Made In, All-Clad, and HexClad represent three distinct approaches to high-performance cookware. All-Clad is the long-established gold standard for professional-grade, American-made stainless steel, known for its bonded construction and heirloom quality. Made In offers a direct-to-consumer alternative with similar professional-grade specs and transparent sourcing, while HexClad introduces innovative hybrid technology that combines a non-stick surface with the durability of stainless steel.
Let's compare everything you need to know to choose the right cookware for your kitchen.
Made In: The Professional Direct-to-Consumer Choice
Made In emerged as a popular direct-to-consumer brand offering professional-quality kitchen tools without the traditional retail markup. By partnering with generational factories in the USA and Italy, they produce durable, high-performance stainless steel, non-stick, and copper cookware that appeals to serious home cooks and pro chefs alike.
- Product mix: Stainless clad frying pans, sauté pans, stock pots, and sauciers, plus non-stick frying pans, carbon steel, copper cookware, knives, and bakeware.
- Style/vibe: A clean, modern, and professional aesthetic that feels at home in a high-end kitchen. The designs are functional and minimalist, with a focus on performance over intricate details.
- Price point: Mid-range to premium, offering strong value. Stainless sets start around $150, non-stick pans are around $50-$150, and their sought-after copper pieces run from $200-$600.
- Quality: Excellent construction featuring 5-ply stainless clad cookware for even heat distribution. Its products are known for durability and are backed by a lifetime warranty, positioning them as a serious competitor to legacy brands.
- Key selling points: Transparency in sourcing (USA and Italy), professional-grade materials, and direct communication with customers provide a modern and trustworthy shopping experience.
- Sustainability & Ethics: The brand is transparent about its factory partners and emphasizes durable, long-lasting products to reduce waste. They also use eco-friendly packaging.
Made In is an excellent choice for cooks who want restaurant-quality performance and durable materials at a more accessible price point than traditional premium brands.
Shop Made In: madeincookware.com
All-Clad: The Gold Standard in Chef-Quality Cookware
Since patenting its bonded metal process in 1971, All-Clad has become synonymous with premium, American-made cookware. Revered in professional kitchens and coveted by ambitious home cooks, All-Clad is best known for its multi-ply stainless steel construction that provides exceptional heat conductivity and longevity, making it an heirloom-quality investment.
- Product mix: A vast collection of cookware including stainless steel in various plies (D3, D5, Copper Core), non-stick collections, bakeware, and electrics. They offer cookware for nearly every conceivable kitchen task.
- Style/vibe: Timeless and classic professional. The signature polished stainless steel with riveted handles is instantly recognizable and has remained largely unchanged for decades, communicating pure utility and quality.
- Price point: Premium. All-Clad sits at the high end of the market, with stainless steel sets typically starting around $300 and ranging well over $1,000. Individual pans frequently cost between $100 and $300.
- Quality: Unquestionably high. Made primarily in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, All-Clad's fully clad construction ensures edge-to-edge heating performance. Their products are built to last a lifetime and often do.
- Key selling points: Best-in-class heat performance, Made in the USA craftsmanship, and an enduring professional reputation make it a go-to for those who are serious about cooking.
- Where to buy: Available direct from its website and also sold through high-end retailers like Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, and specialty kitchen stores.
All-Clad is for the purist who values made-in-America craftsmanship, superior performance from traditional materials, and is willing to invest in pieces that will last for generations.
Shop All-Clad: all-clad.com
HexClad: The Innovative Hybrid Cookware
HexClad has made a name for itself by challenging traditional cookware design with its patented hybrid technology. By etching a hexagonal stainless steel grid over a non-stick surface, HexClad aims to deliver the best of both worlds: the easy release and cleanup of non-stick pans and the searing power and durability of stainless steel.
- Product mix: Primarily focused on its core hybrid cookware, including frying pans, woks, sauciers, and full sets. The collection has expanded to include griddles and a few utensils designed for its unique surface.
- Style/vibe: Modern, high-tech, and distinctive. The raised laser-etched hexagon pattern is the brand's key visual feature, giving it a unique and contemporary look.
- Price point: Premium mid-range. Complete sets begin around $300, with individual pans typically costing $50 to $200. Pricing is competitive with high-end stainless and non-stick options from other brands.
- Quality: The hybrid technology creates a durable surface that is scratch-resistant and designed to prevent the chipping or peeling common with traditional non-stick. Pans are tri-ply construction for reliable heating.
- Key selling points: Patented hybrid surface that is scratch-resistant, metal utensil safe, dishwasher safe, and oven safe up to 500°. Versatility is the cornerstone of its appeal.
- Manufacturing: Designed in Los Angeles and manufactured in China with high-quality control standards.
HexClad is built for busy, modern home cooks who want one set of versatile, low-maintenance pans that can stand up to heavy use without sacrificing performance.
Shop HexClad: hexclad.com
Made In vs. All-Clad vs. HexClad Comparison
Price Comparison
When comparing prices, All-Clad is the most premium brand, often with a significant price difference. A standard 10-piece set from All-Clad's D3 line can cost $700 or more, while a similar set from Made In costs closer to $500–$600. HexClad's 10-piece set is usually priced around $500. This positions Made In and HexClad as more accessible high-performance options compared to the heritage investment of All-Clad.
Value depends on your goals. All-Clad's value comes from its lifetime durability and reputation. Made In offers nearly identical performance from premium materials for less money, representing an excellent pure value play. HexClad’s value is rooted in its innovative convenience and multi-purpose function, potentially saving you from buying separate stainless steel and non-stick pans.
Quality & Materials
All three brands use high-quality, multi-ply construction. Made In uses 5-ply stainless clad cookware, primarily from American steel finished in Italy. All-Clad is famous for pioneering bonded metals, using high-quality American steel in its bonded tri-ply (D3), five-ply (D5), and specialty Copper Core cookware lines. Both brands provide superb, even-heating performance.
HexClad's quality story is different. It also uses tri-ply construction (two layers of stainless steel around an aluminum core) but innovates on the surface. Its laser-etched hexagonal grid sits slightly above a non-stick coating. This design protects the non-stick from scratches while giving you stainless steel touchpoints for better searing than a traditional non-stick pan can provide.
Style & Aesthetic
Your kitchen's design may influence your choice. All-Clad cookware holds a timeless, professional appeal with its polished finish and sturdy, classic-looking handles. It looks serious and performs that way.
Made In offers a more contemporary and refined European aesthetic. It is still professional but with a sleeker, brushed stainless finish and elegantly curved handles designed for a more comfortable hold. HexClad’s look is overtly futuristic and technical, defined by its signature black-and-silver hexagon pattern. It’s a statement piece that immediately communicates its hybrid function.
Shopping Experience
Made In and HexClad operate on a strong direct-to-consumer model. Shopping on their websites is straightforward, and they provide extensive educational content, videos, and positive user reviews. They are also available through channels like Amazon, making purchasing convenient.
All-Clad has a much broader retail footprint. While you can buy direct from their website, they are a staple in high-end department stores like Williams Sonoma, Bloomingdale's, and Crate & Barrel. This allows customers to see and feel the famously hefty products in person before buying, which can be a meaningful advantage for such an expensive purchase.
Sustainability & Ethics
For shoppers concerned with an item's origin, the differences are clear. All-Clad builds its reputation on American manufacturing, with the vast majority of its clad cookware produced entirely in its Pennsylvania factory. Made In offers strong transparency, explicitly stating that its stainless steel is made in Italy and its carbon steel and non-stick in France and the USA, working with family-owned factories.
HexClad designs its products in the USA and manufactures them in Asia. While the company maintains strict quality control, it is a different manufacturing approach from its heritage and DTC competitors.
Which One Should You Choose?
These brands are all excellent, but they serve different types of cooks and priorities.
Choose Made In if:
- You want professional-level performance at a more accessible price point.
- You value transparency and knowing the story behind where your products are made.
- A sleek, modern European design aesthetic appeals to you.
- You're building a serious "pro-sumer" kitchen piece by piece.
Choose All-Clad if:
- You see cookware as a lifetime - or multigenerational - investment and are willing to pay for it.
- "Made in the USA" is a significant factor in your purchasing decisions.
- You want the undisputed choice of professional kitchens for the last 50 years.
- You prefer a classic, heavy-duty build and a timeless aesthetic.
Choose HexClad if:
- You want the convenience of non-stick with the searing ability of stainless steel in one pan.
- Durability and scratch-resistance is your top priority for a non-stick surface.
- You appreciate innovative technology and its eye-catching, modern design.
- The idea of using metal utensils and putting your pan in the dishwasher is a must-have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which cookware brand is the most affordable?
For a straightforward cost comparison, Made In is typically the most affordable option, especially when comparing similar 5-ply stainless steel sets to All-Clad's offerings. HexClad sits in a similar price range to Made In, but All-Clad remains the most premium-priced brand of the three.
Is HexClad better than All-Clad?
"Better" depends on the user. All-Clad is superior for pure searing, heat control, and classic stainless steel performance. HexClad is better for everyday versatility, easy cleanup, and durability if you enjoy the low-maintenance nature of non-stick cookware but dislike how quickly traditional coatings wear out.
Where is Made In cookware manufactured?
Made In is very transparent about its sourcing. Their renowned 5-ply Stainless Clad pots and pans are made in Italy. Their Non-Stick Frying Pans are made in the USA with Italian handles, and their Carbon Steel pans come from France.
Which is best for searing a steak?
Nothing beats traditional stainless steel or carbon steel for developing a deep crust on a steak. For that task, both Made In and All-Clad's stainless steel cookware would outperform the hybrid surface of HexClad, which can achieve a good sear, but not one quite to the same degree.
Is HexClad truly scratch-resistant?
Yes, compared to traditional non-stick, HexClad's surface is extremely scratch-resistant, thanks to the raised steel hexagons that protect the non-stick valleys. You can use metal spatulas, whisks, and other utensils on it without damaging the surface in the way you would traditional Teflon coatings.
Which pots and pans are dishwasher safe?
HexClad cookware is advertised as fully dishwasher safe. While Made In and All-Clad's stainless steel collections are technically dishwasher safe, both companies strongly recommend handwashing to preserve the cookware's finish and longevity over time.
Which brand has the best performance for induction cooktops?
All three brands perform exceptionally well on induction cooktops because their bases are made with magnetic grades of stainless steel. There is no significant performance difference between them when used on an induction stove.
Do professional chefs use these brands?
All three are found in professional kitchens but to different extents. All-Clad has been a universal staple in Michelin-star and professional kitchens for decades. Made In has successfully marketed itself to and built a following among many new-generation professional chefs and high-end restaurants. HexClad's primary user is the serious home cook, though it's gained fame through chef endorsements like Gordon Ramsay.
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