Many posters love Le Crueset as well as Staub. I have used both and agree they are a great product but with a high price tag. I bought at Home Goods two Cuisinart Dutch ovens - 7 Qt and 5 Qt. I really liked the colors and paid $70 for the 7 and $30 (on clearance) for the 5. Figured I couldn't go wrong based on reviews I found on line. I also bought knobs that can be used above 350 degrees (one of the negatives of these pots). The knobs were very inexpensive. These ovens perform very well on my induction and in the oven. They clean up great. The 7 I use for pot roasts (3-4 lb), caramelizing a large batch of onions and other recipes that call for a larger volume. The 5 qt for soups etc. I think the 5 would be a little small for a roast with lots of veggies. I am glad to have both. When I started my search I was planning for a 7 qt deciding the 5 might be a little small. I have had mine for over a year and they look like new with moderate use. If you are a heavy user then you might want to step up to a more expensive line. Both of my daughters have staub and love them.

I would not recommend an oval shape unless you want to cook only inside the oven. If you want to cook in the oven as well as on the stovetop, round shape will maximize the burner heat and you will not have the ends of the pot extending far off the heat source as you might have with a large oval pot. If you only plan to buy one ECI piece (enameled cast iron), I would buy a 5 quart round LC or Staub Dutch oven.

I have an induction range (a Bertazzoni, a saga in itself) in my winter home. Remember that you should not sear food at high heat with an ECI pan. So in addition to the ECI, you will need an induction-capable skillet or saute pan. You can often find good deals on the Zwilling online site, which is where I bought some of my induction-ready cookware. I also picked up a few AllClad pieces on sale. Also look at Amazon open-box sales. Chowhound.com has some great information on buying for induction ranges, and they also have a long-running thread on current cookware deals. If you are a serious cook new to induction, it will be good to do some reading before purchasing. If you have lots of time, check out thatinductionsite.com.

I agree - don't get an oval shape. The most versatile is a 5-qt round or a 7-qt. round, depending on the type of cooking you do. For me, the 5-qt. is usually enough for soups and stews that I make. But when I am making meatballs, or chicken soup, I need the 7-qt.

Also check for Le Creuset outlet stores in your area. They usually have "seconds" for much lower prices, and then have sales on top of that. It is usually difficult or impossible to figure out why these pots are deemed "seconds". If you are not near an outlet, they will ship.

http://www.lecreuset.com/outlets

There have been several equipment tests that have found the Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven to be almost as good as the Le Creuset for a fraction of the price. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N501BK/ref=twister_B004QM8SMA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If you have not already seen it, you also might find it helpful to have a look at this discussion at centurylife.org: How
to choose an enameled Dutch oven: Is Le Creuset worth it? Le Creuset vs
Staub: is Staub worth it? Why does Le Creuset cost so much? What are my
alternatives?

Cook's Illustrated/ATK thinks most highly of the $$$ Le Creuset but also has recommendations for less costly decent enameled cast iron dutch ovens with
light-colored interiors. The latest testing recommended Cusinart ECI (at about half the price of LC and Staub) and Lodge and Calphalon (both under $90). Serious Eats likewise recommends LC with Lodge ECI as the
suggested lower cost alternative.

If considering Staub, the parent company's US website (zwillingonline.com) often has some deals at 2/3 off. FWIW, CI/ATK does not like the dark enameled interiors of the Staub pans because they think it can be hard to monitor fond development, sticking, scorching, etc. Opinions on this vary and there are plenty of fans of Stuab ECI.

The "most popular" sizes are medium (which will be 5.5 quarts in some brands and 6 quarts in others) and the large (7 to 7.5 quarts). Most of us find that extra large pans (9 quarts) and XXL ones (11-12 quarts) are just too big and too heavy for convenient use.

FWIW, when buying our LC cocotte back in the previous century --- back when they cost ¼ of what they do now --- the 7.5 qt. (28 cm diameter) model seemed heavier than we liked while 5.5 qt. (26 cm diameter) seemed to be the best compromise between size/weight and convenience for a small household where we entertain frequently. For browning and sauteing, the trade-off did not seem like a big deal -- the cooking surface of the 7.5 quart pot was only about 3/4 of an inch larger --- but some folks may want the extra 2 quarts of liquid capacity.

Because you all will be using your ECI on induction --- and specifically a portable induction cooker (PIC) for the time being --- there may be some additional points to consider. First thing is that cast iron is great at holding heat once heated, but it is not very good at spreading it. Consequently, for cooking where even heating may be important -- as with sauteing, for example -- you need to give the pan a rather long time to preheat.

Second, the induction field with a PIC burners is comparable to a 6" coil burner or that of the smaller burners on a full range or cooktop. That means the center six inches of your cocotte/DO will be at full heat but the outer couple of inches of the base will be less hot by maybe 100° or so. It takes a very long time for cast iron to spread that heat and, for stir frying and browning on the smaller burners, you will need to stir frequently. Gas burners can produce similar effects, too.

Of course, that is no big deal for large amounts of liquids or for oven cooking which is where ECI really can be great, btw. Start on the stove top but do most of the braising/cooking in the oven.

That unevenly heated outer-edge- effect will be even more pronounced when using oval shaped cocottes/DOs on the stovetops. Again, maybe a big deal for browning or braising on the stove-top, but no big deal with large quantities of liquids (as with soups and loose stews) and no concern at all when you put the pans in the ovens.

One final point: the lids for many ECI pans come with thermoplastic knobs. Staub rates theirs as suitable for heat up to 500° but most brands caution about going much above 350° inside the oven. Simple solution is a replacement stainless metal knob. (They just unscrew.) LC offers high-temp replacements but even stainless steel cabinet pulls from the hardware store will work fine.

AFAIK, none of the commonly available ECI brands are made in North America. Le Creuset and Staub are made in France. IIRC, the Mario Batali ECI pans were made by Dansk in Thai factories. There may be a brand or two made in Portugal but pretty much all the lower cost ECI that you can find will turn out to have been made in China.

ETA: apparently somebody called Borough Furnace is making $350 enameled cast iron dutch ovens in Syracuse, NY according to their web site here..

I bought a Lava brand Dutch Oven after reading a review. I really like it...it's definitely a Staub knock off down to the black enamel. 6 months is no time to measure long term quality, but I'm definitely putting it through it's paces.

Thanks so much, I will be near home goods later this week so will see what they have. I've never even heard of staub so more to research!

My experience with Home Goods and Le Creuset is that they only sell the "scratch and dent" Le Creuset, or, the Le Creuset that are rarely-used sizes and/or shapes. Maybe I just haven't been lucky to hit a good day at Home Goods!

But if your luck is like mine, and you see great prices at Home Goods for odd sizes/shapes LC, you may think you are getting such a great deal that you eagerly shell out the money for the odd size/shape. Then you never use it. LCs take up a lot of cabinet space for a size/shape that you never use. I have had better experience at the Le Creuset outlet store (learned about on the Cooking Forum or maybe the Kitchens Forum). Found pretty much the same sizes and colors to choose from as at Bloomingdales. I have the classic 5.5 qt. DO in the traditional flame color which I use so much that I leave it out on the cooktop rather than put it away.

I think I paid about $200 at the LC Outlet store for the 5.5 qt. LC which normally sells for $320 regular retail. If $200 is out of your budget, perhaps look at the Lodge or Cuisinart enameled cast iron DOs. Both Lodge and Cuisinart are around $60 brand new on Amazon (5-6 qts.).

I know people love Staub, but for me, they are heavier than LC (which is already heavy), and I agree with the mention above about the black interior.

Edit and P.S.: I just remembered that there have been several discussions on the Cooking Forum about enameled cast iron pots sold at Aldi. They may only be sold at holidays, I am not sure, but Easter will be here soon. People seem to really like these Aldi pots, and they are so amazingly inexpensive: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2518852/aldi-cast-enamel-is-back?n=68

Le Creusets are wonderful to use, but there are others to that are good. For example, I think Staub is quite on par with Le Creusets. If price range is the problem then maybe you can try Lodge. It's not as pretty, but it does the job

Le Creuset and Staub are equal in quality. And more or less, in price. If you can get to an LC outlet, there are tremendous bargains to be found if you are not picky about color.