Everyone says not to spend a lot of money on nonstick pans, and they're right. It's going to crap out eventually, much sooner than your untreated cookware would even dream of failing. But inexpensive nonstick pans are prone to be both thin and lightweight. This causes the pans to eat unevenly and increases the risk of scorching. It also makes it more likely that you're going to burn off your magic nonstick chemical coating and give yourself the cancer. (Or whatever.)
I found this to be true of many well-regarded pans, including the T-Fal that Cook's Illustrated and ATK rated highly. I accidentally scorched that one on an induction burner that couldn't properly detect the pan temperature because it weighed so little that the sensor couldn't register how superheated the pan was getting. My bad? The T-Fal is okay and the price is right, but it feels lightweight and cheap and it kind of cooks like it's lightweight and cheap. Probably because it is lightweight and cheap. I think those can be virtues, but I generally prefer to cook with something that has more mass and doesn't require thermal babysitting to avoid meltdown. Which sent me questing for some thicker nonstick pans.
Now I use the Anolon Nouvelle Copper nonstick pans, which I bought largely on the basis of this review. You can get good deals on a bundle that includes the 8 and 10 inch pans for around $40. Well worth the money. They have just over 5mm of cladding, using layers of stainless, aluminum, and copper (though there's not terribly much copper, which is to be expected for the price). They heat up slowly and evenly, and the mass of the pan is sufficient to store up thermal energy for proper searing at medium-high temps. My only complaint is that the edges are so gently flared that the pans actually feel smaller than they are. The bottom of the 10" pan is roughly 7.5" in diameter, for example. But the good news is that the pans perform very well. The handles are nice. The prices are very reasonable. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I have also heard good things about the Ikea pans. ChefSteps uses a lot of those (or did at one point). But I believe they're on the thinner side.
