My household spends a good deal of time cooking each day, and the difference in the quality of this set was quite noticable to us. The pans are sturdy, heat up the food evenly with no hot spots, and really are non-stick. We've even made caramelized apple slices and they slid right off of the skillet. Even after a good deal of repeated use, this set has proven to be resilient to wear and tear. The utensils are sturdy, but I do only use them on lower heat settings, and generally more for serving with since they do look nice too.