I've only had these for a couple of months and the base is leaking water when I use it which means the base is coming apart from the main pans. I bought these based on the great reviews and now I have pans I cannot use and am out the money also. I would not recommend these! I would buy something better. I thought Excelsteel was supposed to be a good brand, but BUYER BEWARE!!

These are decent pots and pans, for the price. The main complaint that I have for them is that they are very thin - so it very easy to burn things with them so making french toast and things like that always stick (no matter how much oil you put down).

But like I said, for the price they are a great "starter" set and this set has every pot you really need.

It's a lovely set at a great value- I cook every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and they've really stood up to my wear and tear. I adore the skillet it came with, the sides are high enough so I'm not flinging food everywhere when I'm trying to cook. I struggled a little with the smallest saucepan, it's incredibly small, but just the right size for melting butter or chocolate, or heating up a single can of vegetables. They are dishwasher safe, which I like on the nights where I'm too lazy to do the dishes, though if you want to maintain the brilliant shine and avoid water spots hand-washing is the way to go. I've only ever used stainless steel cookware, but if you aren't familiar with it there can be a bit of a learning curve, the best advice I can give to avoid sticking and burning is to never cook anything on high. They get hot quick and distribute the heat evenly, so if it's too high you're going to make a mess of the interior. Medium is the highest heat you'll need, even for cooking meat, only use high to boil water.

It's a set of pots and pans.

They're usable and work like you'd expect stainless steel pots and pans to work

However, there were 3 issues that I have with them, which is why I'm giving 3 stars.
Issue 1: After washing the cookware in the dishwasher, I noticed that water gets stuck in weird places. The handles are all hollow, and have very small holes at the ends. After taking them out of the dishwasher, you can clearly hear water sloshing around inside the handle, and it takes a good 30s per item to empty the water out. Even then, its probably still wet inside, but there's no way to dry it out. This doesn't apply just to the main pots and pans but the tops as well - the little knobs that you use to grip the tops have a small air pocket under them, and though it looks to be tightly sealed, after washing in the dishwasher, water got in there too. I was able to dry it out by placing tissues right along the edges, and it drew the water out, but again, it can't dry it completely.

With regards to issue 1, I haven't noticed any negative effects yet (It's been about 3 months), but it's still something that worries me, and I would have preferred it never be an issue in the first place.

Issue 2: The handles look weakly attached. The pot + handle (or pan + handle) is not one solid piece. They are separate pieces that are attached likely by having pressed very hard and used some sort of electrical/ionizing process to almost solder the pieces together. But it really doesn't look solid, and every time I have a heavy pot/pan I'm worried that one day it'll just break at the handle. It hasn't happened yet, and perhaps it never will, but I don't like the situation in the first place.

Issue 3: The bottom of the pots/pans started staining pretty quickly after using. Perhaps it would go away if I got some sort of targeted cleaner, but perhaps I could have gotten a different set of cookware.

Overall: I got it for about $50, so I'd say it's probably a good deal for that price. But if you want something that lasts, well, then this isn't the review for you because I've only had it for about 3 months, and honestly, I don't cook too often (maybe twice a week). But if I wanted something that lasts, I don't think I would have gotten this set.

The reviews for this set made it sound like a great purchase.
This set has been nothing but a disappointment since I started using them.

Poor Construction:
The way the handle is constructed, the steel at the base of the handle is already fatigued. When use them, you can see and feel the fatigue slowly turning into a fracture. after about 3-6 uses, 2 of them have visible cracks at the base of the handle. If you pick it up while half-full of water, you can visibly see the handle bending at the base, which causes the fatigue and fracture to increase.

Poor Functionality:
I knew going into this set, that sticking would be a bit more of an issue vs. teflon coated pans, but it is absurd. regardless of what actions I take to prevent sticking, the pans always end up with a nasty caked on layer at the bottom. I generally try to remove stuff like that with non-abrasive materials, since abrasive materials can sometimes make the problem worse, however even with soaking in bleach for days and vigorous scrubbing, it would seem that food practically fuses to the bottom. I've been avoiding cleaning them while they are hot to avoid warping, but that might be the only option.

The nice thing about this set is that the bottom is very flat, which makes it very nice to use on a glass-top stove.

Bottom Line: if you want decorative cookware, this is a great option. If you want Cookware that you intend to use, try something else.