stainless vs carbon (steel)

[pepperstuffedpepper]

I just heard about carbon steel pans today. I've never seen them in stores (at least, not to my knowledge) and am confused as to what the difference between stainless steel and carbon steel is. I use stainless steel with a copper core which works great but I'm intrigued by this carbon steel. What's the gimmick?

[Big Daddy's House]

Carbon steel is more accessible to staining and rusting than stainless steel, hence what its name implies - stainless steel.

[TomatoMustard]

Carbon steel is a lot like cast iron with the maintence and care it takes to keep it useful but without the weight and heat absoprtion properties. I don't mess with carbon steel anymore, it's a bit antiquated to me