Dutch Ovens. Do we pay for quality or brand name?

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Whilst working at the laptop in the kitchen .I have mini office come small eating space in the corner . I noticed it was 1.00 PM and thought I might do a one pot meal for tea .I looked at the shelf where I keep the Dutch Ovens . I have three . A 24cm Womens Weekly Brand (now Classica ) I paid $49.95 for about 4 1/2 years ago and made in China . A Chasseur 24cm which was gifted to me .They paid $179 for it . French made . The other one , also a gift is a 24cm Le Creuset also French made .I think it was about $185. After over 4 years of using the three of them regularly if I could not now justify the price difference between the Chasseur , the Le Creuset and the cheaper Womenā€™s Weekly Model nee Classica . Under the Classica banner the Womenā€™s weekly model has risen in price but so have the others .The point of the post is , is it worth paying over double the price for country of origin and the brand name . Iā€™m aware that labour costs would be lower in China than France but the variance seems excessive .
http://www.everten.com.au/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=desc&is_ajax=1&order=relevance&p=1&q=Le+Creuset+French+oven
http://www.everten.com.au/catalogsearch/result/index/?is_ajax=1&manufacturer=356&p=1&q=Chasseur+French+Ovens
http://www.everten.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?dir=desc&manufacturer=616&order=relevance&q=Classica+Dutch+Oven

The links given will show price variance .The Le Creuset at$461 seems excessive

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Cooking utensils I buy are first tested by Americas Test kitchen and I then either import their choice (sic) or try to buy in australiaā€¦ Their recommendation was Does an oval cast-iron Dutch oven cook as well as a round one?

Since our favorite Dutch oven in the test kitchen has long been a round model, weā€™ve never put this question to the test. To answer it, we bought a 6 3/4-quart Le Creuset oval enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, the closest equivalent to our favorite 7 1ā„4-quart round oven. (A quick refresher in geometry assured us that despite their difference in capacity, the surface areas of the two Dutch ovens were very similar.) So would the two long ends of the oval pot, which are never directly over the burner, make for uneven cooking and browning?

To our surprise, we found that beef chunks browned equally well in the two vessels, and long pork roasts were also evenly colored. The key, it turns out, is the cast-iron material of the ovens: Because itā€™s not an especially efficient conductor of energy, cast iron takes longer to heat up than less substantial materials, but once thoroughly heated, it retains heat very well, making those end areas not in direct contact with the burner just as capable of browning meat as the center.

The bottom line: As long as you adequately pre-heat it, an oval cast-iron Dutch oven should cook as well as a round model, without any adjustments to cooking times or procedures.then on to testingLe Creuset 7 1/4 Quart Round Dutch Oven
This pricey pot is still the one to beat. It was the most durable and user-friendly with comfortable handles and lower, straight sides that made it easy to move, load, and unload. Its broad, lightly-colored cooking surface allowed us to cook more food faster and monitor browning. Itā€™s heavy, as a Dutch oven should be, but a bit lighter than some of the others we tested.

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@martin.richter48 Thanks Martin for the input . I cook a lot of Pasta and use the 20 cm Le Creuset 3 play stainless Pasta pot nearly everyday . Great product . Iā€™m currently looking for a 28 cm oval Dutch , French oven and have narrowed it down to Staub or Le Creseut .Have you had any experience with Staub . I only know about them from what I have read on cooking forums .Your input would be greatly appreciated . Thanks again for taking part in this post .

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We use the ALDI brand of Dutch Oven. It cooks food well and excels at Sueā€™s Lazy Lasagne and Shepherds Pie. For a $40 purchase canā€™t fault it.

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@grahroll Thanks for that . Will definitely head down to Aldiā€™s later and check them out .

                         Mike
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Only come on Special Buys a few times a year. Look out for them in their brochure or I am happy to put a notice in here when they next turn up. BTW they do have mini ones at times as well for single serves.

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@grahroll Would much appreciate if you could notify me when they were available on special again .

         Mike
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