Okay guys, seeing as I'm a bit of an expert on Dutch Oven and Cast Iron cooking, let me share some insight with you...

Chinese cast iron comes from a whole host of different foundrys all over the country. There's little, if any quality control. Much of the cast iron cookware is recycled steel and iron, with the addition of carbon agents (coal, charcoal, etc) added during the smelting process. Obviously there are going to be contaminants in the metal, but most of it will slag out or cook off, except for the stronger metallic components. Unfortunately, the foundries aren't what you'd call well regulated, and as a result, some of the contaminants that would normally cook off or flux out don't always make it out before the casting. This flaw is what concerns me more. I've seen Chinese cast iron that seemed initially to be sound for use, but after using it a few times noticed that the surface develops large, sometimes huge, pores in it. Obviously something was in the pores prior to use, and not likely the wax that is used to coat the metal for shipping and storage protection. Whatever is being used to plug those pores up with, I am guessing it can't be too good for cooking with if it ablates out into the food. Maybe it's lead, maybe it's some other hard filler, but whatever it is, it is definitely a sign of poor quality.

Except for Lodge, Maca, and Camp Chef (the latter two both have overseas manufacturing plants, but with high enough quality control systems they might as well be made in the USA), I don't buy any cast iron cookware sight unseen. In fact, I still prefer to open the box, pull out the unit, and check it for fit, finish, and defects. I once opened a whole palletful of boxes of dutch ovens that Eureka had contracted mfr from China on, I found two out of maybe twenty units that were acceptable for my uses. The rest either had warped or out of round lid to pot fit, or inconsistent wall thickness, or some other undesirable quality. I've done the same with Lodge and Camp Chef, but seldom if ever find a reject. That said, when Lodge brought back their big 16" DO a few years back, I was one of the first to buy one. Unfortunately I got one with a crack in the lid. I ended up sending the lid back and Lodge replaced it FOC, and the new lid fit the old pot just fine, which is pretty surprising.

Last time I counted I had over 30 pieces of cast iron cookware. I just ordered a new Maca 17" DO last week, which is going to be the biggest pot I own now. At 67 lbs empty, it is going to be pretty much my load limit without any assistance. Their 21" would be awful nice, but I can't always count on having help lifting, and it is definitely a two person job. That and the mule that would have to carry it to elk camp would object.

I'm not saying that a twenty dollar DO is no good, just that you have to exercise a little scrutiny in your purchase if you expect to get a pot that will work as intended. I have a number of DOs in my collection that cost about that much or less, and they are all good pots, but were hand-picked by me and after a number were rejected. Some of them are even Frankensteined (an old armorer's term where you take pieces from several different units and eventually come up with a complete system that has the fit and finish you desire).

For something that should be intended to last a lifetime of constant use, I would think a modest investment to be a prudent notion. Frugality is always a goal, but not at the cost of too much quality I think. If you are happy with what you bought and can make it work, then congratulations on a great find.

As a rule, I generally don't buy off brand cast iron cookware anymore, for precisely the same concerns mentioned in this thread. You just don't know what's been done to them, and I wouldn't put it past them to start plugging holes with whatever is convenient, lead being a likely culprit. Probably the best price going out there for the quality is Camp Chef, but that's just my opinion. Lodge is hard to beat, but Camp Chef sure is trying.