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Perhaps they changed their composition, and they are now applying a polymer coating. CJ and I have some Scanpans that are several years old. At that time their stuff was made of coated aluminum, fairly heavy grade. The coating is not anodized (like Calphalon) - it's some sort of ceramic that is applied by sputtering or very high temp baking.
The ones that we have are not as slick as the stuff that is usually sold as "nonstick". But I like them better. We can run them hot enough to brown things. Food does stick to the pan a bit, and that's often desirable. We get a nice fond, so we can deglaze and make sauces. But, unlike our All-Clad stainless stuff, the Scanpans clean up quite easily,
My only gripe is that the ceramic coating sometimes chips off, or pits. This might be because we are not too careful about storing the pans. They get tossed into a cabinet, knocked around with other things. But they came with a lifetime guarantee on the coating. We sent a couple of them back to Scanpan, and they were replaced, no questions asked.
We've never owned any Calphalon pans. But everyone I know who has them has reported that eventually the coating does wear off on those, too. I don't know if they are guaranteed.
By the way, for those who prefer pans with a stainless cooking surface - try Bar Keeper's Friend for cleanup of crusty messes and stains. It comes in a can similar to Comet cleanser. Very mild abrasive, with oxalic acid.
-- Julian Vrieslander
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