Solidteknics AUS-ION 26cm Frypan
Not cast iron — seamless wrought iron, pressed from a single 3mm sheet in Sydney. About 1.6 kg against 2.5 kg for a same-size Lodge, with the thermal trade-off that implies.
By Aaron McHugh · Founder & Editor
Pros
- About 1.6 kg — roughly a third lighter than same-diameter cast iron
- Seamless single-sheet construction: no rivets or handle joint to loosen
- Made in Sydney — no import freight or return problem from Australia
- Seasoned with rice bran oil and usable on gas, induction, oven and campfire
Cons
- Wrought iron, not cast — less thermal mass, different heat behaviour
- The one-piece iron handle gets fully hot on the stove
- 3mm is thinner than most cast iron, so hot spots track the burner more closely
This is in a cast iron roundup because it is bought instead of cast iron, but it is worth being precise: it is not the same material. AUS-ION is wrought iron — pressed and formed from a single sheet — where cast iron is poured into a mould. They behave differently on the stove, and the difference is the whole reason to consider one.
The specification
Solidteknics publishes it plainly: approximately 1.6 kg, 26 cm measured from the inner top rim, formed from a single sheet of 3 mm Australian iron, made in Sydney, seasoned with non-GMO rice bran oil, and induction-compatible along with gas, electric, ceramic, oven, BBQ and campfire. The company puts a "multi-century warranty" on it, which is marketing framing for the real point — there is no handle joint, no rivet and no weld, so there is no obvious part to fail.
The weight is the headline. At 26 cm — call it 10¼" — it is about 1.6 kg where a same-diameter Lodge is around 2.5 kg and a Field No.8 around 2.0 kg. That is a third off the weight of the cast pan, and you feel it every time you move it one-handed.
What you give up
Thermal mass, and it is not a small difference. A 3 mm sheet holds far less stored heat than a thick casting. Put a cold steak into it and the surface temperature drops harder and climbs back slower; the pan also tracks the burner more closely, so hot spots follow the flame rather than being evened out by the metal.
For a carnivore kitchen that mostly means one thing: preheat properly and do not crowd it. Cook two steaks rather than four, give it a moment between batches, and it sears well. Load it like a heavy cast pan and you will steam the meat instead.
The seamless handle is the other honest caveat. One piece of iron means one temperature — the handle is as hot as the pan. That is a cloth-every-time pan, not a grab-it pan.
Who it is for
- Anyone who finds a loaded 12" cast iron genuinely heavy — this is the credible answer to that, not a compromise.
- Australian buyers who would otherwise pay international freight on a heavy US pan.
- Anyone who wants one pan for stove, oven and fire with nothing on it that can flake.
It is not the right pick if you want maximum stored heat for thick cuts. That is what a heavy casting is for, and no amount of good engineering in a 3 mm sheet changes the physics. Buy it for the weight and the build; do not buy it expecting it to sear like a heavy Lodge.
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