| Unison is the newest top of the line. It is dishwasher safe anodized aluminum with nonstick interior. The nonstick is in 2 different versions: Slide is a smooth coating for pans like omelette pans and sauce pans; Sear is a rougher coating for pans like saute pans and grilles to encourage fond creation. It was originally only available at Williams Sonoma, I don't know if it is available at other stores now. Calphalon One was prevously the top of the line and I believe is comparable in quality to Unison. It is anodized aluminum with a release polymer (nonstick ingredient) infused into the pan. It is available with anodized interior (original version) and nonstick versions. Original has steel lids and nonstick has glass lids. It is not dishwasher safe. Contemporary is next lower in line. It is aimed at style conscious cooks. It is available in 3 versions: stainless, nonstick stainless and nonstick anodized. It is noticeably lighter than C1 and I don't find its handles to be as comfortable. Tri-Ply is next in line. It is available in Stainless and Copper. The copper version is really triply with a thin copper exterior coating, similar to All-Clad Cop-R-Chef, and is mostly for appearance, not superior cooking performance. It is basic good quality cookware. Simply Calphalon is cheaper cookware. The steel version has a disk bottom, not triply. Cooking with Calphalon and Kitchen Essentials are also lower cost cookware. I'm not sure how these 3 compare but they are definitely than the first four types above. | 
