When my mother passed a few years ago I had already made a pact with my two sisters that her cast iron skillet would be mine .(that was her grandmothers) That was my only request... Old iron is the BEST iron!... just my opinion...

Those Finex are smooth as silk!  Just a little too heavy for my taste and SWMBO would HATE it since she complains about my Lodges being too heavy.

For those with the newer, rougher Lodges, you need to check out Jeff Rodgers on Facebook and YouTube and his newest technique for modifying a new, rough cast iron pan.  He sands it with an angle grinder, wire wheels it sides, etches it with vinegar, then seasons with Crisbee.  Man that pan looked like a 100+ year old pan and was flat out gorgeous to the eyes!

Carolina Q said:

Never quite understood why contemporary CI pans are so thick, heavy and in Lodge's case, ROUGH! Lodge at least, should know better. They were founded in 1896 and so, were around when Gris (1865-1957) and Wagner (1891-1952) were in their prime (yes, I had to look up those dates.). If Lodge made thinner pans, they would save enough on raw materials that they could probably afford to machine their stuff and make it as smooth as it should be! Lighter AND smoother!

Not all contemporary CI pans are heavy and thick. My Field skillet is thin and light and smooth.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/field-company/the-field-skillet-lighter-smoother-cast-iron

On the other hand, not all old cast iron skillets are thin walled. Check out the wall thickness on this almost 2000 year old skillet -

That Field skillet looks sweet!!  In line (15k+).  Thanks @HeavyG.

HeavyG said:

The only thing I don't love about the Field skillet is the handle - I wish it was a bit longer.

But to be fair, I always wish the handles would be a bit longer.

The handle on the Field is 5" long while the handle on my Stargazer is 7" which is just about right.

I assume in their quest to minimize weight.

bgebrent said:

HeavyG said:

The only thing I don't love about the Field skillet is the handle - I wish it was a bit longer.

But to be fair, I always wish the handles would be a bit longer.

The handle on the Field is 5" long while the handle on my Stargazer is 7" which is just about right.

I assume in their quest to minimize weight.

Possibly, but even the handles on a lot of the old stuff are about the same length.

GrateEggspectations said:

2 new De Buyers ordered. 

Damn you @paqman!!

I have two deBuyer pans that are workhorses in my kitchen. I love cast iron, but CS is nice too. 

GrateEggspectations said:

I definitely understand the appeal of lighter weight CI (Field, Stargazer, etc.), but personally, I actually like the heavy mass of a more substantial pan. I am assuming the increased mass can only help the CI's ability to retain heat. 

I will literally be pumping iron as I flip eggs on my Finex. 

On a side note, I also like that you can get a lid for the Finex. Renders it more versatile. Don't know if this can also be said for the other "new school" US-made CI. 

The Stargazer skillet is not really a lightweight like the Field skillet. It's quite hefty.

Info overload!!

Weights (10-ish") from mfg websites or my kitchen scale:

My Wagner, 4.1 lb (about $20 as I recall)
Stargazer, 5.2 lb ($80)
Lodge, 5.6 lb (but only $27)
Field, Couldn't find a weight. @HeavyG mentions 4.5 lbs, but all I could find on the Kickstarter pages says it weighs less than a Macbook Pro which is 3 lb. That seems almost TOO light. ($100 listed as "value" on Kickstarter)
Finex, 6.3 lb without lid, 11.1 with ($165)


Carbon Steel 10" just for comparison (Amazon pricing):

De Buyer Mineral B, 4.2 lb ($60)
Matfer Bourgeat, 3.7 lb ($31)
Lodge, 3.5 lb per their website, mine weighs just 3 lb ($24)

If anyone's interested. Hey, it gave me something to do while waiting out the latest "storm of the century".

I'll keep my Wagner, thanks. Though I'll buy a #8 (10") Griswold when I find one. Probably have to pay a bit more for that one... maybe $30-$40.

@HeavyG, Not snow blind and I did see that. But all I noticed were the dimensions, completely missed the weight. Duh.

So how is it they claim it to weigh less than a 13" Macbook Pro? Apple says 3 lb (3.02, actually) and mine (a couple of years old) weighs 3.41 lb.

Anyway, it weighs the same as my Wagner so that's good.

Carolina Q said:

I used my Lodge carbon steel pan to sear a filet (after sous vide) just tonight. Best steak I've had in a LONG time!! Can't imagine a CI pan doing any better. I have one CS pan and 8 or 9 CI pans. Can't really tell any difference. 

I can tell difference with cornbread.  CI still does better job than the CS, otherwise about the same.  Bonus with CS is lighter weight.

Moleman said:

HeavyG, so you've already received your field skillet it appears, what is your overall opinion as I'm considering it now that you posted a link. Thanks

I was in the third batch and got mine the end of January. It's a nice skillet. The entire interior surface is smooth. The bottom is perfectly flat. I like the outward curve of the sidewalls - I can't think of any real functional advantage there but I like the aesthetics of it. The handle is comfortably shaped but as I mentioned earlier I wish it was a bit longer. The little "helper handle" is large enough to be useful but not so large as to be out of scale with the pan. As I mentioned earlier mine also came in about 5 ounces lighter than what they were advertising.

I'm not a serious cast iron "collector" (even tho I have about 20 skillets, dutch ovens, etc.) but I think it is a nicer skillet than any of the vintage stuff of similar size - at least of the ones I have seen in person.

It is expensive when compared to a similar sized Lodge and much of the ordinary vintage stuff but if you look at the prices for really nice flawless examples of some of the vintage stuff they are near or more than the price of a Field skillet. Of course it is still possible to stumble across a nice vintage piece in a flea market or garage sale for a bargain price but not everyone is so lucky.

The main reason I bought the Field, Finex, and Stargazer skillets was to help support the efforts of young makers trying to bring something new and interesting into the marketplace. I also plan on adding a skillet from Borough Furnace to the mix later this year. And I still kick myself for not getting the Wabi Nabe pot when they were available years ago.

paqman said:

As I said, lint free cloth and wipe up to the point where it looks like there is no oil left.  There will be a film but you won't see it.  If you take shortcuts, it will flake.

No shortcuts but after 9 careful applications I had this blistering on the edge of my steel skillet. Talk about being mad and sad at the same time!