i've been reading the forums as much as possible..and someone made a comment that had the lightbulb go off over my head about wilton cake pans having sloped sides, ie they nest...and so you aren't going to get a true straight edge.

That never occured to me...and I've been a little frustrated thinking I was doing something wrong that my cakes were stacking a little "barrel shaped" is the only thing i can describe it as. It's not terrible, and I fix it when I ice it...but it got me wondering, what kinds of pans do you folks who've been doing this forever use? Wilton pans are easily accessible to me here, and while I'm not ready to go spend a ton o' money on pans, I thought it'd be interesting what others have to say on the subject. thanks! lisa in Oregon

Magic Line. Best int he business. They cost a bit more initially, but they will last a lifetime. Check Amazon for sales.

I love my Fat Daddio's. They can be washed in the dishwasher too. Some say the square corners aren't as square, but they've worked pretty well for me!

I have Wilton but only because I was doing the classes at Michaels. It wasn't until I was working on a 8" square that I realized that my square wasn't true....I'm planning on investing in some Magic Line pans when I'm on vacation at Christmas in Florida, at least for the square pans.

I have Wilton pans (I didn't know better to buy, well, better when I first started out) and Magic Line pans. IMHO, my ML pans are the best, hands down! Love them!

As far as Wilton goes, if you buy the cake pans by all the "caking" stuff in your nearest Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, etc, the pans will have straight sides because they are for caking. If you buy your pans in the kitchen section of say Wal-Mart, they may have the sloping sides. Either way, if you are willing to invest a little more money in your pans, go with something other than Wilton.

Just bought my 14" Magic Line so now I have a set for a 5 tier wedding cake (14/12/10/8/6). I love Magin Line and just finished giving away my other 10" pans that were some other brand. I already donated my Wilton pans because I don't think they bake well.

Oh and for my 9" I do use williams sonoma Gold pans but I think they are more expensive than Magic Line.

Hey Lisa! I am in Oregon also! And from your screen name, are you in Bend? I am actually in Redmond! Anyway....I have mostly Wilton pans also, but recently bought some Fat Daddios pans and LOVE them! Amazon has awesome deals and so many things are eligible for free shipping when you spend $25. I have heard Magic Line are the best, but have not tried them yet.

I got started with Wilton when I was taking my cake decorating classes at Michaels. Loved the coupon prices.....however, as I get more experience, I realize how nice it would be to have "true" corners and am saving my pennies for MagicLine.

I just stocked up on Magic Line square pans at Amazon...they were buy 3, get the fourth free, with free shipping! I couldn't pass that deal up. They arrived today and boy, they are heavy and seem like a great quality. Can't wait to try them out this weekend. My round pans are the Wilton Preferred Decorator...no slope and I haven't had any problems. Can't wait to be spoiled by these this weekend though! Good luck!!

I love my Magic Line pans! I started with Wilton (2 sets each of round and square). I then bought one 10" square Magic Line pan--what a difference from the Wilton square. However, that started me on my Magic Line quest. I recently purchased 2 sets of the round and will eventually buy all the square pans. The ML pans are heavy and a much better quality. I never really had any problems with the Wilton round--except I had a hard time getting 2" tiers and really noticed it when I started using SPS. I have read in other posts that the Wilton may not be a true 2" pan. Buy the Magic Line pans--you will love them. I got one set of round pans on Amazon for $40 including shipping and I bought another set through Global Sugar Art for $35 + shipping. If you buy the ML pans on sale, they are not that much more money than the Wilton pans. They are worth every penny!