Bread Pan Showdown!

Over the past few weeks I've been doing some serious bread pan testing. Glass, ceramic, metal (aluminum, non-stick), and all different shapes and sizes. My objective was to find a pan that bakes evenly, releases the bread well and was a good size for sandwiches. I narrowed my favorites down to 3 and baked 3 loaves of Rustic Faux-Wheat Bread at the same time, each containing the exact same amount of dough.

1) My trusty old 9x5 non-stick pan.
2) A new 9x4 tall sided non-stick aluminized steel pan.
3) A new 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 non-stick aluminized steel pan.

A few observations:
1) My old 9x5 pan really wasn't non-stuck anymore. I didn't realize how hard it was to get a loaf out until they slid right out of the two new pans. This pan also makes very wide, short loaves. Because I want slices good for sandwiches, this size pan is out of the running.
2) The 9x4 tall sided pan made the nicest, most consistent shaped bread of all 3. The loaf ended up being the 2nd largest, but a decent size. It was also the most expensive pan at $23, but it's a commercial grade pan made in USA.
3) The 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pan ended up making the largest finished product, but the shape was a bit more "rustic" since it doesn't have high sides. It's almost half the price ($14) of the second pan, but also a commercial pan made by the same company in the US.

VERDICT: it's really close between #2 and #3. I love the shape of #2 despite it being a tad smaller. But for the larger size and price, I think I'll order #3 when I need more.

I posted some size comparison pics below - measurements are from a slice from the center of the loaves. I even compared them to a piece of Bunny bread (that I had to borrow from my neighbor 😜) and a piece of American cheese.