Cast Iron Cookware

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Anyone ever find any good deals on ebay for cast iron?
Amazon has good pricing on new, Lodge, cast iron.

* If it is listed as ‘used’, it means that it is ‘new’, but was returned, or the packaging was damaged, or there are some cosmetic defects. These can be really good deals.*

If anyone is interested in the more expensive, enameled, French, STAUB cookware, there are some ‘Black Friday’ sales on right now, which really drop the price.

Still pricy, compared to bare cast iron, but if you are going to buy it, now is a good time. I really like mine.

If you are looking for the antique cast-iron, that is sort of ‘hit or miss’, whether on eBay or anywhere.

There are several collectors websites which tell you what types of defects to look for, which might not be revealed in an online ad.

Philbert
 
When buying a pan, you need to ask the seller if it will spin on a flat surface. If it will, it's warped, so it's not great for smooth cooktops, and the price should be low. It's still fine for gas and coil burners. Small cracks can also be a problem. I got a refund on a griddle with a hairline crack that hasn't given out yet.

You need to check for pits. Some pans have been left in water or with water in them. A hundred-year-old pan should still have an inner surface like glass.

Sometimes you'll see an old pan with markings that seem obscure, and you'll think it's worn or corroded. Baked-on crud tends to fill markings, and when the crud is burned off a pan, you are likely to find out it looks almost like new.

Lodge pans are very heavy, and the casting is rough and crude. The old pans were made much better. They're more pleasant to use. You don't need a ton of mass in a pan. The older pans are actually pretty thin, and they work great. And if you buy a Lodge new, you will never get your money back. I have old Griswolds that sold for around $30 a few years back, and I see similar pans on Ebay for $70+.

If you go with Lodge or some other newer pan, you can sand the inside smooth, but it takes a long time.
 
Back
Top