The flames are not extending from the bottom. The set I have is a cheapie. I am leaning towards the Member's Mark set from Sam's. Anybody have and do the handles get hot!

wolfgang Puck's nonstick which I bought for eggs, has very hot handles.

I have the Sam's Club/Member's Mark cookware. It is the tri-ply clad, purchased for under $130.00 for the 11 piece set. I have a gas stove and the handles do not get hot. I absolutely love this set and have posted my "findings" regarding comparisons on another thread ;o) Bottom line is:
The handles are more comfortable in feel than the All Clad (sorry folks!). Someone mentioned that they thought the handles on the All Clad were attached "upside down", and after reading that I had to laugh because it definitely did feel that way when handling them.
The construction is the same except for the rivets (the rivets on the Sam's are aluminum encased in SS vs. all SS...not a biggie).
Performs the same with the same results in a "side by side" cooking comparison, using a friends All Clad.
I certainly don't mean to offend All Clad aficionados, but I'd rather spend the $350.00+ difference on or towards something else.

I also have the Member's Mark set from Sam's Club and also have a Calphalon set. If you use a burner that is too large, both sets will get hot handles. You can buy handle covers. I have expensive Calphalon covers for that set and they are hard to get on and off. I also have some cheapie ones that work just fine on both sets.

I spent 19 years cooking on electric. When I converted recently to gas, I was reminded of how hot the handles can get. Now I am in the habit of:

1. Leaving the pot slightly off center, with the handle 'off' the flames.
2. Using a side towel for any pan.