“the lighter weight, redesigned handle with the triple pre-seasoning doesn't seem to me to be worth the over double cost”

76% of 122 verified owners recommend the Lodge Blacklock 12 Inch Skillet, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
Synthesized from what Lodge Blacklock 12 Inch Skillet owners say — not a spec sheet.
“the lighter weight, redesigned handle with the triple pre-seasoning doesn't seem to me to be worth the over double cost”
“I love my Blacklock. It’s surface is smoother than the rest of the Lodge line, and I’ve never had anything stick.”
“Great skillet, stupid handle”
“Beautiful piece of cast Iron!”
“I'd recommend the regular Lodge because it's cheaper, more durable, and will retain heat a lot longer than the thin Blacklock.”
“But Lodge is a good process towards this direction.”
“I dont like the one you un boxed. Why fix whats not broken. Ill stay with my classic lodge skillets i have”
“Ive bought one new cast iron pan and it was a lodge. I've had it 15 years.”
“Got a brand new Lodge Blacklock today and was desperate to try this! I topped mine with prawns and onions as its all I had, worked out really well!”
“consider the weak point which is the redesigned handle. It may be for lessening heat transfer but I see that as a break point”
“I just bought the 10" Blacklock because I preferred it so much over the regular.”
“Had the flaking (inexcusable if you ask me), so I stripped with yellow cap, and started over. Looks less ‘perfect’ than the spray tan they give it, but performs great.”
“As soon as I picked one up I didn't like the feel of the handle.”
“still performs just as well as the classic Lodge my mom has”
“On one hand I got it for a good discount and it’s still $100+ cheaper than Field, Stargazer, etc.. On the other you’re correct about the need for higher quality control on their premium cookware.”
“I would just play it safe and get the traditional.”
“Lodge is the best bang for my buck.”
“I have the same one and it's the one I use the most. The triple seasoning will not last, that's normal. Only complaint is the handle. It is not very comfortable.”
“It's great for I'll call light weight cooking like bacon and eggs. It's too thin to fry chicken. Or I did it wrong. My chicken burned. I really like mine.”
“I prefer my Field #10 over Lodge.”
“Nothing stuck since the beginning and the Blacklock skillet became our go-to skillet”
“Is it just me or does it look like that handle is gonna snap off”
“I actually like my blacklock because it heats fast and cools fast for steak.”
“I don't really consider this a flaw, just a character mark of rough iron. Other than that, there are no flaws that I can see.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“I saw a Blacklock at a store the other day, it’s significantly lighter than a regular Lodge. The other big difference is the sides: it’s shaped like an omelette pan with curvy sides”
“For the most part they were sliding I did have a little bit stick it’s a new pan. No It’s a week old I didn’t season it I just washed it when I got it and been cooking with it No I hope that helps”
“Lighter weight. Thinner walls. Somewhat smoother finish out of the box, handle design is different (supposed to help slow getting hot), it comes triple seasoned.”
“And went so far as to smooth the interior to create a radial pattern on the bottom surface to vaguely evoke the mill marks of some vintage cast iron skillets.”
“The handle and helper cover don’t work well with the Blacklock. They fit my other lodge perfectly. I would say the spout is the same as my other lodge.”
“Yeah, my 12" regular Lodge fits, but the Blacklock is nearly an inch longer: https://i.imgur.com/kuh08vj.png”