The popularity of Revere Ware in the 1940’s undoubtedly motivated some copycats. One of these which was recently brought to our attention by reader Jim is Thermic-Ray cookware. Jim writes:
I found a few pans in a local thrift store made by Norris Stamping and Manufacturing Co., of Los Angeles CA under the trade name of “Thermic-Ray”. Same basic design as Revere Ware, but the handles don’t seem as well made. They were produced for a few years after the War.Norris Stamping and Manufacturing Co., maker of Thermic-Ray, had come through WW2 as the largest manufacturer of all-steel bomb and artillery shell casings. I’m sure they were searching for peacetime business, hence this cookware. But by 1951, Norris dropped Thermic-Ray, renaming it Norrisware.I believe at some point they gave up on copper bottoms, and went with all stainless steel designs. In 1967, Norris eventually sold the line to Regal Ware.
| Revere ware | Thermic-Ray | ||
| 4 quart Dutch oven | 54.1 oz | 46.2 oz | -15% |
| 7 inch sauce pan | 26.2 oz | 29.5 oz | 13% |
As you can see, from a weight perspective, the Revere Ware Dutch oven is 15% heavier than the Thermic-Ray, but the Thermic-Ray sauce pan is 13% heavier than the Revere Ware one. I’d call them pretty comparable overall. The Thermic-Ray copper bottom does feel solid and substantial, unlike Revere Ware copper bottoms after 1968.
Price-wise, a 6 quart Dutch Revere Ware Dutch oven was selling for $11.25 in 1949 while a similar Thermic-Ray one was selling for $9.50. I think in the anals of history, it seems likely that Revere Ware was too much of a household name at that time for a brand like Thermic-Ray to beat, if they didn’t get significant traction even selling at a 15% discount.
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