This is real cast iron (see the fine casting grain on the back of the wok.) The slightly rough spiral pattern on the inside of the wok is from the grinding/cutting tooling used to shape & thin the casting. It leaves a pattern that will hold a buildup of seasoning; I found it easy to apply and bake (325 deg for one hour) on a first coat of seasoning, after giving a hard scrubbing with a copper-clad scouring pad. The interior is now a gleaming black. The relatively thin-walled casting makes a good compromise between durability, heat-distribution, and handling. I'm an old dude with old-man arms, and I have no problem lifting this wok by its long handle. It's much easier to shake, lift, and flip than anything thicker and heavier. Those who complained about black residue coming off on wiping cloths don't realize that was iron oxide from the cast iron, and is harmless. After a thorough seasoning, that oxide will be sealed in place. Now I use a stiff-bristle brush and warm water to clean the interior after cooking, followed with a light coat of peanut or canola oil after warming and drying the wok. I'm able to pick up the wok using the long, tubular handle, and shake/stir food easily. I've not found it to get too hot to handle; perhaps those who complain about the handle are using a larger gas burner with flames rising up the sides of the wok, and reaching the handle. All in all, this is my first cast-iron wok, and I love it. I can turn up the heat, do true flash-heat stir fry and not worry about non-stick coating toxic problems (like my earlier aluminum non-stick bowl-shaped skillets). This was a great purchase and I thank all the earlier reviewers who gave honest, thumbs-up reviews of this product. UPDATE: (23 April 2020) My opinion of this cast-iron wok is even better now that I've used it for a couple of months. I've fixed stir-fry meals, a stew, some frozen heat-n-eat meals, and several diced potatoes and eggs breakfasts in it. I was worried that eggs would stick badly. They didn't. The original seasoning is working well. I cook with peanut oil for high temperature as needed. This wok cleans very easily with a stiff-bristle brush and water, followed by a brief heating and a wipedown with an oiled paper towel pad. As far as the black residue that some folks complain about, there's only the slightest trace of it now with an oiled wipedown, and it is iron oxide, totally harmless. In the good old cast iron Dutch oven and skillet days, folks considered the iron oxide a great source of dietary iron--a benefit. Again, if anything happened to this wok, I'd immediately order another of the same make.
