A mirror-polished 12" Lodge skillet costs an eye-watering $250 [2].
Even if this is a special case, what is it about the polishing process that adds $100 or more to the base cost? I'd be interested to hear from anyone in the know.
Get a carbon steel pan instead. Same material as wok's, and they will take a seasoning.
I like the BelleVie, because it hits the mark on cost/quality, but you have to be accepting of a slightly uneven seasoning, or strip them once a year and start over (spring cleaning project).
Carbon steel is a great choice for light cookware and general use (i.e., what you'd use a Teflon pan for), but cast iron beats it handily for e.g., searing or use over a fire. Cast takes longer to heat (and to develop even heat), but it has a high thermal mass (resists variation in heating) and is happy to dump that heat quickly into e.g., a steak.
It takes small flap/disk sanders, lots of flaps/disks, and lots of time. Just taking off the high spots takes 10-15 minutes. A mirror finish requires working through progressively finer polishing compounds and can be quite time consuming, particularly in the spots harder to reach with power/pneumatic tools (like the transition between the base of the pan and the walls).
Edit: Given the text on the site, it appears this is a single individual craftsman polishing those pans, which likely also contributes.
seems the polishing is done by a second party. by the website's own text, they are made to order. 250 for something an individual probably spends an hour or two on is not that bad in terms of price.
Get a carbon steel pan instead. Same material as wok's, and they will take a seasoning.
I like the BelleVie, because it hits the mark on cost/quality, but you have to be accepting of a slightly uneven seasoning, or strip them once a year and start over (spring cleaning project).