Let me take you back to the start. In December 2024, to celebrate our new kitchen and my first induction hob, I treated myself to a set of HexClad pans. I’d researched them for a while and, at £320 for two hybrid pans and a sauté pan (on offer at the time), they weren’t cheap, but I have to confess I was very excited with my purchase. A few months in, I wrote up my first impressions, and I’ve since updated my HexClad review at 10 months and 18 months. I’m still very pleased with them, and with a bit of care they look almost new.
So when Tower got in touch and asked if I’d like to test its new rival to HexClad, called Ti-Clad, I didn’t hesitate. Within a few days a 5-piece set arrived, and after three weeks of cooking, here are my first results. I’ve put the two hybrid frying pans up against my HexClad equivalents, and because the set also includes saucepans, I’ve tested those against my everyday ProCook saucepans.
So if you’re thinking about new pans for your own kitchen, or looking for a present for the cook in your life, read on.
Tower sent me the Ti-Clad set to review. As always, all opinions are my own.
What Is Ti-Clad?
If the name Tower rings a bell, it’s probably because of your air fryer. The British brand has been around since 1912 (it’s printed proudly on the box), and Ti-Clad is its move into the hybrid pan market, the one HexClad made famous. The big selling point is price: the 5-piece set I was sent costs £150 at the time of writing.
So what exactly is Ti-Clad? Look closely at the cooking surface and you’ll see a raised pattern of stainless steel, laser-etched into a chain-link design (HexClad uses hexagons). The steel peaks do the searing and browning, and Tower says they also help protect the coating, while the dips in between hold the non-stick, so your eggs should slide out rather than weld themselves to the pan. In theory, you get the sear of stainless steel and the easy life of non-stick in one pan.
Underneath, Tower calls it titanium-infused tri-ply: stainless steel layers wrapped around an aluminium core, which is there for faster, more even heat. The non-stick is Tower’s own CeramiShield Pro, a ceramic coating that’s free from PTFE, PFAS and PFOA, the so-called “forever chemicals” many of us are now trying to keep out of the kitchen.
What’s in the 5-Piece Set
Tower’s 5-piece set covers pretty much everything you’d cook day to day:
- 16cm saucepan with glass lid
- 18cm saucepan with glass lid
- 20cm saucepan with glass lid
- 20cm hybrid frying pan
- 28cm hybrid frying pan
Three saucepans and two frying pans is a sensible mix. The 20cm frying pan is the right size for a couple of eggs or an omelette, while the 28cm is big enough for steaks or a family-sized stir-fry. The tempered glass lids have steam vents, so you can keep an eye on things without lifting the lid, and the handles are polished stainless steel, like the bodies. You can buy the pans with other Ti-Clad pans from the range individually.
Key specs
- Suitable for all hobs, including induction
- Oven safe to 280°C without the lid, 200°C with it
- Dishwasher safe, though Tower recommends washing by hand to look after the coating
- Safe to use with metal utensils
- “Lifetime guarantee”: read the small print, as it’s a 1-year guarantee with an optional 24-year extension when you register online, and the non-stick coating is covered for 5 years
Unboxing: Ti-Clad vs HexClad
I don’t think packaging matters much for something as practical as a pan, as long as it arrives in one piece, but since we’re comparing, it’s worth a mention. Both sets arrived by courier without a scratch. Ti-Clad came in one sturdy, well-packed box (see pic). HexClad went all out: each pan had its own outer box, then a presentation box, then a cloth bag. It’s luxury packaging and it certainly added to the excitement of unboxing, but ultimately it’s you the customer who pays for it.
How I Tested the Ti-Clad Pans
My HexClad pans have been my everyday pans for nearly two years, so they’re my benchmark. For three weeks, the Ti-Clad frying pans went head to head with my 20cm and 30cm HexClad hybrid pans (the Ti-Clad equivalents are 20cm and 28cm). I cooked the same dishes in both, from eggs and steak to sauces, risottos and curries, so the comparison is a fair one. My saucepans aren’t HexClad, so the Ti-Clad saucepans went up against my everyday ProCook ones instead.
One thing worth knowing before you start: Tower recommends low to medium heat for almost everything, saying high heat is rarely needed. HexClad gives the same advice, and it takes a bit of getting used to if, like me, your instinct is to crank the hob up. I followed Tower’s instructions throughout, including seasoning the pans with a thin layer of oil before first use.
Here’s what I was looking for:
- Non-stick: will a fried egg slide out with little or no oil?
- Searing: can it put a proper crust on a steak at medium heat?
- Everyday cooking: how evenly does it heat, and how does it cope with sauces, stir-fries and one-pan dinners?
- Saucepans: how quickly do they boil, and how do they handle sauces and gravy?
- Cleaning: how easy are they to clean? Tower says the pans are dishwasher safe but recommends hand-washing, so I washed them by hand, just as I do my HexClads.
- Durability: does the surface stand up to metal utensils, and does it still look good after a few weeks of daily use?
And the big question: does Ti-Clad get you most of the way to HexClad for a lot less money? Three weeks is a good start but not the whole story, so, as with my HexClad review, I’ll add updates every six months to see how the pans hold up.
My First 3 Weeks Using Ti-Clad
Eggs
Eggs are the all-important non-stick test, so I’ve tried them fried, scrambled and as omelettes. For fried eggs you don’t need much oil at all: I use a spray of olive oil, and the eggs don’t stick.
Searing Steak
So far I’ve only cooked one steak, a thick-cut ribeye, but it seared really well (see pics), with a proper crust on the outside and the inside just how I like it, medium-rare.
Everyday Cooking
Because they’re so easy to clean, I find myself reaching for these pans for far more jobs than I did with my old non-stick pans. The other day I made a cheese toastie: I wiped the pan with a thin layer of olive oil, then toasted the sandwich on both sides, and the heat came through nicely to melt the cheese while the bread crisped up. I also use them for quick sauces and even risotto.
Cleaning
So far I’ve only washed my Ti-Clad pans by hand. Like my HexClads, they’re so easy to clean that, as I use them every day, it’s quicker to wash them in warm soapy water with a sponge than to load the dishwasher. There’s no need for a metal scourer, and I wouldn’t use one.
HexClad vs Ti-Clad
I’m guessing this is the bit you’re most interested in, and it’s what interested me too. Having owned HexClad pans for nearly two years (and been very happy with them), I wanted to know whether Ti-Clad could compete with the market leader, given the huge difference in price. Would it be a poor imitation, or the real deal? Here are my initial findings, with the reminder that I’ve only been using the Ti-Clad set for three weeks.
The Sear Test
I tested both 20cm pans with some lovely thick back bacon from my favourite butcher. I put the pans side by side on the dual zone of my induction hob, at the same setting, with no oil in either pan, and turned the bacon at the same time. The HexClad bacon was ready for my sandwich about 20 seconds ahead of the Ti-Clad bacon. It wasn’t exactly laboratory conditions, but it was as close as I could get at home. Interestingly, the bacon in the HexClad pan also released more fat.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s how the two compare, based on the 20cm pans unless stated:
| HexClad | Ti-Clad | |
| 20cm hybrid pan price (at the time of writing) | £129 (without lid) | £25 |
| Pans compared | 20cm and 30cm hybrid pans | 20cm and 28cm hybrid frying pans |
| Weight (20cm pan) | 763g | 604g |
| Searing | Medium heat is plenty; slightly quicker in my bacon test | Medium heat is plenty; about 20 seconds behind |
| Non-stick | Very good | Very good |
| Cleaning | Easy with warm soapy water | Easy with warm soapy water |
| Lids for the frying pans | Available (one came with my set) | Not available yet |
| Oven safe | Pans up to 480°C, lids around 200°C | Pans up to 280°C, lids 200°C |
| Induction | Yes | Yes |
| Packaging | Each pan individually boxed, with a cloth bag | One well-packed box |
| Guarantee | Lifetime, against manufacturer’s defects | 1 year, plus an optional 24-year extension when you register (coating 5 years) |
Why Is HexClad So Much More Expensive?
From my testing so far, the price difference is hard to explain on performance alone. The packaging adds some cost, but not that much. Marketing is probably a much bigger factor. HexClad’s marketing is relentless and very slick: show an interest and the emails start arriving; click on a post and your social feeds fill up with offers. It’s a global brand and, although it’s a private company, it’s reported to turn over more than $500 million a year. It also has an army of celebrity endorsers and ambassadors, Gordon Ramsay among them. All of that adds to the cost, though by how much, who knows. It could also be that HexClad pans outlast their rivals, and only time will tell on that one.
Tower, on the other hand, puts its money into the product and the price tag. It may not have Gordon Ramsay in its adverts, but with more than a century of making kitchenware behind it, it’s no shrinking violet either.
My Initial Thoughts
As I’ve said throughout, I’m very happy with my HexClad pans. The price made me think long and hard before buying them, and our new kitchen was the tipping point. At the time (as far as I’m aware), there weren’t really any alternatives offering similar technology.
In my tests, HexClad had a very slight edge in searing, and its 20cm pan is a little heavier. Non-stick performance and cleaning were on a par. So the elephant in the room is price. The only like-for-like comparison is the 20cm hybrid frying pan, and the Ti-Clad version costs around a fifth of the HexClad one, based on the prices on their websites. That’s a huge difference. What I can’t compare yet is how they wear over time. Both guarantees cover manufacturing faults rather than everyday wear and tear, although HexClad’s is for life, while Tower’s runs to 25 years if you register, with the coating covered for five.
I’ll leave you to weigh that up for yourself.
Ti-Clad Saucepans vs My ProCook Saucepans
The Ti-Clad saucepans are super quick at bringing water to the boil, quicker than my ProCook Gourmet pans. I’m using an induction hob, and I didn’t even need full power (setting 8). They also hold a simmer at a lower setting.
They’re good for sauces, too, but you do need to get used to regulating the heat, as they need a lower setting than my old pans. A white sauce can sometimes catch on the bottom, but even then the Ti-Clad saucepans wash up easily. One small thing I like: the lids have a steam hole in the top, whereas my old pans have side vents, and I prefer Tower’s design.
What I Don’t Love (The Honest Bits)
To be honest, after three weeks I don’t have any real niggles, apart from one: the lack of lids for the hybrid frying pans. My HexClad lids are really useful (the 20cm lid came with my set, and I bought one for the 30cm pan), and as far as I can see, Tower doesn’t offer lids for its hybrid pans yet. Tower, if you’re reading this, please consider adding them! In the meantime, a handy tip: the lid from the 20cm saucepan fits the 20cm hybrid frying pan.
Otherwise, everything I love about my HexClad pans performance-wise has been matched here. Again, I need to stress I’m only three weeks in.
Who Should Buy Ti-Clad Pans?
Ti-Clad makes a lot of sense if you’re:
- Curious about hybrid pans but not ready to spend HexClad money
- On a budget, or setting up a first home
- Looking for a second set, for a holiday home or a busy family kitchen
- Buying a present for the cook in your life
The Verdict
So far, my Ti-Clad pans have performed very well, both in the cooking and the washing up. For the price, whether you buy them individually or as the 5-piece set, they’re incredible value for money. Will I keep using them alongside my HexClads? Yes, and the saucepans are replacing my old set. Luckily I cook a lot, so the extra pans are proving very useful. Which makes this a good moment for a quick plug: there are over 80 easy recipes on my website, so please check them out here.
Ti-Clad’s big selling point, beyond the hybrid surface itself, is the price compared with HexClad. At £150 for five pans, it costs about the same as an ordinary set of non-stick pans. After my initial tests, I have no hesitation in recommending Ti-Clad if you want a high-performing, easy-to-clean non-stick pan, and you can buy them individually or as a set.
That’s it for now. I’ll update this review in six months’ time, and if you own Ti-Clad or HexClad pans, I’d love to hear how you get on with them in the comments below.
Ti-Clad FAQs
Is Ti-Clad as good as HexClad?
After three weeks of side-by-side testing, Ti-Clad came very close. HexClad seared a little faster in my bacon test, but non-stick performance and cleaning were on a par, and the Ti-Clad 20cm pan costs around a fifth of the price. I’ll report back on how they compare over time in my six-month update.
Are Ti-Clad pans dishwasher safe?
Yes. Tower says they’re dishwasher safe, but it recommends washing them by hand to look after the non-stick coating. They’re so easy to clean that I’ve only ever washed mine by hand.
Can you use metal utensils on Ti-Clad pans?
Yes, Tower says Ti-Clad pans are safe to use with metal utensils. I have used metal and silicone.
Do Ti-Clad pans work on induction?
Yes. They work on all hob types, including induction, and they’re oven safe up to 280°C (200°C with the glass lids).
Do Ti-Clad frying pans come with lids?
Not at the time of writing. The saucepans come with glass lids, and the 20cm saucepan lid fits the 20cm hybrid frying pan.
Where can I buy Ti-Clad pans?
From Tower’s website, where you can buy the 5-piece set or individual pans, and from cookware retailers.
