The pasta pots shown in the photos are my own units . The top photo is of a Le Creuset pasta pot and the lower photo a Chef Inox unit . The Le Creuset is 5 years old and the Chef Inox roughly 4 years old /
They are used regularly , the Le Creuset on a daily basis , the Inox somewhat less . The Le Creuset is a well respected Fench brand and the Inox is an Australian company ./
Build quality … Both units are well constructed and nicely finished . The Inox comes with a steamer basket included the Le Creuset has the steamer basket available as an extra .The handles on the Le Creuset are riveted on whereas the Inox has welded handles . The reason for this is that the Inox can be used commercially , restaurant , cafe etc as all stock pots must have an unimpeded smooth inner surface to accommodate thorough cleaning . The Le Creuset 's rivet heads protrude into the cooking area and if they were to work loose they could potentially harbour food particles and bacteria . I have not , after 5 years of use , had this problem ./
Warranty … The Chef Inox has a lifetime warranty for both domestic and commercial use . The fact that the handles are welded to ISO 9001 standard accounts for this . The Le Creuset has a 10 year domestic warranty only . /
Replacement cost and country of origin … The Chef Inox originates in China or Thailand . The replacement cost at time of writing 15-11-17 is $139 ./
The Le Creuset at the time of writing has a replacement cost of $400 although Everten online has a few left at $320 . Well I suppose the high price comes from being made by such a respected manufacturer in France . Here is the tail twist . The Le Creuset is made in China . That means it costs nearly $300 more than the Inox unit . As a hypothesis if I was burgled tonite and the pots were stolen and I could only replace one ., which one do you think it would be ???/
If that’s a saving of $300 on one item ., it shows that thrifty buying and product knowledge gained , from this , and other forums can certainly put dollars in your pocket .
I’ve often wondered what “Made in China” really means - to what standard? when BMW have whole engines for some of their motorcycles made there - to German standards one assumes (or Austrian for the Rotax) - do they make the Le Creuset to French standards? and what are French standards? and what are ours for that matter?
I’ve got Scanpan - very happy with them - probably made somewhere to Danish standards
A fine review, but ISO9001 is not a welding standard, it is a process and procedural standard. Simplistically it means the certified company has an approved set of formal policies and procedures that meet the ISO9001 standard set, documents everything, works to the documentation, tracks failures, determines and improves the failure circumstance, and feeds it back in to improve the process.
So, as the devil’s advocate (and with tongue firmly in cheek) if the documents for welding say:apply 10ml pasta sauce to the handle and 5ml to the pot, heat to 150C with a bunsen burner, allow to cool, and put it in a box, and that is done each and every time, two things will happen. 1 the handle will immediately fall off, and 2, it meets the requirements of ISO9001 and gets a ‘tick’ because the process was adhered to! The point is ISO9001 is procedural and working within ISO9001 means following a procedure whether or not flawed, noting many such procedures have flaws in their early days that only become obvious in retrospect.
The follow-on requirement in ISO9001 is for the company to monitor quality and determine why the handle fell off, and improve the fixing process. The new procedure might omit the pasta sauce and replace the bunsen burner with a spot weld, and if there were still repetitious problems, the cycle would repeat.
Another way to describe IUSO9001 is 360degree process feedback where there is a process that continually improves itself, and thus raises quality.
(I was an ISO9001 ‘Management Representative’ for a few years)
I think @draughtrider the quality of both products is excellent . I have no issue with the the fact that they both emanate in China . My concern is should the consumer pay for brand exclusivity and pride of ownership when I can’t see $300 difference in the quality .
Thanks Phil for that . I was aware of the definition of ISO 9001 . I did not include it as it would have made the post too long winded . Thanks for giving the definition of it .
