🚀 go-pugleaf

Dear Netters:

I would like to solicit your opinions and/or experiences with products
from Saladmaster.  For those unfamiliar, Saladmaster sells a line of
cookware products that tout superior quality over regular cookware, as
well as other health and convenience benefits.

My questions:

1. (To owners)
   Are you satisfied with the products? 
   Do you feel that it was a worthwhile investment ($1800-$2000)?

2. Are there other competitor products that offer the same features/
   benefits at much less cost?

thanks much,

Ben Bongalon


PS- Details below
------------------------------------------

I attended a demo yesterday and left impressed.  The vegetable/food slicer
machine chopped/grated effortlessly.  Cabbages, carrots, potatoes, etc. were
literally processed in seconds.  The pots and pans were equally impressive.
Food was cooked without having to stir or turn them over.  A whole panful
of chicken was fried without adding oil.

Some more highlights:

- quality
    The cookware products look very sturdy and rugged.  The pots/pans are made
    of a 7-ply metal (layers of aluminum, surgical steel, etc.) on the bottom,
    top and sides, which allow heat to conduct evenly on all sides (and thus
    obviating the needing for stirring/turning over)

    Saladmaster products are also backed by a lifetime warranty.

- health benefits:
   Little or no oil is needed to cook foods.    

   No-aluminum contaminants, since the top and bottom layers of the metal is
   made of surgical steel.

- convenience:
   Food seems to cook faster because of better heat conduction.

   Also there's no need to stir/turn over the food while cooking.  The
   demonstrator claimed that you can cook dishes unattended by cooking the
   dish in low heat for 1 hour (you can run errands in the meantime).

Cons: 

- price:    very expensive, $1800 for a 20-pc set, $2000 for a 23-pc set.
	    One point of concern is that Saladmaster seems to have a MLM
	    (multi-level marketing) structure, and I don't know what percentage
	    of the cost is "overhead".