Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have this wok and was surprised at the number of negative reviews...especially as regards rusting. I treat this wok in the same manner that I treat my cast-iron. Living in the South, everyone has a cast-iron skillet and knowledge of how to properly treat one, so maybe that give me an advantage, who knows? The fact is that you should dry this wok immediately after use and cleaning. I like to clean mine as soon as I'm done cooking b/c the residual heat makes it very easy to remove any leftover bits of food or sauce. To clean, I don't use any soap, so as not to disturb the seasoning...merely run hot water over it and scrub away any food particles with a stiff bristle brush. A bit of manuevering is needed b/c of the size of this wok and the small sink in my house, but all in all it takes no more than a minute or two to get it clean. Afterwards, I use a single paper towel to get the water off and wipe the inside with a bit of oil. In the two years I've owned this wok, I never had a bit of rust show up. I do, however, concede that the seasoning instructions that came with the wok aren't as good as what you can find online. I used the onion method (found a great vid on Youtube), and my wok developed a nice, brown seasoning that has, over the last couple of years, developed into a pitch black, non-stick area. The only down side to this is that I'd really love to start steaming some meals, and I worry that repeated use of boililng water would degrade the seasoning over time. In that respect, I suppose a non-stick variety, which didn't require an outside process, would be better suited. Yes, the lid is thin and easy to ding, but the wok is heavy enough that I already need two hands to move it from point A to B, I don't want a heavy lid to contend with either. That's just personal preference; however, having Chinese friends whose woks (some actually brought over from the mainland) have lids just as thin and look like they've been through meteor shower, I believe this trait is actually motivated by functionality and authenticity than just the company trying cut corners. My favorite part of this wok is how it cooks. I have a little 10 inch nonstick model that I love because it's so light and easy to work with, however, the nonstick never gets hot enough to add that bit of char that I find so tasty in stirfries. I recently made some shrimp with vegetables and white sauce, and (when done right) the shrimp have these wonderful little singed edges that add such a wonderful nuance to the dish. The trick to to stirfry each group separately and then join them together at the end so as not to disperse the heat too much. Will post pictures soon. I've cooked squid stirfry, fried rice, shrimp stirfry, bitter melon with pork, and a host of other things that turned out really well.