If you’ve seen the best of both worlds, best of budget-friendly cookware and high-end cookware, you might come to the conclusion that there’s actually a lot of difference between the two, as there should be.
Anyways, there are a lot more viable options nowadays, with cookware manufacturers adopting the direct-to-consumer business model. Two of the most well-known options are Made In and Misen.
You might’ve come across these while shopping around or scrolling endlessly on social media. Because they offer a similar deal, there’s huge interest to see which of the two is better.
We reviewed both, and you can skip ahead to the side-by-side comparison as well.
Note: Whatbrandreview is reader-supported. When you buy through affiliate links on our website, we’ll make a small commission, without impacting your price. Thank you. Learn more.
Cookware: How Different Are They?
Your milage may vary. That’s the gist of how they compare against each other in terms of their cookware.
Not that long ago, they had their differences in terms of craftsmanship and the options they offer. Nowadays, Misen has increased their craftsmanship quality in my opinion, and they’ve introduced carbon steel pans, for which they had a kickstarter for.
So, in terms of what both offer in terms of cookware is: nonstick pans and pots, stainless steel pans and pots, and carbon steel ones. The only thing that Misen has that Made In lacks is a grill pan. Other than that, you can kit out your kitchen fully with cookware from both brands.
In terms of craftsmanship, Misen does impress me. Despite it being more affordable it pretty much matches Made In in terms of quality, and in some cases, surpasses it. We’ll touch on this later in the head-to-head as well.
Side-By-Side Comparison
To see just how different Made In and Misen is, we’ve compared them on some of the most important variables. Things such as quality, craftsmanship, their respective return policies, price range, and others.
Here is a table comparison of Made In and Misen:
| Made In VS Misen : Cookware |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Craftsmanship | Excellent 5/5 | Excellent 5/5 |
| Cookware Products Offered | Stainless steel, Carbon steel, and Nonstick. | Stainless steel, Carbon steel, and Nonstick. |
| Price Range | Affordable – $$ | Cheap – $ |
| Warranty | Lifetime Warranty | Lifetime Warranty |
| Quality | Great 5/5 | Great 5/5 |
| Return Policy | 45 – day return policy | 60 – day return policy |
| Website |
While their cookware is in the same price range, Made In is more expensive. Furthermore, if we look at the knives, there are obvious price discrepancies.
Which Brand Has Better Knives?
There’s a chance that you might be looking to invest in some high-quality knives alongside that new cookware. The good news is that both Made In and Misen do manufacture knives. The bad news is, there’s a huge price discrepancy.
Misen is very affordable. You’ll be looking to spend even less than budget knives in your local store. But the quality is surprisingly good for the price. There are: chef knives, paring knives, utility knives, santoku knives, serrated, and more.
While the knives are really good for the price, they fall short when compared to Made In knives.
However, on average there’s about a $50-$100 difference in terms of pricing. Made In is more expensive, but it is clear that their focuses are primarily high-end knives. They’re more long-lasting as well, especially if they’re taken care of properly.
But honestly, with the proper care, I don’t see why not to go with Misen. The price-to-performance ratio is great, and even though they’re not as good as Made In, they’re a great upgrade from local store knives.
So, it’s down to you really. If you’re looking for the best possible knives regardless of price, it’s Made In. If you’re looking for the best value and deal on knives, it’s Misen.
Made In Review
Despite what many potential customers expect, Made In isn’t that flashy. Whether it be because of the brand’s extraordinary famous nature or something else, the pans and pots aren’t necessarily flamboyant.
Nevertheless, even though they don’t look the part, they do the job quite nicely. Going through the customer reviews, it seems like the cookware can be effective on different types of stoves.
Overall, I would say they focus more on practicality over looks. It is a plus, at least for me, to have my cookware looking more modern and minimalistic, but for the average consumer, this doesn’t really make that much of a difference.
With that said, they look pretty cool if you’re into that whole rugged look and feel. It kind of feels like Made In grabbed a few designs for pots and pans intended for professional kitchens, and backtracked and designed them for personal, home-use. Which is not a bad idea.
Which brings me to my next point: This cookware is intended for home-use. There’s a lack of bigger pots and pans, but if you’re looking for cookware for your own personal kitchen, there’s a lot of stuff to choose from.
Made In has cookware, bakeware, knives, tabletop stuff, accessories and pantry. Their tabletop products are very impressive.
Made In’s products are very cheap compared to retail cookware, but don’t let this fool you. They outline how their products are so cheap by how retails mark up their prices a couple of times before they reach store shelves.
Anyways, the here are the pros and cons for Made In:
PROS
- Ultra-durable
- Works on many types of stoves
- Practicality over design
- A lot of options, a lot of products
CONS
- Doesn’t cover shipping costs for returns of international orders
Misen Review
Misen is the sleeker one. Their designs are very modern and interesting. But they do not compromise on quality.
For some time, Made In did have better craftsmanship in my opinion, but I think the tables have turned. And the highlight of the whole thing is that on average, Misen is more affordable. So, it’s kind of a win-win. Better deal, for the same quality.
Now, like any other cookware review it is important to say that you milage may vary. It all depends on the stove or oven you’re using or the preferences you have. But overall, a pretty killer deal despite those things.
The knives are the real deal though. Possibly one of their bestselling categories, and it’s easy to see why. Apart from the steak knives, which is easy to say that they’re not for everyone, the other knives and knife sets are amazing.
There’s the chef’s knife, the serrated knife, the santoku, and more. They all have the classic handle look, but they outperform some very high-end knives. If you’re in the market for knives, browse around at Misen.
As for the cookware, it is very affordable for what you’re getting. There aren’t as many sets as Made In, but in terms of the quality and usability, they’re amazing for that price.
Here are Misen’s pros and cons:
PROS
- Great value
- Sleeker designs
- Amazing knives
- Interesting limited stock products
- Good price-to-performance ratio
CONS
- Not a huge variety of cookware sets to choose from
Head-To-Head Battle: Made In VS Misen
This isn’t one of those cases where a clear victor can be crowned. It’s just a matter of what appeals to you more or what you’re looking for.
Although, in my opinion, the better deal overall is Misen. The truth is, the prices are lower on average, and it doesn’t appear that there is any compromise on quality and craftsmanship, nor a compromise on usability.
The knives are a great deal at Misen, and they’re relatively well-known for them. So, if you’re also looking for knives to go with your cookware, Mison is our top pick.
We would have loved to have more variety in terms of cookware sets. I think this will discourage a lot of potential buyers, because there aren’t that many to choose from. Whereas, Made In has some very complete sets.
So, to recap, in our opinion Misen is overall the best deal. It’s the most affordable and you’re getting the same thing in quality and craftsmanship.
That said, if you tend to lean towards Made In more, you can’ t really go wrong there either.
Final Verdict: Budget-Friendly Cookware
Even though everybody knows that a lot of markups happen on any product at any retailer, it is still impressive how affordable the cookware from both of these brands is.
Either way, you’re looking to spend quite a substantial amount less for your whole cookware at home, and you’re still getting a pretty killer set of cookware. Most of the time, both Made In and Misen outperform some more expensive pots and pans at your local store.
Misen is great if you’re looking for cookware and knives. The knives are amazing, and the cookware has the best price-to-performance ratio when compared to other D2C cookware brands as well.
If you like the rugged look of Made In, or Made In offers something better that you might need, there’s no shame going with it. Some of the pans may be better than Misen’s so, Made In has quite the cookware as well.
READ NEXT : Carbon38 VS Lululemon: Which Has Better Fitness Apparel?