Ummm… Enameled stainless stock pots in general are not BIFL, it has nothing to do with the brand. You just bought the wrong thing from Le Creuset.

Just because Le Creuset makes BIFL enameled cast iron pieces doesn’t mean anything and everything LC is BIFL. I think it’s pretty absurd to hold any BIFL brand that has a range of products to that standard—Levi’s, Frye, LL Bean all have some products that are definitively not BIFL.

My grandmother’s Le Creuset cast irons are still going strong in my brother’s & my kitchens, they just require proper care, like any cast iron piece. I second the recommendation to go check out estate sales or garage sales to find a used one for cheaper.