The Saladmaster Distributors are Upon Me!

Looks like the Saladmaster distributors have found my post titled Our Night with Saladmaster. (Probably has something to do with it being listed as #2 on a Google search for "Saladmaster.")

Anyway, if some of you would like to join in on the conversation and let them know why $5k for some pots and pans may not be a great buy, feel free to pop in. I'm sure many of you would enjoy a fun spat with a group of salespeople. :-)

Comments

[Rev]

hahaha. That comment page is chock full of sales pitches.

[sandy]

And why would that be a bad thing? Or were you simply happy that you could trash something that you did not own or know much about? Let alone others who speak before they have the facts.

You didn't want to hear from those who use it daily? Why is that?

There are good and bad consultants out there in every company. I've even had some grumpy Costco people. Do I still shop there? Yes.

By the way, in Ontario, Costco wanted us (Saladmaster Office ) to do a road show, as it was "the kind of product that they liked to have in their stores." They were extremely impressed with it to say the least.

Why we declined.

We felt that people wouldn't sit for an entire dinner presentation which is what is needed for one to collect all of the information with which one can make an informed decision on. Also, we run a strong referral program - and if we are in various cities, it means we have to stay on the road. Not a lifestyle for many. Plus we offer local cooking classes - and for this office, that means the Golden Horshoe area. Since our consultants 99% of the time begin as customers, and are only part time, road shows are not condusive to a family lifestyle.

LOVE Costco! My favorite place to shop.
Hey, now we have something in common.

[johnston]

Interesting. Is that right .. since 1946 eh? They offer to come to your home and show you what this stuff can do? They offer to cook for a group of people and bring the food?
Sounds like their stuff must do something amazing or why would they stick their heads out like that? Sorry but I'm more of a skeptic when products and services have been around for that long and are not source making their products in China AND that expensive. I like quality things and they always have a price tag. I'll find out why.

In your original story you said some impressive things yourself ... in fact the only thing that stopped you was the price... and the sales approach.

Now I'm sorry but I find it a little interesting to find digs against 'salespeople' on a 'finance' site.
You have GOT to be joking!
And how do people in 'finance' make money?? Yes, off of other people's money.

Door to Door guys are something else, true. Wouldn't do that job for the world. But the guy cooked a meal for you? Sounds like his selling skills are weak, but the product sure sounds very intriguing. He's got you talking about it and the people that are trashing it don't seem to own any.

The chefs on here - of course they are going to say that it has nothing to do with the equipment, but it's totally their skills. Well of course they are going to say that!
Have you ever heard a chef say, " Oh please don't give me the credit - it's the pans!"

I'm sourcing out the tankless water heaters myself. We put radiant floor heating in and wow! Simply love it - it's going in the basement when we finish that. Very nice heat and decadent on the feet.

Now I hear about saving energy by cooking? Maybe something to look into. We do cook a lot ... something must add up there.

[FMF]

Ok, Sandy, Debbie, Kelli, and Johnston -- the gig is up. I can see from my internal records that you're all operating from similar (if not exactly the same) IP addresses. This means it's likely that you're either:

1. One person acting to be many people or

2. All people who are associated with a similar Saladmaster distributorship.

Not to mention -- you all are trying to leave links to your site all over this blog. Well, it's stopping right now. There will be no more comments from you since I believe you are being dishonest.

This is one reason people are reacting so strongly against your products -- your tactics are under-handed and deceitful. If you'd stopped by to state your case, left one or two decent comments and left it at that, no one would have cared. But instead, you continue to try and push your position, link to your site from this blog and so on. I'm putting a stop to it now. It's fine for you to hawk your wares -- just do so on your own site.

[BradM]

Just read through all the Saladmaster propaganda.
Reminded me of the conversation I had, comparing a GTO to a 5 series BMW with my Uncle.
Both cars will get me to the same destination, the BMW owners just pay $20,000 more. And get a "smoother" ride.
After arguing for about 1/2 an hour, I figured out that he just wanted the "BMW" name.
Same thing with Saladmaster, Cutco and Pampered Chef products....if you want something to brag about fine.
I just don't want to pay 35% more, for a product, when I can get the same performance out of a much cheaper product.

[Fred]

Wow,thanks for the free entertainment!

[Jake]

The reason that it's relevant that you are salespeople is NOT because that makes you bad. It's because it makes you quite biased (stand to profit by convincing people to buy your very expensive pots and pans).

It's notable that I haven't seen a single person make a pro-saladmaster comment besides the people trying to sell it. Not a single satisfied customer (except people trying to sell it). Is this some sort of MLM scheme? It almost sounds like it.

[Fred]

I will make a positive comment on saladmaster. I am an insurance agent, not a saladmaster salesman. I use a saladmaster pan on a regular basis, and I have never had a pan clean up so well after I finish draining my car's oil into it. It just rinses right off!

[Anne]

Thank you FMF for "cleaning up" on this thread. I just wish this part would make it to #2 on the google search. Those who couldn't already tell that the glowing posts were in fact made by those with a serious conflict of interest (i.e. product distributors or their friends/families) probably didn't take the time to look much further. As for my own bias, I have personally seen how some gullible people have been heavily pressured into purchasing on credit a Saladmaster set that more or less "enslaved" them since they don't have the means to afford it and thus were goaded into becoming reps. Having seen the prices for these same goods in the secondary market (eBay), there is obviously no way for them to recoup more than a fraction of their losses. I find the stated benefits of the products to be quite interesting. However, I regret having agreed to purchase one 9 inch skillet for nearly 600€ because I do not believe the product is worth this price. In fact, the same product on eBay sells for less than 1/10th of that price, a strong indicator of "lifetime" value indeed! No, my purchase was a sympathetic yet irresponsible act towards others who are less fortunate than myself. A lesson for me.

[Ronny]

A TV program here in Norway tested the saladmaster pots and found that their claims are false advertizment.
saladmaster sued the tv program.
the court ruling found the same thing, the saladmaster sales pitch is false advertizement.

like all MLM, saladmaster is sold with a lot of hallelujah, and the sellerbuyers will defend their product/lifestyle with religious conviction :)

the saladmaster salespitch includes a little monologue about why these pots are not sold through normal retail.. but the truth (with probably most mlm products) is that theres no way they would survive in normal retail at those prices.. because equally good pots cost about 1/10th. (but dont come with the hallelujah and placebo)

and google around for saladmaster, and notice how so many saladmaster buyersellers (another MLM staple, the sellers are also the buyers of the product) defend the product using so similar words.

[charlie]

It seems as though some of you are really trying to make yourselves feel better for all the guilt you carry around trying to justify the pollutants you feed yourselves and your children.(re:saladmaster pollution test)
p/s I dont own a set ....yet!

[Sarah]

I'm currently.. investigating saladmaster. My husband and I went to a dinner party and decided to come home and do some research before committing to such a big purchase. It scares me that the company has such high guidelines (couples living together long term don't count as married, and thus must both be working, also people living on student loans, who still have the means and desire to purchase, aren't considered working) for the guests attending the show to qualify so the host can receive free cookware, while they show a lack of morals in trying to pressure to "BUY NOW!" with incentives that are quite enticing. We found many companies online that make similar products, and while it "looks" like saladmaster has a few little perks here and there over the competition, you can get a really great set of comparable pans for a fraction of the cost.

[Joe]

Wow! Saladmaster is very expensive, but it is nice cookware.

[Gordon]

Just attended a Saladmaster demo earlier this evening and doing some additional googling afterwards found this site. I am so amazed that the script is still working well after all these years. Interesting twist in my case is that the demonstration tagged on to the end of a Christian fellowship. And the presenter: a visiting Pastor's wife's testimony about the health benefits of the Saladmaster's way gave extra oomph to the pitch. All the gals seemed to be convinced and all the guys stayed mum (and try to stay out of trouble?!). The skeptic in me urged me to borrow the hosts' internet connection to do a quick search on the web to see how bad a hoax this is. In five minutes I was only able to turn up that the Saladmaster wares are over priced as expected and that the 'direct sales' tactics are based on over-inflated and unproven claims of cost savings and health benefits. And yet all the gals (from 4 or 5 families) are willing to fork out on average $430 a pot to split two ultimate sets. Everybody had lot of fun trying to pick out what pots and bonus piece to buy. I guess that is the extra entertainment value that is free after spending close to $2200 for 5 pots in our case. Trying not to spoil the party I politely stated that through my quick research I found out that the material the pots made of is very good but then there are alternatives to achieving similar results with significantly lower cost. In the end the "belivers" wrote the orders and made the payments. And the "preacher" thought that she has saved a few more families from ill health caused by not using the most expensive pots on the market (that I have seen/heard).

I respect my wife's logic for getting the best cookware for the family over spending money on jewellery (which is also in the pitch). As I am fortunate enough to not have to lie to make my living, I detest being lied to, especially for this sum of money, as I work very hard for it.

I also question the salesperson's ethics. Unless all her potential client are new rich with money to burn, planting such expensive and yet unproven solution to health issues not only promotes false hope (in most cases except when faith made a difference), it will also consume significant financial resource and personal energy which may otherwise be used towards products/activites with real benefits. When I see her next I will ask her: if everything you said about the Saladmaster is true, will she be demonstrating this product for new immigrant families with limited financial resource so they can all benefit from buying the product? Or will she not save them from slow food poisoning as they are not financially ready? Or show it to them so they will work even harder to buy the product (or feel more lousy as they cannot stop using the bad cookware)? What about the questions/arguments caused when husband and wife does not agree on the cost/benefit of this product? How to explain to our children that we just spent close to $2200 on 5 pots (will they think we are nuts or we have money to burn)? What would Jesus do?

[Lorns]

My husband got involved with a group of saladmaster consultants/chefs/sales agents who he refused to divulged to me, no names, no business name and work weekends, from sunset to dawn. What is this scam? I have not seen any money or income. He works so hard and goes from one consultant to another, they make him the presentor, driver on a part time basis. Is anybody out there please tell me is this saladmaster such a screw up deal no one can get to buy any cookware unless endorsed in by a consultant who is unknown and unless interested parties have to attend several presentations before getting the sets at a costly sum?I think personally we are buying a lifestyle with the group included.

[david sde]

im

[Janet]

I went to a salad master party this evening. £600 for a cooking pot is ridiculous in this uncertain economic climate, it all seems very deceptive and unproven. In fact, you can get these pots at a fraction of the price on US Ebay.

[Gayle]

We got blindsided by Saladmaster last night. My friend put her name in a draw at a trade fair, and was told she won a free dinner in her home 'just like those shows on tv where the chef comes and does everything'. Nothing was mentioned of the product. They invited my husband and I, and we got a babysitter and looked forward to a fun night socializing with friends over a gourmet meal. WRONG! Instead we listened to them talk for 2 hours about a bunch of pots NONE of us could afford. I laughed (mostly to myself and my hubby) over the health claims and the 'save 20% on your grocery bill', and several other ridiculous and obviously false claims. What a bust. So deceptive. No matter how keen you try to be, these scams still seem to corner you sometimes.

[Rosemarie McIntyre]

I own Saladmaster cookware. I invested in a system that fit my families needs. My electric bill has reduced, my food bill has reduced. My waistline has reduced. I have researched a lot of cookware out there, and simply put am in love with my cookware. I have had my cookware for over a year and haven't had to buy any more Olive oil, and use less food to make my meals with. I eat at home a lot more, a heck of a lot more because the food at the restaurants taste pretty crappy and I don't know who is making it, what goes in it and it is way over priced. I can't speak for everyone but although it was a large amount invested I know it has paid for itself since I have started using it. I LOVE IT! Here's to HEALTH!

[Rita Gonzalez]

If you are Health Concious, You need to know about the cookware surfaces you might be cooking on! I own a Saladmaster Cookware for almost 11 years and I know that I will be using it for as long as I live. It's pure, safe and clean(non-toxic cookware)and no matter how much I paid for it, no heavy metal to the food that I prepare for my family. It saves our lives. People with serious illnesses like cancer will go to any place and spend hundreds of thousand dollars just to find a miracle cure. Think of this saying: What you eat is what you are. It is very important to everyone to watch the 20/20 Barbara Walters(NBC) discussing the very popular Teplon product.

[Gary Erwin]

Saladmaster is BAD news!! They are only concerned with what is legally binding, and not at all concerned (and not at all civil) about customer satisfaction, or what is considered good business practices. The owner of the company we were unfortunate enough to deal when trying to cancel the order after the legal 3 day period, was SCREAMING at my wife, saying we could not be trusted, could not keep our word, etc. Said he did not HAVE to cancel, I said I know you dont HAVE to but it was only a week, we had not recieved anything and no one had told us when we were supposed to recieve it. Good business practices would dictate accomadating a customers request instead of what can be legally enforced. Regardless of the alleged quality of the product it leaves a distinctly foul taste regarding the whole organization. Bad press is the inevitable result of bad business practices. Bill Pate of NU-Tech in Peoria, IL is the "owner"
we had to endure.

[M. R.]

Saladmaster cookware is top quality. For what they are (aluminum core clad with stainless steel), they are among the best in that category of cookware. However, they are ridiculously over-priced (their manufacturing cost, as revealed in a 1998 settlement agreement, is about 1/10 retail price). For the kind of money that Saladmaster charges, you could buy heavy copper with stainless steel interior cookware, such as from Bourgeat, Falk Culinair, or Mauviel; and copper trumps aluminum.

Quality copper cookware is the ultimate for most cooking purposes, due to copper's superior thermal diffusivity. Aluminum is no slouch when it comes to thermal diffusivity (second only to copper among commonly used cookware contruction materials) and aluminum has a big advantage in price (far cheaper than copper), which makes aluminum a popular (and excellent) choice for cookware. However, in the case of Saladmaster, their savings from using aluminum cores are most certainly not passed on to the customer, so if you can afford copper prices (Saladmaster = aluminum at copper prices), you might as well buy copper.

With regard to the thin stainless steel layer, whether it be on copper cookware (e.g. Bourgeat, Falk Culinair, Mauviel) or on aluminum cookware (e.g. Saladmaster, All-Clad); it is essentially irrelevant to cooking performance (the cooking performance is determined by the thick core material used for its good thermal properties [stainless steel has horrible thermal properties, which is why it is only used in a thin external layer]). The stainless steel is there because it is low-maintenance and has low reactivity. Most companies use 304 stainless steel (including Saladmaster until somewhat recently), while Saladmaster now uses 316Ti stainless steel; and they use that as a selling point. I'd say that if you are concerned about 304 stainless steel leaching metals into your food, you should talk to a doctor and/or scientist, rather than take a Saladmaster salesman's word for it. Even if metals are being leached into your food, the amount would be so low as to be meaningless. Always remember the following quote whenever you hear the latest Chicken Little health scares:

"All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." - Paracelsus, "The Father of Toxicology"

I own a set of Saladmaster cookware manufactured in 1972 that was handed down to me (i.e., it didn't cost me a dime). They have been used pretty much daily for the last 38 years, and I love them. I can certainly attest to their quality of construction and good performance, but like I said, they are insanely overpriced. Want to spend a few thousand dollars on cookware? Buy copper.

[bjorg breska]

i love my saladmaster set..even the kids say the food tastes better at grandmas house..you can see the vitamins in the veggies!
but i understand the need to make excuses and make them look bad when you can´t afford them and own them..:)

[e.p]

for the investment that you put on different pots and pans for the non-saladmaster users, how long before you decide to buy another set because they are now old looking or broken cookware? for those saladmaster users, since it is lifetime, you can ask replacement right for free esp if broken? so eventually who will spend money on cookwares in a span of their life? besides the fact about healthy cooking.

[S.S.]

Why is everyone so hung up on the price of Saladmaster - or even the financing of it - you'll spend thousands of dollars on a home entertainment system so you can have the "best" audio/visual experience when you watch your sports/favourite shows and then "upgrade" in 5-7 years for the latest and greatest.
Question: how much would you pay for the same system if it would last 20 years or longer without needing to be replaced/upgraded?
Or better yet - your car? I replace my vehicles every 4 yrs on average - because they broke down? No, because I am human and want some of the new features available (oh and by the way I don't buy new because the delivery charges drive me nuts - did that a few times)
So... 5K to spend on something I will use just about every day - and it might even be better for my family - and keep unitl I die - seems like a pretty wise investment to me.
Last year my buddy spent 7K on a snow mobile he only used 6 times because of his schedule and the weather - hmmmm which money would be beter spent?

[AC Warren]

Who in their right mind spends $5000 on pots and pans, especially when Regal Ware (the parent company) owns and sells about 8 different lines of pots, including the simple aluminum ones that they say are bad! Check out Regal Wares website to find out how many they sell. What a scam! What professional chef uses these pots, tell me just one! I'm happy with my Le Crueset, even if it is Cast Iron. Who gives people a taste test of Baking Soda after they have eaten a meal. The guests want to throw up and when they refuse the taste test the consultant insists because they don't get credit if you don't taste! What a load of bunk. I am mad that I let my daughter book this "party".

[Mr. Wilkensonshireiez]

One of our friends introduced me and my wife to Saladmaster. The sales person cooked a delicious dinner with her products and we were "sold." However, the complete set was $10k. Even the smaller sets were $4, 5 and 6k which were still too expensive for us. We were still very interested in getting this cookware at a better price, so I went onto ebay and was able to purchase only the cookware pieces that I needed at prices anyone can afford. I received it all in near new condition, and now my wife and I enjoy the Saladmaster cooking benefits without the debt to finance it.

[Jessica H]

I just attended a Saladmaster party and was rather upset that the 'dinner' was a gigantic scam to scare us into buying insanely expensive pots and pans... or else get cancer. The sell was hard, sneaky, and obnoxious. Yes, the food was pretty and looked easy to prepare. It would if you did the same meal every day, professionally. I've been researching the product for hours now and found a ton of stories about people getting duped by Saladmaster. Thankfully my friends are smart and we all declined, and are sharing these stories with one another. Do yourself a favor, look into the claims they make about their products. They're not scientifically validated. Otherwise they'd provide people with proof, not antidotal stories that their product works. There is not study done about stainless being toxic. If so, I'd like to see it. These are not scientist, but salespeople with a MLM pitch. Run. Read. And warn people you care about to avoid this product.

[Viking]

Hi Y'All;

I do not sell Saladmaster, okay? I am a consumer, and I bought a complete set of Saladmaster cookware, got all the free gifts like steak knives and hunting knives and all, and I did all this in 1976. We had the dinner party with all of our friends, and it WAS a free meal, as nobody bought anything, and I suspect the sell back then was not so hard. I phoned the sales person seven days later and we bought the Ultimate set. Yes it was expensive, but we are still using the same cookware, and that was 35 years ago. I also would not believe that normal stainless cookware could poison me, but I really do know that aluminum which is not coated - will.... I am a metalurgist and so am confident in that. I am not trying to get anyone to place themselves into a state of extreme indebtedness to have pots and pans. I am only stating that the quality of their cookware is not over stated in any way, and we did get a free meal, which is what was promised. There is no false advertising there. It is called buyer beware if you allow yourself to get sucked in, and it is called buyers remorse if you feel that you were sucked in. Simply walk away by telling the sales representative that you always take three days to decide on very expensive purchases. We actually took seven days, but I am very happy that we did indeed purchase the cookware, as it has been the closest thing to lifetime that we have ever had, and many things are falsely advertised as such.

[Kenyon]

I've been cooking on my new Saladmaster cookware for just over a year now. I love to cook but have never seen or cooked on anything like it before. It's amazing cookware and the best tool for the job I have ever seen. In the just over a year that I have been using Saladmaster I no longer have migraines, or reflux. That really surprised me and was something I was not told would happen. I was cooking on some pretty nice stainless steel prior. Knowing what I know now I would have paid twice the asking price to live without migraines. Our utility bill went down over $40 monthly and now I no longer have to keep a huge supply of pain medications. So there was a cost savings and health benefit to Saladmaster!

[gmark]

My take on SaladMaster as someone who has a set that I got as a gift. They are expensive. There is no way I would pay what they are asking. That said they are a great set of pots and pans.
BTW less oil water and all that is crap. Still great set of pots and pans.

My .02

[Iva Anderson]

If you really have to have it, as much as you want is on eBay for much, much less. I wish I had known that before I bought my "starter set" years ago.

[saroj]

I own a saladmaster, its nice but pricey, you can get fairly the same quality from other brands at a cheaper cost. titanium line came out 2008 before that twas stainless steel..ergo stainless is still good:)

honestly health is not just about the cookware..it doesnt matter if you have the most expensive cookware yet if you eat more than what your body requires still one will end up unhealthy(in all sorts),vices, sedentary lifestyle doesn't help as well.

if you have the extra money buy it if you like, if you don't don't bother stressing yourself paying for the incurred debts, like iv mentioned above stainless is still good.