The Hexclad Copycat You Can Get At Costco For Much Cheaper Than The Real Thing

There are generally two kinds of home cooks. On the one hand, you have people who probably can't tell you what brand of pots and pans they've been using night after night, or maybe even where they came from. On the other hand, you have real devotees to specific manufacturers for one reason or another. Hexclad followers, for example, swear that plenty of the company's items are worth the brand's high prices due to what they see as superior performance. That performance is also what seems to have won Hexclad the endorsement of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay — and you can get something pretty similar for quite a bit less at Costco.

Hexclad sells a three-piece skillet set on its website for $399. Costco sells a very similar set of Henckels skillets, with the exception that they do not come with lids, for $99.99. Now, Hexclad does have plenty of trademarks and patented technology that its website insists "delivers the performance of stainless steel, durability of cast iron and convenience of nonstick all in one versatile cooking surface." Hexclad boasts a hexagonal pattern inside each pan that's intended to maximize searing. The Henkels set also has an interior design that aims to improve browning. At a glance, you might even mistake one for the other, and some users say that they function similarly, too.

In addition to those potentially flavor-enhancing patterns, both the Hexclad and Henckels sets have stainless steel on the outside and aluminum on the inside. Both have nonstick properties. And both include 8-, 10-, and 12-inch pans — plus the Hexclad set includes those glass lids, which can be helpful. Whether they're an extra $200 worth of helpful is up to you.

"Not sure why anyone would pay hundreds more for the Hexclad brand. These are the same pans," one Costco member posted in a 5-star review on the Henckels product listing. Many others compared Henckels to Hexclad by name, too, further noting the similarities. "No need for expensive Hexclad," another reviewer wrote, "these are half the price and make me cook excellently," perhaps not giving themselves enough credit. Not everyone loves the copycat, however, with some calling it knockoff, and others mentioning how hard they can be to clean. You could also always splash all the cash up front and decide for yourself. Hexclad accepts returns within 30 days. Costco's return policy is typically pretty flexible, too, allowing for in-store returns on your next grocery run without the extra stop at the shipping center.