AUS-ION Open Flame Perforated Skillet, 10" (25cm), Smooth Finish, 100% Made in Sydney, 3mm Australian Iron, Commercial Grade Cookware

This pan is fantastic. It has all of the positive qualities that I was looking for in either a cast iron or carbon steel pan, but it overcomes the negative qualities that caused me to get rid of my previous cast iron and carbon steel pans.PROS:Light enough to shake and flip foods like I do in my stainless skillet. (However it is a little heavier than the SS skillet)Smooth finish makes it a lot easier to use than the bumpy Lodge pan I had. After seasoning my Lodge several times and cooking with it for a month, I still couldn't cook eggs in it without sticking. I seasoned the Aus-Ion twice, and then I was cooking eggs in it exactly like I do with my stainless pan. There has been no issue with sticking, and I think it's due to the smooth finish.The handle does a great job of staying cool thanks to the webbed design. The highest heat I've used so far has been Med-High, and the handle was warm but not hot.The shape is exactly like my stainless pan which makes it much easier to flip and manipulate the food. My carbon steel Matfer Bourgeat has gently sloped sides which constantly threaten to spill and make it very difficult to flip food.The pan just looks beautiful. Unlike a cast iron pan, which is just black; this pan shows the many layers of seasoning very well. So the finish (after a few weeks of use) is a rich, layered bronze/black. Also the smoothness of the pan really helps it to shine (literally).CONS:The handle is too big and flat to hold comfortably. I wish they rolled the end into a tube shape or semi-circle so it would fit the hand better. However, it is still more comfortable than the handles on my Lodge or Matfer Borgeat.Price. I expect to pay more than a Lodge for a smooth finished cast iron or carbon steel pan. The Matfer Borgeat cost about 2 to 3 times more than the Lodge, and I thought that was appropriate. This pan is double that price. That being said, I do think it's worth the extra cost if you can afford it.OTHER:If I were to do it again, I would have just started cooking on it without seasoning it. The finish is so smooth, that you don't really need to season it any more before you can use it.If you do season it, then don't make the mistake I did and season it on too high a heat. I have a new oven that goes up to 550, and without thinking I just turned up the oven to the max when I seasoned it. I ended up stripping off all of the factory seasoning, and I had to start from scratch.I bought the Ringer chain mail cleaner at the same time that I bought this pan, and it's great. The best. The smooth finish of the pan (unlike the bumpy surface of the Lodge) plus the toughness of the chain mail make it very easy to clean.

I love my cast iron skillets. I enjoy cooking with them and even properly caring for them. I love the rich black surface of my well cared for Lodge and Wagner skillets. I keep one small nonstick pan in the cabinet and use it occasionally when I don't feel like dragging out the heavy cast iron. Then I notice the pit marks where the Teflon coating has started peeling off and I think about the research condemning nonstick and go back to the heavy CI. I do like the enameled cast iron from Le Creuset, but it's still cast iron, so it's still just as heavy.Then SolidTeknics came up with a carbon steel skillet that, in my opinion, rivals cast iron. (I didn't think I'd ever say that.) I believe they've come up with the perfect skillet. I followed the manufacturer's instructions and pre-seasoned the pan with Flax Seed Oil. I just warmed the skillet up in a 200 degree oven, gave it a super thin coat of flax oil, then wiped it off until I couldn't even tell there was oil on it. I put it upside down in the oven for 1 hour at 500 degrees. I let it cool for an hour. Then went through the same process again. The company recommends 2 -3 times. Based on other articles on the web I actually gave mine 6 coats (because if once is good twice has to be better - right?). The pan developed a nice dark sheen and feels amazing. (The method for seasoning your AUS-ION pan can be found on Cooks Illustrated. Just search their name, plus cast iron, plus flax seed oil. It's a terrific article.)It may not be Teflon nonstick, but it does the trick. And the sear and caramelization you can achieve with this pan just can't be done with a traditional nonstick. The beauty of this is - no more throwing away your skillet after 6 months (after your kids and your husband use a metal spatula on the Teflon regardless how many times you've lectured about NEVER using metal - sigh). With this pan (like all cast iron) if the skillet gets left outside on the patio after grilling out and gets rained on and left to rust - no problem. Just strip it down and re-season using the directions above. You will have this pan a lifetime if you just season well and wipe it down after each use with a very thin swipe of flax oil.The handle is not only beautiful and well designed in terms of comfort, but it truly does stay cool to the touch. (Unlike traditional cast iron.) AND the WEIGHT! I almost forgot - this is the best feature. The skillet has all the advantages of CI, but weighs about half the amount. It's a joy to cook with.Last thing - I also love the company's story. Search their Kickstarter campaign on the internet. It's exciting to watch a new company come on the market with something truly original, provide a product that's top-notch quality, and then watch the company take off.(If I can get back on here, I'll post photos later of the before and after seasoning.)

Pan is the best i have ever had the pleasure tocook with.

It's a amazing pan! I'm lazy to season it. When I used it at the first time, I just rinsed it with warm water(not soapy water) and wiped it with paper towel. I heated it on the stove top with medium heat about for 5minutes and fried the eggs with the enough amount of oil. It didn't stick at all. After used I rinsed the pan with hot water or wiped with damp paper towel and dried it. Before fry eggs or stir fry rice, you need to heat the pan with medium heat about 3 or 5 minutes and use the enough amount of oil(about 3 tablespoons). If you want to make sirfry rice, you need to turn on the high temperature. Alway you need to put the oil after the pan is hot. The more you use the pan the more it is seasoned.

supposed to be great product the only problem is the skillet keep rusting regardless how I dry and oil it after every use, the food tastes after rust ! I haven't give up yet as it does cook beautiful such as dry eggs. it heats up quick and food gets cooked quick. is there anything I can do to get ride the problems ?

Thought this as a present for my son and he loves it. He says it makes the best omelette and pancakes ever. To clean it it just needs a simple wipe. It's very solid but perhaps rather heavy for someone who is frail.

A wonderful piece of cookware...more than I expected...highly reconmend