But the difference between a cheap "Teflon" product (T-Fal for instance) and a real kitchen-class non-stick product (All-Clad for instance) is night and day.

I've had a couple of non-stick All-Clad pans for two years now and they see a lot of use. Not a mark on them as far as coating removal. A T-Fal or other supermarket/mass-market pan would have been all but destroyed by now, even when avoiding metal utensils.

IMO, cast iron is also about the taste, because for non-stick properties, a good non-stick pan or an enamel-coated cast iron pan is far better. You can put both into a hot oven just as easily as regular cast iron as well.