 pounds and 3.2 ounces.
2 quart saucepan. Weight: 2 pounds and 2.8 ounces.
6 quart stockpot. Weight: 3 pounds and 11.6 ounces.
3 quart saute pan. Weight: 3 pounds and 3 ounces.

All are lower than the approximate weights that All-Clad gives out:
Stainless Steel 10" fry pan- 4 lbs
Stainless Steel 2 quart saucepan- 4 lbs
Stainless Steel 3 quart saute pan- 5 lbs
Stainless Steel 6 quart stockpot- 7 lbs

Any help would be much appreciated.
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post #2 of 17
8/14/09 at 3:35am
I seem to remember a while ago that All Clad was making a special edition for Macy's, that was a little less expensive. :( I googled around, but couldn't come up with any hard facts, though. What do the boxes say exactly? Maybe you can get more info if there's a style name or number?
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post #3 of 17
8/14/09 at 4:21am
I'm not sure this will help you. I have several pieces of SS All-Clad that is only a few years old. Very heavy and I like it. This summer I needed a wedding gift and checked both Macy's and Williams-Sonoma for AC. I was shocked at how much they have changed their product line recently and how thin the pots are.
My 10" AC Satuee with out the lid weighs 3# 8 ounces.
The other thing you might try is going to the Macy's web site and trying to confirm that Macy's sticker by plugging in the stock number into their search.
I hope it works out for you but in my experience unless items are used on eBay then they are probably knock offs.
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post #4 of 17
8/14/09 at 5:05am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the responses.

Everything looks completely legit. All the individual boxes have the warranty card and the little piece of paper that states who it was inspected by. The only number is 5077-7 on the top of the large set box.

I can't post urls yet, but if you go to macys.com and type in "All-Clad Stainless 7-Piece Cookware Set" you get a set that looks exactly like the one I have.

Of course, there is no number or weight information on the Macy's site. The same Macy's $419 set is on Amazon and they list the shipping weight at 30.4 pounds. The total weight of my box is around 21 pounds.
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post #5 of 17
8/14/09 at 6:23am
Shipping weights that are listed are often well off the mark as they seem to account for packaging weight. I have a copper pot of eBay that may be a knock off but it was 1/4 the price and it works.
I guess the real question is how much did you pay Vs Amazon and are you happy with the product.
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post #6 of 17
8/14/09 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
This is quite a dilemma as this was a big purchase for me. I don't have a problem keeping it if it is going to work great. I just don't want to start using it and then be underwhelmed.

All-Clad has been very little help. It's like pulling teeth to get them to confirm whether or not they make this 5077-7 set for Macy's. I know they do, but once they confirm that then they can maybe tell me why the pieces are so much lighter.

The 10" frying pan is just over 2 pounds, All-Clad tells me it weighs 4 pounds. My Calphalon 10" fry pan weighs nearly 3 pounds. I am skeptical.
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post #7 of 17
8/14/09 at 3:49pm
>All-Clad has been very little help. <

Totally non-surprising. In my experience, All-Clad has the worst customer service in the industry.
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post #8 of 17
8/15/09 at 11:42am
I would assume your AC set is a special production for Macy's and... made in China.

As an aside, Macy's is the group that bought up many old-line, top-notch local or regional department stores across the country: Marshall Field's here in Chicago, Meier and Frank in Portland OR, Garfinckle's in Washington DC, Kaufman's in Pittsburgh (Kaufman was the guy, back in the day, who comissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design Fallingwater) and quite a few others. Then a corporate genius decided to rename them all "Macy's" and their sales have been falling steadily, to say nothing of the quality of their merchandise.

A few weeks ago, in a survey of the national retail situation, the Wall Street Journal put Macy's in the same merchandise category as... J C Penny. :eek:

That's a he!l of a strategic business decision - to take the iconc Marshall Field's and restructure it in the image of J C Penny. We don't go there much anymore; after all, we can get to the real J C Penny just as easliy, and their prices are lower.

Our access to high-end department stores is now limited to a nearby Von Maur which, I believe, is based out of Des Moines, IA. Go figure.

Mike
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post #9 of 17
8/15/09 at 5:02pm
as a heavy ebay seller and buyer most of the expensive designer products on ebay are fake. this guide will give you an idea (cheftalk won't let me link)

compare with some weight comparisons.

you have 45 days through paypal to file a snad, this is the magic bullet. push for full refund, you get returned shipping and pay no shipping back. google how to file snad for more info. argue that you never received the prodcut you purchased (all-clad cookware), so you never received the item you paid money for.
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post #10 of 17
8/16/09 at 9:20am
Thread Starter 
It would have to be a pretty elaborate screw job if it were made in China. It states that it's made in USA with the lids made in China, and that is consistent with what All-Clad has on their website.

Also, I just got some evidence that my set is legit. I contacted cookwarenmore, the site that sells All-Clad irregulars. I asked them how much their 10" fry pans weigh and they responded back with 2 pounds 2 ounces. That's the weight of my 10" fry pan. Remember, All-Clad states that their 10" fry pan weighs approxamitley 4 lbs. So the plot thickens.
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post #11 of 17
8/16/09 at 10:50pm
there are fakes much more elaborate than the details you listed. remember china is the manufacturing capitol, anything popular like all-clad there is an incentive to create fakes for them.

how can all-clad seconds wiegh half as much as the regulars. That is a huge difference., losing half weight is a huge quality drop in itself, let alone any other problems. I'll take any cheaper over that.
1. if the auction didnt list as seconds i would definitly return it.
2. i still think it's fake.
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post #12 of 17
8/17/09 at 7:11am
I have no idea if the pots are fake but I'm in complete agreement about fakes on eBay. Global knives on their Euro web site has a full page dedicated to the Global knock offs sold on eBay. An unsuspecting buyer would never know with several of them and many never did until they sent them in for warranty replacement. If you doubt the product then in my experience you should return it. Discovering that you are unhappy with the set after you use it could be a costly and unpleasant experience. That stock number does not appear to be valid at Macy's. I also don't believe I've ever had an "inspected by" tag in any of the AC I have bought.
I used to be a big AC fan but for me the quality of their standard line has really fallen off. When you price out their better lines they are now priced similar to Mauviel etc.
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post #13 of 17
8/17/09 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
But isn't it more likely that All-Clad has lowered the weight of their cookware and/or overestimated the listed weights?

If cookwarenmore is selling all-clad irregulars that weigh the same as the ones I have, doesn't that likely indicate that? It's either that or cookwarenmore is selling the same knock offs that I have.
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post #14 of 17
8/17/09 at 12:22pm
It's just my opinion but I think the odds that the set is a knock off are very high. That's the reality of eBay.
It simply gets down to what you paid and if you are happy. I doubt AC has over estimated their weights.
I am not familar with the company you mention selling irregulars but unless they are an AC factory authorized out let then I would not consider that a solid source.
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post #15 of 17
8/17/09 at 12:49pm
as a heavy ebay seller and buyer most of the expensive designer products on ebay are fake

if you don't believe it than do some googleing
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post #16 of 17
8/17/09 at 12:53pm
The weight of my MC2 series SS All Clad 10" frying pan with the lid off is 2 LB 5 ounces. With the lid on its 3 LB 8.3 ounces.

The weight of my MC2 series SS All Clad 2 quart sauce pan is 2 LB .9 ounces (without the lid).

Hope this helps.
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post #17 of 17
8/17/09 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
I am very careful on ebay, I know what goes on there, I've spotted knock-offs of other products before. Could it be a fake? Yes, that is a possibility. But I am not sold on it for a few reasons. And yes, I bought from a reputable seller, and at about $100 less than the retail price.


cookwarenmore has been selling All-Clad irregulars since 1984 and I know a lot of people are happy with purchasing there.
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