I usually stay out of the disk vs. clad argument because I can never remember what the pros & cons are. And I don't care! Use common sense & pick the ones you feel will do the best job & feel balanced in your hand (& your pocketbook) - there are no wrong answers.

Personally, I like all of my pans (except stock pots) to be thick gauged & heavy regardless of whether they are cast aluminum, clad metal, copper, cast iron, or whatever - & I want that thickness all the way up the sides. I've had the same type pans (assorted brands) for 25+ years & I rarely burn anything.

My aging stock pots (Volrath) are commercial grade stainless with an aluminum disk bottom which allows me to boil liquids at high temps. or for long periods without the fear of scorching caused by hot spots. I imagine it also protects the bottom of the pan & keeps it from burning through. By being a single ply stamped stainless, albeit a heavy one, the weight is much less than an allclad pot, which is important to me with a 8-10 qt pot. If I'm making something that requires browning and/or slow cooking, I'll use a LeCreuset dutch oven because I can brown in it more conveniently than a tall stock pot & it holds heat better for slow cooking. If I could only have one, the LC would be a better choice because I could use it for both tasks - but I really love my Volrath stock pots.

I don't have a disk bottomed saute pan so I can't comment on them, but I have an original Calphalon saute, an old anodized Magnalite saute, a stainless All Clad saute, & a DeMeyere Atlantis skillet. All are heavy weight work horses that perform beautifully when cooking a solid that is finished with a liquid. It's like anything else in cooking - you have to apply the correct amount of heat to get the desired result.

HTH

thanks
I think I'll have to go with your advice...it seems to most straigh forward.

Go for the clad on the Saute Pan (up the sides) and a nice thick disk for my pots.

I think I'll get the Eware SS copper disk 8 Qt pot and the Cuisinart SS aluminum 2Qt.
I'm consdidering the DeMeyere saut pan or the Paderno I recently read about (If it's cald up the sides). The DeMeyere is really pricey though.

My only DeMeyere is a used skillet that I bought 1/2 price from a cooking school that was going out of business. It's worth every penny.