I think they’re all very similar, and prices aren’t so high that you should worry about it. Find something with a handle and weight you like. Mom is elderly and we found that IKEA made a carbon steel pan that was a great fit for her. Sorry to say I don’t think they make it anymore.

I got a great carbon steel wok from this shop in NYC Chinatown that specializes in it.

Love my carbon steel wok from https://wokshop.com/ I’d be interested in more carbon steel cookware too

I have a MadeIn. It’s a really nice depth and the handle is great, it’s thinner than most, so it’s light, but it can be difficult to get even heating.

I also have a couple Matfers; they’re a lot heavier and the handle heats up more, but they’re fantastic for cooking. And they were inexpensive.

No experience with other brands.

I’ve got a pretty piece from Smithey Ironworks that i absolutely love; it has a rounded handle, not a flat one, so it doesn’t dig into my palms while handling it.

Edit: I got this beauty: https://smithey.com/collections/carbon-steel/products/carbon-steel-farmhouse-skillet

I have a Darto No. 25 that feels like it could survive a nuclear bomb.

It’s really heavy, but of course it maintains temperature really well, so it’s great for searing, and being a breakfast griddle.

Some brands have very thin steel: My first carbon steel was a “BK” that has a very thin layer, and therefore heats unevenly on my electric coil burners. I wouldn’t recommend those.

I do like the semi-nonstick seasoning when it’s built up over time, and that is a big advantage over stainless steel.

But of course, stainless steel has its advantages too: Much less fussiness and maintenance to keep them from rusting, worrying about acidic foods, washing and drying immediately after use to prevent rusting, etc.

We have a Mafter 10" that works great. The handle is kind of primitive feeling but one gets used to it. It totally replaced the 10" stainless All Clad pan which is now lingering in the basement.

I got the 25cm and the 27cm from Darto International last year and absolutely love them. I did a lot of research before picking which brand to buy and ended up going with Darto because of the thicker steel and unibody design (no rivets or different handle material).

They are heavier than non stick but I’m not using any kind of tossing technique so it’s not really an issue.

My only (kind of) regret is that my two sizes aren’t different enough. I like the 27 but I sometimes which I had gone with the 25 and 30 instead.

We bought a 14-inch Gibson carbon steel wok because we had a discount code. It was like $30. It’s been good. It was unseasoned so we had to season it ourselves, and we didn’t really do a good job lol. But it’s fine, it works. It’s pretty huge and unwieldy though. If I could do it over again, I’ll go for an 11 or 12 inch instead. And maybe a deep frying pan instead of a wok. For $30 though, it’s pretty good value. I don’t think you need to spend much for a carbon steel pan. At some point, they’re all the same material anyway.

The other thing you need to consider is you’re not supposed to cook acidic food (i.e. tomatoes).

We went with the updated recommendation of Mauviel from ATK.

The Best Carbon-Steel Skillets of 2025 | America's Test Kitchen

How do you choose a carbon-steel skillet? We’ve tested top brands including Matfer Bourgeat, Made In, de Buyer, and more to find the best carbon-steel skillet for you.

(www.americastestkitchen.com)

Wow, that is one beautiful pan

Good call. Teflon is shit. Ceramics are worse. Ceramics on aluminum is the bloody worst.

I like Demeyere. They’re used in professional kitchens a lot, too.

Why did you replace the stainless All Clad?

A bit of a tangent, but for nonstick applications with stainless steel, you can add oil or butter, get it to smelting temperature, and then lightly wash it out (deglaze basically) and then add more oil or butter and cook at regular temperatures.

I use this method to make omelets and it’s nearly as nonstick as using a Teflon pan.

I can tell you after watching a lot of tests on YouTube that Made In carbon steel, one of the more expensive ones, is absolutely worthless.

I have a pair of volrath 12" that are used all the time, a de buyer crepe pan that does everything it needs to do (crepes) and a yosukata wok that gets more use than I expected. All are great. Some brands use really thin metal, which can warp with high heat and that’s less pleasant.

Following in case someone has recommendations for a carbon-steel wok that can be used on a glass stove and isn’t complete garbage.

Edit: I currently use a stainless-steel wok from WMF, which works well enough but has room for improvement.

What type of stove do you have/use for the yosukata wok?

Look into strata, very cool