I did some research last night and a lot of people recommended the Merckens candy melts but my local cake supply store switched to Guittard at $4.50 lb. Are there different grades of Guittard candy melts because my local grocery store sells Guittard candy melts in bulk for $2.29 lb. Do you think this is the same product they are selling at the cake supply store? I thought there was two choices candy melts or chocolate I'm getting confused.  And between the two brands which would you say has a better taste? I'm using it to cover a small phone booth cake to place on top of the main cake. The tutorial I found said to use candy clay to get sharper lines and better detail. I have to give a friend an estimate for a cake today and I'm trying to tally up all the ingredients. Thank you

can you check the ingredients -- if the lower priced one has no cocoa butter in it then that is not technically chocolate and thus the lower price point -- you're sure each one is priced by the pound? 

and fwiw i use non-cocoa-butter candy melts all the time -- no problem -- and candy clay or chocolate clay or whatever -- all these things have slightly interchangeable names so that might account for your confusion -- including the chocolate or candy melts themselves sometimes also called summer coating, almond bark etc. -- but there are regulations in place where you can't call it chocolate if bladeebla bladeebla whatever -- it does get confusing --

and about using non-cocoa-butter candy melts for the candy clay -- it is already an odd product where you add corn syrup so that kind of skews the chocolateness of it -- in my mind anyway -- if i add powdered vanilla to it it is off the charts great -- 

best to you

in other words i use the cheap stuff hahahaha nobody cares/notices and it works 

I use candy melts too.....the cheap stuff this link was helpful to me, check it out.....

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/04/how-to-make-modeling-chocolate-with-candy-melts/?ext=20130410_14_Cake_Decorating_1b&utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=Social%20Engagement&utm_campaign=I%20%28Heart%29%20Cake%20Decorating-Registrations