Cookware Review — United States

HexClad, and the hexagon that quietly changed the nonstick pan.

A laser-etched stainless grid raised through a nonstick coating. It sounds like a manufacturing footnote. In a working kitchen, it changes which utensil you reach for, which pan stays on the burner, and how long you keep the surface before it goes in the bin.

Reading time ≈ 8 minutes
Updated for the 2025 retail season

What HexClad actually is

HexClad started in Los Angeles in 2016 with a fairly narrow idea: a pan should behave like stainless steel when you want a sear, and like a nonstick pan when you want an egg to slide out. Most cookware forces a choice between the two.

The brand's answer is a three-layer clad body — stainless steel on the cooking face, an aluminium core, stainless steel on the base — with a PTFE nonstick coating applied on top of the cooking face and then laser-etched into a hexagonal pattern. The etching cuts through the coating and exposes the stainless ridges underneath, so the cooking surface becomes a grid of alternating materials: soft nonstick inside each hexagon, hard steel along every border.

That single structural decision explains almost everything else about the pan — why metal utensils are tolerated, why the surface survives a dishwasher, and why it takes a little longer to heat than a thin nonstick skillet.

Founded: 2016, Los Angeles, California
Body: Three-ply clad: stainless / aluminium core / stainless
Surface: Laser-etched hexagonal grid; steel ridges through the coating
Coating: PTFE-based nonstick, PFOA-free formulation
Oven safe: Rated to roughly 500°F / 260°C, lid dependent
Stovetops: Gas, electric coil, glass ceramic, induction
Care: Dishwasher safe; metal utensils usable; limited lifetime warranty
Format: Sold mostly as sets, with single skillets as the entry point

Most nonstick pans ask you to choose between a surface that releases food and a surface that can take heat, metal and a dishwasher. HexClad puts both on the same cooking face and lets the steel do the protecting.

Why people end up choosing it

One pan covers two cooking logics

You can brown a chicken thigh until it releases on its own, then drop the heat and cook eggs in the same pan without scrubbing between steps. Households that used to keep a separate stainless skillet and a separate nonstick pan often find they simply stop reaching for both.

Metal utensils are not a problem

The steel ridges sit above the coating, so a fish spatula or a pair of tongs contacts steel rather than PTFE. It is not indestructible, and a serrated knife is still a poor idea, but the daily fear of ruining a coating with a fork disappears.

It moves from the burner into the oven

Sear on the stove, finish under the broiler, carry it to the table. Rated to roughly 500°F, the pan handles the full cycle that a pan-seared steak or a whole roast chicken actually requires.

Induction and dishwasher ready

The stainless base is magnetic, so it works on induction hobs — a growing share of American kitchens, and a common gap in the nonstick category. It also tolerates a dishwasher, which is a meaningful convenience for anyone cooking on a weekday schedule.

Strengths, and the trade-offs worth knowing

What it does well

Combines a genuine sear with a genuinely releasing surface — unusual in one pan
Tolerates metal tools, which extends useful life in a busy kitchen
Works across gas, electric and induction without a separate purchase
Oven safe to about 500°F, so stovetop-to-oven cooking is one pan
Dishwasher safe, with a less delicate coating than typical nonstick
Backed by a limited lifetime warranty and an established US support channel
Wide format range: skillets, woks, sauciers, grill pans and sets

What to weigh first

Heavier than a thin nonstick skillet — expect a real pan, not a light one
Needs a short preheat; cold-start eggs will not behave like they do in cheap nonstick
The coating is still PTFE-based, so anyone deliberately avoiding PTFE should look elsewhere
Priced above mainstream supermarket cookware; sets are the main route in
Water spots and light staining can appear along the ridges if the pan is left wet
Searing works best when you let the pan come up to temperature and use some fat

Who tends to buy it

Frequent home cooks. People cooking four or more nights a week want a pan that survives repetition rather than a pan that looks good in a cupboard.
Induction households. Renters and newer-build owners with induction hobs are a natural fit, since most nonstick options simply do not work on their stove.
Upgraders replacing worn nonstick. Typically a household on its third or fourth flaking pan, ready to pay once rather than repeat the cycle.
Small-kitchen and apartment cooks. Buying one set instead of four single-purpose pans is as much a storage decision as a cooking one.

People who cook with metal. Anyone whose default tools are tongs, a fish spatula and a pair of kitchen tweezers rather than silicone.
Gift buyers. Wedding and housewarming purchases, helped by the set-based packaging and a recognisable name.
Audience arriving from social video. Short clips of an egg sliding across a hexagon are unusually persuasive, and the brand leans on that format.
Everyday cooks who want fewer decisions. One pan that sears, releases, roasts and washes up is a simpler routine, not a hobby.

What the retail picture shows

4.4–4.6 Typical average star rating across the brand's main marketplace listings

Tens of thousands Ratings accumulated on the principal Amazon skillet and set pages

2016 Year founded; the brand moved from online-only into broad US retail

Sets The dominant purchase format at warehouse and specialty retail

Where the sales concentrate

Amazon. The single largest review surface and the entry point for single skillets.
Brand direct. Bundles and multi-piece sets, often with promotions that make the set the better value than the single pan.
Costco. Warehouse sets pitched at households buying cookware once rather than collecting it.
Specialty kitchen retail. Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table placements put the pan next to premium rivals and lend it credibility with gift buyers.
Social commerce. Short-form video and live shopping turn a single egg-slide clip into a measurable conversion channel.

Reading the numbers carefully

Cookware retail data moves weekly, and a marketplace rating is an average of very different buyers — a professional line cook and a first-apartment renter can both leave five stars for different reasons. The figure worth noting is not the exact count but the direction: consistent volume, a stable rating, and a purchase mix skewing toward multi-piece sets rather than one-off pans.

That mix is a signal in itself. Buyers who commit to a set have usually already decided the format is right for them, which is why repeat-purchase rates in this category tend to track set owners rather than single-skillet buyers.

Figures above are approximate ranges drawn from public retail listings and third-party commerce reporting at the time of writing. They are presented as signals, not audited sales totals.

Where the pan earns its place

The weekday egg

Low heat, a little butter, and a surface that releases without a scramble. This is the everyday test most nonstick pans are bought for, and the one that decides whether a pan stays on the hob.

The steak sear

High heat, a dry surface, no sticking when the crust forms. Because the pan is clad rather than thin, the temperature recovers quickly when the meat goes in.

Stovetop to oven

Chicken thighs or a frittata that start on the burner and finish under the broiler, with no pan change and no transfer to a baking dish.

Induction kitchens

Small apartments and newer builds where the hob is induction and most nonstick cookware is simply incompatible.

Metal-tool kitchens

Where tongs, a fish slice and a whisk live on the counter and nobody wants to police which utensil touches which pan.

Weeknight clean-up

Dishwasher safe, and forgiving of a pan that sits in the sink for an hour. A practical advantage over delicate coated cookware.

Why it lands well in American kitchens

American home kitchens are unusually varied in what they cook on. A single street can hold gas ranges, coil electric stoves, glass-ceramic surfaces and induction. A pan that works on all four removes a purchasing question that most buyers do not want to research.

The utensil culture matters too. Tongs, metal spatulas and cast-iron habits are normal in US kitchens, and a coating that can tolerate them fits an existing routine rather than asking for a new one. Add dishwasher use as a default expectation and the pan's design brief starts to look specifically American.

Distribution reinforces the fit. Warehouse clubs, specialty kitchen retailers and a strong direct channel mean the brand can be bought, returned and serviced domestically, with a limited lifetime warranty handled through a US support operation. For a category where the main anxiety is "will the coating fail in a year", accessible returns and a real warranty do a lot of the persuading.

Stove compatibility without research. Gas, coil, glass ceramic and induction in one pan.
Built for the American utensil drawer. Metal tools are tolerated rather than warned against.
Dishwasher as a baseline expectation. Not a specialty-care item.
Oven-finishing culture. Rated for the stovetop-to-oven habit that steak and roast chicken recipes assume.
Domestic retail and returns. Costco, Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table, Amazon and direct — with US-based warranty support.
Set sizing that matches US storage. Multi-piece configurations built around the pans American households actually use, rather than singles sold individually.

How it sits against the usual alternatives

HexClad Hybrid clad with an etched nonstick grid

Audience: Everyday home cooks who want one pan to sear and to release, cook with metal tools, and skip the delicate care routine.
Strengths: Sear and release in one surface; metal-tool tolerance; induction and oven compatible; dishwasher safe; limited lifetime warranty.
Trade-offs: Heavier than basic nonstick; needs a preheat; still PTFE-based; the cost sits above mass-market cookware.

All-Clad Fully clad stainless steel

Audience: Serious cooks and professionals who expect to manage heat and fat themselves and want cookware that outlives them.
Strengths: Even, responsive heat; essentially no wear surface to degrade; made in the USA; excellent for pan sauces and deglazing.
Trade-offs: Food sticks unless temperature and fat are handled properly; a learning curve for anyone raised on nonstick; heavier and priced high.
Audience gap: All-Clad assumes technique. HexClad removes the technique requirement for eggs and delicate fish without giving up the sear.

Caraway Ceramic-coated nonstick

Audience: Design-led buyers who want a PTFE-free cooking surface and a coordinated set that looks considered on an open shelf.
Strengths: Strong out-of-the-box release; considered colour palette; storage accessories included; genuinely nice to handle.
Trade-offs: Ceramic coatings have a shorter working life than clad steel; not rated for metal utensils; not a searing pan; heat ceilings are lower.
Audience gap: Caraway sells an aesthetic and a coating preference. HexClad sells durability and stove-to-oven range.

Made In Restaurant-supply stainless and carbon steel

Audience: Enthusiastic cooks and semi-professionals who want kitchen-grade equipment, transparent sourcing and no embellishment.
Strengths: Serious build quality; carbon steel options that season beautifully; straightforward pricing; strong for high-heat work.
Trade-offs: Not a nonstick option at all; carbon steel needs seasoning and dedicated care; the learning curve is real.
Audience gap: Made In is for cooks who enjoy the craft. HexClad is for cooks who want the result with less maintenance.

Our Place Lifestyle ceramic nonstick

Audience: Younger renters and first-kitchen buyers drawn in by colour, compact sizing and a single-pan-does-everything promise.
Strengths: Approachable design; lighter weight; a low entry price relative to clad cookware; strong visual identity.
Trade-offs: Smaller cooking surfaces; ceramic coating lifespan is a recurring complaint; not built for high heat or metal tools.
Audience gap: Our Place is a starter pan. HexClad is aimed at households replacing cookware rather than assembling a first set.

Tramontina Accessible clad and nonstick

Audience: Value-focused households and anyone equipping a kitchen quickly on a budget.
Strengths: Low cost of entry; some clad lines perform well above their price; widely available.
Trade-offs: Line-to-line quality varies considerably; thinner nonstick coatings wear faster; fewer induction-ready options at the low end.
Audience gap: Tramontina competes on price and replacement. HexClad competes on how long you go before the next replacement.

A reasonable way to decide

If your kitchen runs on induction, your utensil drawer is full of metal, and your current nonstick pan is on its second or third replacement, HexClad solves a specific set of problems at once — and the economics of buying once start to make sense.

If you cook mostly on low heat, prefer ceramic coatings, want the lightest possible pan, or actively avoid PTFE, the alternatives above are genuinely better suited to you. That is not a hedge; it is the honest split.

Choose HexClad for a single pan that sears, releases, moves into the oven and tolerates metal.
Choose All-Clad if pan sauces, deglazing and a cooking method you control matter more than convenience.
Choose Caraway if a PTFE-free surface and a coordinated look are the priority and you accept a shorter coating life.
Choose Made In if you want restaurant-grade steel and enjoy the technique behind it.
Choose Our Place for a first kitchen and a compact, lighter pan.
Choose Tramontina when budget sets the frame and replacement is expected.