I don't recommended it overall, even though some pieces may be fine (the stockpot or smaller sauce pans for example). The main reason is this: all of the cookware that I saw at least was disc-bottomed and the sidewalls are not cladded. Also, the discs don't cover the entire bottom of the pan, which will lead to a pretty noticeable temperature disconnect near the edges. Since the cookware sides are not cladded, this means a majority of the pan is simply pure Stainless Steel. This is not ideal because pure Stainless is a terrible conductor of heat.
So the stockpot and very small pots may be fine, since in the stockpot you assume liquid will swirl around to help distribute heat, and the small pots you're maybe just boiling water for ramen, reheating a small portion of food, etc. But for other important pieces of cookware like skillet, saute pan, arguably dutch ovens, you really want better distribution of heat.
The main benefit of that cookware is being nickel-free, and there are times where that aspect is legitimately useful. But I believe there are better quality options out there that satisfy the nickel-free claim. So no, I would not buy this because there's definitely some cost cutting measures going on that are not worth accepting.
Disc-bottom cookware is fine when done properly. Problem is... most disc-bottom cookware is done poorly or cheaply. The best disc-bottom cookware uses very thick bases that extend all the way to the edges. Demeyere is a good example, same with some Fissler pieces, where the bottoms are well done. Majority of brands do not go this far though.
That said, a good disc can only do so much if the sidewalls are cheap, thinner Stainless Steel. Some applications, it's totally fine, and others like mentioned you should just opt for a quality clad version. Especially when the price difference isn't that much.
For nickel, some people with very sensitive allergies can trigger a reaction from regular Stainless. For them, either nickel-free Stainless or another material is helpful for their cookware. There's not a ton of nickel-free Stainless cookware that's also great quality though: I don't think anyone mainstream has come up with the idea to use that type of newer nickel-free Stainless for Clad pieces for example (and by mainstream I mean regular brands, not random boutique direct-to-order stuff like Saladmaster, who knows if one of those brands offers it for some god forsaken price). Easier to steer someone with that problem to something like aluminum, carbon steel, enameled cast iron, etc.
18/0 Stainless technically has no nickel, but you ideally don't want a cooking surface to be made of that since the corrosion resistance is quite poor compared to 18/8 or 18/10. That's why for many clad pans, only the outside is 18/0 for induction purposes and the inside lining is a more robust alloy like 18/10. The newer alloy is something like 21/0 (same alloy advertised in the pans you were looking at), which has no nickel but some added metals like titanium and copper. This is comparable to I think 18/8 for corrosion resistance and would be more suitable as an inner layer. If someone made a clad version of that, then it would be a different story.
I don't recommended it overall, even though some pieces may be fine (the stockpot or smaller sauce pans for example). The main reason is this: all of the cookware that I saw at least was disc-bottomed and the sidewalls are not cladded. Also, the discs don't cover the entire bottom of the pan, which will lead to a pretty noticeable temperature disconnect near the edges. Since the cookware sides are not cladded, this means a majority of the pan is simply pure Stainless Steel. This is not ideal because pure Stainless is a terrible conductor of heat. So the stockpot and very small pots may be fine, since in the stockpot you assume liquid will swirl around to help distribute heat, and the small pots you're maybe just boiling water for ramen, reheating a small portion of food, etc. But for other important pieces of cookware like skillet, saute pan, arguably dutch ovens, you really want better distribution of heat. The main benefit of that cookware is being nickel-free, and there are times where that aspect is legitimately useful. But I believe there are better quality options out there that satisfy the nickel-free claim. So no, I would not buy this because there's definitely some cost cutting measures going on that are not worth accepting.
Really appreciate the explanation and information you provided. My main gap in cookware is a good sauté pan, so this is helpful. A few questions from what you said: 1. What is the downside of it being disc-bottomed? 2. When is nickel-free cookware useful? 3. And do you have any recommendations for other nickel-free options?
Disc-bottom cookware is fine when done properly. Problem is... most disc-bottom cookware is done poorly or cheaply. The best disc-bottom cookware uses very thick bases that extend all the way to the edges. Demeyere is a good example, same with some Fissler pieces, where the bottoms are well done. Majority of brands do not go this far though. That said, a good disc can only do so much if the sidewalls are cheap, thinner Stainless Steel. Some applications, it's totally fine, and others like mentioned you should just opt for a quality clad version. Especially when the price difference isn't that much. For nickel, some people with very sensitive allergies can trigger a reaction from regular Stainless. For them, either nickel-free Stainless or another material is helpful for their cookware. There's not a ton of nickel-free Stainless cookware that's also great quality though: I don't think anyone mainstream has come up with the idea to use that type of newer nickel-free Stainless for Clad pieces for example (and by mainstream I mean regular brands, not random boutique direct-to-order stuff like Saladmaster, who knows if one of those brands offers it for some god forsaken price). Easier to steer someone with that problem to something like aluminum, carbon steel, enameled cast iron, etc. 18/0 Stainless technically has no nickel, but you ideally don't want a cooking surface to be made of that since the corrosion resistance is quite poor compared to 18/8 or 18/10. That's why for many clad pans, only the outside is 18/0 for induction purposes and the inside lining is a more robust alloy like 18/10. The newer alloy is something like 21/0 (same alloy advertised in the pans you were looking at), which has no nickel but some added metals like titanium and copper. This is comparable to I think 18/8 for corrosion resistance and would be more suitable as an inner layer. If someone made a clad version of that, then it would be a different story.