All-Clad D3: the pan with nothing to wear out
All-Clad vs HexClad: Which 12-Inch Pan to Buy
HexClad promises the sear of stainless and the release of nonstick in one pan. Independent testing says it does the first better than the second.
Side by side.
Tap either one to check today’s price.
HexClad: the hybrid
Line by line.
Even on the lines that differ: 3 each.
| Feature | All-Clad | HexClad |
|---|---|---|
| Price, 12 in on Amazon | About $160, pan only (the edge) | About $199, with glass lid |
| Cooking surface | Bare 18/10 stainless steel | Laser-etched stainless hexagons over TerraBond ceramic nonstick |
| BodyEven | Tri-ply, aluminum core, fully bonded | Tri-ply, aluminum core, magnetic steel base |
| Weight | 2.8 lb (America's Test Kitchen) (the edge) | 3.15 lb (America's Test Kitchen) |
| Flat cooking area | 9.5 in (America's Test Kitchen) | 10 in (America's Test Kitchen) (the edge) |
| Oven | Oven and broiler safe to 600°F | Pan oven safe to 900°F per the listing; glass lid lower (the edge) |
| Dishwasher | Hand wash only | Dishwasher-friendly per the listing (the edge) |
| America's Test Kitchen | Winner, stainless skillets (the edge) | Not recommended in nonstick testing; eggs stuck |
| Made in | USA (Pennsylvania), with global components | Not stated on the listing |
| Warranty | All-Clad limited warranty | Lifetime against manufacturer's defects, when sold by HexClad |
The verdict
Which to buy.
Buy the All-Clad D3 if you want a pan with nothing to wear out that sears, deglazes and goes under the broiler for decades. Buy the HexClad only if you want one pan that goes in the dishwasher and releases food more easily than bare steel, and accept that it is not as slick as true nonstick.
The cookware still made in America.The cookware you do not have to wonder about.The stainless skillet that does the real cooking.
The All-Clad D3 is plain bonded stainless: steel around an aluminum core, with nothing on the cooking surface to wear away. HexClad's hybrid pan uses a similar tri-ply body but covers the cooking surface with a laser-etched grid of stainless steel hexagons, and fills the valleys between them with a ceramic nonstick coating it calls TerraBond. The idea is that the steel peaks sear and the coated valleys release.
They are really answers to different questions. The D3 is a searing and sauce pan that will last generations. The HexClad is an attempt at one pan that does everything and survives metal tools and the dishwasher. America's Test Kitchen named the D3 its winner among stainless skillets. When it tested the 12 inch HexClad among nonstick skillets, it did not recommend it: eggs stuck, though it seared meat well. Consumer Reports, in its own testing, rated the HexClad very good at releasing eggs and excellent for evenness.
HexClad now describes its coating as TerraBond, a ceramic nonstick it calls PTFE-free. Earlier HexClad pans used a PTFE-based coating, so reviews and secondhand pans may not reflect the current version. What follows compares the current 12 inch pans as sold on Amazon.
How we chose
- What each surface does. Searing, release and durability, judged from America's Test Kitchen and Consumer Reports testing rather than marketing claims.
- How long it lasts. A bare steel surface has nothing to wear out. Any nonstick coating, ceramic included, is the part that ages.
- Maker's limits. Oven, dishwasher and utensil guidance from the Amazon listings.
- Who sells it. Both pans are sold on Amazon by the maker or Amazon itself. HexClad's warranty applies to pans sold by HexClad.
AAll-Clad D3: the pan with nothing to wear out
All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA
Bonded tri-ply stainless that sears, makes a pan sauce and goes under the broiler, and will outlive its owner.
- Made in
- USA (Pennsylvania), with global components
- Keeps for
- Generations
- Construction
- Tri-ply: stainless, aluminum core, fully bonded
- Cooking surface
- 9.5 in (America's Test Kitchen)
- Weight
- 2.8 lb (America's Test Kitchen)
- Oven and broiler
- Safe to 600°F
- Cooktops
- All, including induction
- Care
- Hand wash only
D3 is All-Clad's original line, made in Pennsylvania with global components per the listing: stainless inside and out, aluminum core, bonded rim to rim. It is oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit and works on induction. America's Test Kitchen has named it its favorite stainless skillet for decades, measured a 9.5 inch cooking surface and weighed it at 2.8 pounds.
Food sticks to bare steel at first, and that is by design: the browned layer becomes the sauce. Preheat properly, add fat before the food, and let meat release on its own. Eggs are possible with enough butter and patience, but this is not an egg pan.
Skip it if you want the dishwasher. All-Clad says hand wash only.
The catch. Food sticks until you learn the pan, and it is hand wash only.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →BHexClad: the hybrid
HexClad 12" Hybrid Nonstick Frying Pan with Lid
A tri-ply pan with steel ridges over a ceramic nonstick, for cooks who want one pan for most jobs and the dishwasher.
- Keeps for
- The body lasts; the coating wears with use
- Surface
- Stainless hexagons over TerraBond ceramic nonstick
- Body
- Tri-ply, aluminum core
- Cooking surface
- 10 in (America's Test Kitchen)
- Weight
- 3.15 lb pan (America's Test Kitchen)
- Oven
- Pan to 900°F per the listing; lid lower
- Care
- Dishwasher-friendly; metal utensil safe
HexClad's hybrid surface is a laser-etched network of stainless steel hexagons raised over valleys of TerraBond ceramic nonstick. The listing describes tri-ply construction with an aluminum core, says the pan is metal-utensil safe and dishwasher-friendly, and rates the pan oven safe to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, with the glass lid rated lower. It works on induction and comes with a tempered glass lid.
The testing is split. America's Test Kitchen weighed it at 3.15 pounds, measured a generous 10 inch cooking surface and found it seared meat well, but rated it not recommended among nonstick skillets because eggs stuck and a frittata did not slide out cleanly; it put that down to the uncoated steel hexagons. Consumer Reports rated it very good at releasing eggs, excellent for evenness, and excellent at surviving 2,000 strokes of steel wool.
Buy it if the dishwasher and metal tools matter more to you than the last degree of release or sear. Skip it if you want either a true nonstick egg pan or a pan with no coating at all; one of each does both jobs better.
The catch. Not as slick as a true nonstick pan in ATK's testing, and the coating is still the part that ages.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →Also 01Clad body, true nonstick
All-Clad D3 Pro Nonstick Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA
The D3 tri-ply body with a PTFE lining, for cooks who want nonstick release and clad-steel heat.
- Made in
- USA (Pennsylvania), with global components
- Keeps for
- The pan lasts; the coating wears like any other
- Construction
- Tri-ply stainless, aluminum core, PTFE nonstick
- Size
- 12 in
- Oven
- Safe to 500°F
- Cooktops
- All, including induction
- Care
- Hand wash only; silicone, nylon or wooden utensils
D3 Pro Nonstick is the same tri-ply sandwich as the D3, stainless around an aluminum core, with a PTFE nonstick coating inside. It is oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, works on induction and must be washed by hand. America's Test Kitchen's current favorite nonstick skillet is an All-Clad stainless-clad nonstick pan, praised as slick, durable and induction compatible.
It is the closer answer to what many HexClad buyers want: a heavy, even pan that releases eggs. It gives up the dishwasher and metal tools to get there.
The catch. The coating will wear out long before the steel does.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →Also 02The inexpensive nonstick
All-Clad HA1 Nonstick 12" Fry Pan with Lid, Induction Ready
Hard-anodized aluminum with a PTFE coating and a lid, for eggs and fish at well under half the HexClad's price.
- Made in
- China (designed in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania)
- Keeps for
- A few years, as with any coated pan
- Construction
- Hard-anodized aluminum, stainless base, PTFE nonstick
- Size
- 12 in, with glass lid
- Oven
- Pan to 500°F; lid to 350°F
- Cooktops
- All, including induction
- Care
- Dishwasher safe; hand washing preserves the coating
- Warranty
- Limited lifetime
HA1 is All-Clad's hard-anodized aluminum line with a PTFE nonstick coating and a stainless steel base for induction. The listing rates the pan oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the glass lid to 350, and calls it dishwasher safe, though All-Clad suggests washing by hand to preserve the coating. It is designed in Pennsylvania and made in China, with a limited lifetime warranty.
Paired with the D3, it covers everything the HexClad attempts, for about the same total money.
The catch. A coated pan is a consumable; expect to replace it in a few years of daily use.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →More head to heads.
The two-pan answer
Most cooks are better served by a bare stainless skillet for searing and sauces and a plain nonstick pan for eggs and fish than by one pan that splits the difference. The D3 and the HA1 together cost about $240, not far above a single HexClad with lid, and each does its job without compromise.
The case for the HexClad is space and simplicity: one pan, metal tools, the dishwasher. If that is what you value, it is a reasonable choice.
Buying HexClad on Amazon
HexClad sells on Amazon through its own storefront, and its listing says the lifetime warranty covers products sold by HexClad. Other sellers also list HexClad pans, sometimes at lower prices; check that the seller is HexClad before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is HexClad better than All-Clad?
Not for searing or longevity. America's Test Kitchen named the All-Clad D3 its top stainless skillet and did not recommend the HexClad among nonstick pans because eggs stuck. HexClad's advantages are the dishwasher and a surface that releases more easily than bare steel.
Is HexClad nonstick?
Partly. The valleys are coated with TerraBond ceramic nonstick, but the raised stainless hexagons are bare. Consumer Reports rated egg release very good; America's Test Kitchen found eggs stuck.
Does HexClad still use PTFE?
HexClad says its current products use TerraBond, a ceramic coating it describes as PTFE-free. Older HexClad pans used a PTFE-based coating.
Can HexClad go in the dishwasher?
The listing calls it dishwasher-friendly. The All-Clad D3 is hand wash only.
Is HexClad sold by the brand on Amazon?
Yes. HexClad has its own Amazon storefront, and the listing says its lifetime warranty covers products sold by HexClad. Third-party sellers list it too.
Sources
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