Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me be clear up front, this is a great cast iron dutch oven. Lodge makes great dutch ovens, I own both multiple and swear by them. If you want a high quality dutch over, buy Lodge! BUT DON'T buy it from Amazon. Here's why. As mentioned, I am well acquainted with Lodge. They are on the expensive side but that's because you're paying for quality, hence the limited lifetime warranty Lodge offers. I highly recommend them, worth every penny. However, paying for quality doesn't mean as much if Amazon can't do BASIC, COMMON SENSE SHIPPING MEASURES TO PROTECT THE ITEM! My Lodge cast iron dutch oven arrived in it's original box. That's it. No exterior boxing let alone any kind of protective padding to protect it during shipping. Literally just the box off the shelf, slapped a shipping label on it. My dutch oven arrived with multiple spots on it where the exterior coating had been busted off from getting banged around during shipping. A quarter sized patch here, a nickel sized patch there. It is cast iron so of course it's still perfectly functional, but now I will have to go way out of my way to "season" the EXTERIOR of the dutch oven right from the get go! Is it the end of the world? No, of course not, but it's ridiculous that I'll have to treat this like a well used dutch oven when it's BRAND NEW! If this was some junky no name cheap hunk of cast iron I wouldn't care, but it's not, it's a Lodge. People pay for this brand to get an item that will last for generations. Mine showed up damaged for no reason other than complete negligence on the part of Amazon shipping. If I didn't need this particular dutch oven in the next couple days I would return it, instead I'm stuck with what should be a durable item for the ages instead having to be babied by me from day 1. Seriously Amazon, would it have killed you bubble wrap it once or twice and put it in another box? I'm sure some people think this isn't a huge deal but dang it, I paid good money for this. I get that things can happen during shipping but getting unlucky with shipping or having the package mishandled in route is one thing, Amazon just not caring is another. Buy a Lodge, just buy it elsewhere. Amazon has no respect for you getting it in good shape.