Demeyere vs Mauviel vs All-Clad for SS cookware advice

I considered all those before buying my first SS skillets. The Demeyere are beautiful but WAY too heavy. I'm not a fan of All Clad or the shape of their handles. I also think they're overpriced. I'm a fan of Mauviel, but they're expensive too. 

In the end I ended up buying Calphalon and I'm now really happy with it. 

Honestly I believe you can get a better quality pan than All-clad for cheaper. See all those ads and product placement All-Clad is doing? That's a LOT of money. Part of the price of the pan goes straight to their marketing department, not their manufacturing. 

I suggested Calphalon because that's what I ended up getting, but just go to a professional restaurant equipment store and see what they have.

If you want brand names, look at Vollrath and Matfer Bourgeat. 

http://www.culinarycookware.com/bourgeat-induction-and-stainless-steel-cookware.html

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/2745/vollrath-optio-cookware.html

Depending on the type of looks you're looking for... All-clad will look nice and shiny and... "elegant". So will Calphalon. I also got mine from Marshalls, paying $60 for a 6Qt Saute pan instead of the  regular price which is closer to $200 I believe. 

Pro equipment may not look as elegant but will look more rugged and functional, which IMO has its appeal as well. 

If looks are important and elegant is what you're looking for, then Mauviel is the way to go:

Yeah the All-clad handles are really uncomfortable. 

Our core set of stove-top, stainless interior cookware is Mauviel M'Heritage 250 (their heavyweight copper line), and most of the remainder is All-Clad SS.  It was bought at various times on super sale at SLT where I also get a professional discount; Amazon, and maybe one or two other places.  Who can remember?

There's no real difference in performance or quality between the two.  Looks are different. The All-Clad is very good looking but can't compare to the copper Mauviel.  The Mauviel is very heavy; it took me awhile to get used to it.  Mauviel Stainless is not quite as heavy but it's darn near as expensive.  I don't think it's worth the money unless you have very important reasons to buy it which go beyond cooking. 

Of course, we bought our Mauviel copper for its looks and to satisfy a long-time longing more than anything else.  Let me repeat, ruinously expensive copper doesn't do a better job than a good tri-ply like FF's Calphalon.  We're very happy with it, though.

Don't waste your money on multi-ply cookware with a copper core because you think you're going to get a performance bonus.  You won't.  There's not much on the market which actually beats steel/aluminum/steel.   Aluminum over steel is also good, but slightly more likely to warp. 

Demeyere is good stuff, but by all means make sure you can lift it.  Consider whether you need helper handles. 

Calphalon is great stuff too, and because it's lighter it's more woman friendly. 

I find the All-Clad handles plenty comfortable, but to each his own. 

BDL