Breasley, I think you have it backwards. Clad cookware usually means stainless, with a layer of aluminum (or copper, on really high end stuff, or both, sometimes) sandwiched between the SS. This serves several purposes, the most important of which is evening out the heat so there are no hot spots. The better pieces have the nonferrous layer rolled a little up the sides, in a tub-like effect. If you haven't used stainless cookware before, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First and foremost, read, and understand, the manufacturer's instructions for use and cleaning. Never use high heat. It's unnecessary, to begin with, and can cause problems with the finish ranging from staining to separation of the laminates. Do not put stainless in the dishwasher unless the manufacturer specifically says you can. When buying stainless, get items with metal handles, so they can be used on the range or in the oven. But here's a strange thing: Because it's totally made of metal, stainless can be used on top of the range or in the oven. However, some makers caution to _not_ use their products under the broiler. Almost all manufacturers, and certainly all the high-end ones, offer sets. While there may be some cost savings with sets, buying them is usually not a good idea, because they may not have the products that fit your cooking style. It's better to buy the ones you need, from open stock. Keep in mind, too, that you might find Brand A's skillets more to your liking, while Brand B's sauce pans fit you better. Obviously, you cannot mix and match with sets. There are lots of great companies out there, making all sorts of stainless cookware across the full spectrum of prices. I won't make any recomendations except to point out that in my experience All-Clad's customer service ranges from slim to non-existent. As a result, I'll never have another All-Clad product in my house. FWIW, Emerilware is made by All-Clad (in China, though, not domestically), so I'll never buy any of that, either.

I own both anodized and stainless (high end) cookware. I prefer to use the anodized because, well, it performs better. Why is that? Aluminum simply conducts heat better than stainless steel. Manufacturers of SS cookware will either sandwich a thin sheet of aluminum between two sheets of SS ("clad" or "Tri-ply"), or bond a thicker sheet of aluminum to the bottom of the cookware, in order to get the benefits of aluminum with the aesthetics of SS. These processes vastly improve the performance of the SS cookware, but solid aluminum will always provide superior heating properties. And, that's why anodized is becoming the "rage". Purists and those that know and understand these properties prefer the performance of anodized. But most of today's stainless steel cookware can boast very good performance characteristics, and for those who prefer the aesthetics of SS, are a good choice. If you love the look and feel of stainless, go for it. Both sets you're looking at should perform well. But it will be in YOUR kitchen, YOU will have to look at it, YOU will have to use it every day. Easy, huh?

My grandmother's voice keeps ringing in my head as I reread this thread...she was extremely frugal, out of need, and yet continually warned against being "penny wise and pound foolish." In any home decision, you will be happiest if you put your money into the things you handle and rely on every day of your life...good light switches, for instance, and good faucets. I think at this point you know what you really want, and what the issues are. I think you really want the stainless, but are hard pressed to resist the cost savings of the aluminum. That said, if you do the very smart things that "ci lantro" suggests, and reject them if at any point the voice in your head says, not good enough, and if you think about whether you want to buy and store extras, and decide how many is enough, and what the extra ones add to the cost, and factor in the time to rotate, and the extra energy of having to compensate over time for what could be a done and finished thing, and then decide if you are wearing cheap jewelry with a good silk dress, AND if you might just like to install the less expensive ones now, and replace them with the better ones later when you have recovered from the sticker shock of the whole renovation, you'll know what you want. Then you can do it with a clear conscience, having exhausted all the analysis you can reasonably expect yourself to do!

Realistically they will both offer the same performance, neither is prone to rusting (although an anodized finish on aluminum as it is a living finish will not hold up as well as a painted finish). Stainless as long as it is a 316 alloy should offer no issues. Condensation will happen just due to the nature of the fact that you are talking about metal just as WoW mentioned. Leaking should not be an issue provided the installation is done correctly including any and all siding connections.