bullseye on 10-04-2006 said:
As far as brand is concerned, I am most fond of the Wagner that is really from Australia. For some reason, the seasoning takes better and stays better...
To my knowledge, Wagner Ware cast iron, marked "Wagner Ware Sidney" was made in in the Wagner foundry in S
idney, Ohio (not S
ydney Australia). I have several Wagner Ware cast iron skillets, and the one with the clearest marking says "Wagner Ware S
idney)
Two years ago I posted a question to DC re this (see
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f89/2-cast-iron-cookware-questions-2393.html
The helpful answer came from Michael in FtW and here's the link he gave at that time
http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/faq.html
BTW, I especially like the Wagner's design for the 8" skillet - while most handles on cast iron skillets are a simple flat loop, the Wagner 8" skillets marked "Wagners 1891 Original" have slightly longer handles - these handles have a slight curve with an indentation on top for your thumb. Given the weight of cast iron, this ergonomic design makes it it much easier to grasp and lift the skillet. I find it makes a real difference. If you want an 8" cast iron skillet, I would recommend this design from the Wagner line. They do appear at times on eBay and are inexpensive (but check shipping costs).
Hope the following pix will help illustrate what I mean.
This is an 8" 'Wagners 1891 Original' skillet...
..
This pix shows two skillets - the one on the left is a (new) Lodge 10" skillet with the usual open loop handle which is flat and short (this skillet also has an "assist" handle on the opposite side, which is nice but uncommon in older skillets) and the one on the right is a 'Wagners 1891' 8" skillet. Despite the size difference, you can see the difference in the skillet handles.