My previous favorite was Cuisinart. I've had All-Clad too, also some tri-ply of several brands. Ultrex beats them all by dint of pure quality and price. I paid more for ONE large Cuisinart pan than a whole 12 pc set of Ultrex -- and the Ultrex is designed better. Browns FABULOUSLY, cooks evenly (has a heavy stainless clad aluminum disk on the bottom), has long handles which are suprisingly handy, 55 year warranty, Excalibur coating. (Just look up Excalibur in your latest gourmet catalogs - $$$$.) Cleans even better than the Excalibur-coated $$$ pans because it doesn't have those bolts on the inside. I can't say enough good things about the larger ones especially. I got the huge 7 quart pan in addition to the 12 pc set. It's amazing. The one and only almost-negative is that heavy disk. It can retain heat longer than you want. But then, that's why we have woks.

edfan@earthlink.net