Might check out the CIA master series stuff. It's gone down in price recently.($500) Not an endorsement, I haven't seen it.

zoenipp, are there any places near you that offer coupons that are usable on All-Clad? That's how I got my set and some pieces this past fall. I used coupons at one local cooking store. I could only use one per visit at that particular store, so made a couple visits and had DH with me another time and we paid for the items separately (each using a coupon!).

I ended up paying full price for one pan to bring my total price for the set to the $500 required for the panini pan gift with purchase (well worth it IMHO, we use it and are enjoying our homemade panini's!), but that extra pan, a 1 1/2 qt saucepan with lid (which I'd wanted BTW) was on sale for a special "Try Me" price, so I still made out well.

FWIW, I really like the A-C pans a lot. Much more even cooking without the burning around the edges I'd experienced with my old pans on our Wolf range.

Good luck

PS will be in your neck of the woods next week!

Is there a Eco Concious cookware set available anywhere?
Does anybody know about Carl Weill cookware?
Thanks

All Clad wasn't an option for me because the handles just don't fit my hands. Ouch! I tried pieces of both Cuisinart's and Calphalon's multiclad lines, trying to make a decision. I like them both equally well - no huge differences in weight or performance. The main distinction is the glass lids on the Calphalon line, which is the pricier of the two. There are sets and individual pieces available on Amazon - usually one is at a Try Me price. I know nothing at all about the Tramontina, though.

I just started a search for the same thing.
I have some old farberware which the handles get very hot.
I bought 4 pans of Cuisinart at T.J. Maxx and they are ok but I think I will give them to my daughter. They seem to simmer around the edges and if I don't stir all the time they tend to burn the edges of the pan and the food (esp baked beans)soup, etc. Sauces I stir constantly anyway. I want to go with ss all clad but the pricing is high. I do shop T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods. But the Sam's Club pans seem as good from what I have read on this forum. I will check them out. Any other advice? I just want the ss- clad sauce pans, in 2-qt, 3-qt and maybe a 4qt. My farberware & Cunsinart pans were fine with my elect stove, but with my new wolf I really think I need something better to cook with. The stove cost plenty and I want good cookware but lets face it, what with Gas, Oil etc, $$$$ is tighter.Any other suggestions?

Well, after I've looked for a solid month for the Member's Mark or Costco tri-clad sets made by Tramontina, I have finally given up. There are two Tramontina lines that have 13-piece sets, one sells online for $500 -600 and the other is sold by Wal-Mart for about $140. There is no way that these could be comparable in quality with such a big difference in price point, is there? I've looked at the local TJ Maxx stores, Marshall's, etc., but the All-Clad is still very pricey and hard-to-find in my affluent area. I ended up buying a Surla-branded set on sale from SurLaTable, 9 pieces with comfortable-looking riveted handles and a lifetime guarantee. Free shipping and no sales tax for $299. I am supplementing this with a Tramontina 8- quart stockpot with pasta insert from Wal-Mart's website for $60 (no big investment there). Hopefully I will be pleased with my purchase. Knowing my luck, Costco will be offering the Tramontina set about the time this other stuff arrives.

Take a look at Calphalon's Tri-Ply stainless. You can find it for about $275 for a set. It is really nice cookware...comparable to All-Clad for a great price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Calphalon Tri-Ply

Ironically, the Tramontina Tri-ply clad at Wal-Mart is the same, even though the price is much cheaper.

I've seen the Tramontina Tri-ply line discussed on Chowhound, egullet and America's Test Kitchen Forums. One person actually went out and physically compared Tramontina pans at Wal-Mart and another store and could discern no difference.

Another poster called Tramontina's customer service. They verified they only make one Tri-Ply Clad line which is slightly re-branded for Wal-Mart but is otherwise identical manufacture. Apparently Wal-Mart just has really really good negotiators.

Stores here don't carry the Tri-Ply, but it can be ordered online at Walmart.com and shipped to the nearest store at no cost.

I bought the 5-quart Jumbo saute pan to see what I thought. I haven't cooked with it yet, but handles are comfortable and the pan is well-finished. Lighter than All-Clad but for me that's a plus. At $49.76 I didn't think I had much to lose.

Carol

I may be too late to help you out with your search, but look up American Kitchen Tri-Ply Cookware by Regal Ware. The cookware has comfortable, stay-cool handles, rivals any All-Clad product...and...it's MADE IN THE USA!