Finex CI

Went to Williams Sonoma today to take a break from conditioning some recently purchased "used" CI.

Took a look at Finex CI which is made in Portland, WA.Very handsome skillets but they must depart factory with poor packaging and no seasoning since the majority on display had rust and lots of finish wear.

Salespeople at Tucson, AZ store seemed very ho hum. Rust - oh my goodness.
So i was disappointed by both the product as well as the store. It is not the quality I knew years ago.

Quest for some more nice Griswold etc as wedding gift will continue. Plenty of time ahead to enjoy the hunt.

Kristi, I purchase a Finex CI skillet a year ago or so directly from the factory and it arrived in perfect condition. I believe that they still sell them direct from the factory. It's a nice pan to cook in. It's a bit pricey, buy it has performed well for me this last year. It looks nice, comes with an optional lid, has a smooth cooking surface, and I like the thickness of the pan for searing just about everything. Try contacting the owner and let him know about your bad experience with WS. I bet he won't be happy about it.

Williams Sonoma

I sent a note expressing my displeasure to Wms. S. And have heard back from them two times which makes me hope someone cares at the company.Always have enjoyed that store and began buying from 'em for many years (when I wanted to splurge).

Will contact Finex per your suggestion. It is beautiful stuff!


Kristi

I too bought direct from the factory, an 8" with lid.

The finish on their stuff was excellent. The seasoning.... so-so.

My biggest complaint is that the lid handle is fairly small, especially when wearing an oven mitt/etc. I'm thinking of adding some washers to bring it up some.

Jeff, I know what you mean about the factory so-so seasoning. But I received the pan without any rust. I was able to cook with it straight out of the box with only a quick wash. And I have built up great seasoning inside and out over this last year. No flaking or chipping. So I would say their initial seasoning process got the job done. I haven't experienced that the lid handle is too short for me, but I don't use thick oven gloves, just a pot holder or a cotten towel. I like your idea of adding washers to increase the clearance. Will you use brass washers?

Not sure about brass, but something that will take the heat w/o rusting or galvanic corrosion. Maybe stainless.

---------- Post added at 07:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:21 AM ----------

After several attempts to season it, each one a hit or miss experience, I bit the bullet and got out the sander with the 60 grit paper. About 2 minutes later I had a perfectly clean pan that had enough surface marks to take the best seasoning I've ever done.