The carbon-steel itself is very tough, but most people try to keep a layer of seasoning on it to prevent rust. Sometimes it takes a lot of care to maintain tha

The carbon-steel itself is very tough, but most people try to keep a layer of seasoning on it to prevent rust. Sometimes it takes a lot of care to maintain that seasoning, and it still might flake off because of e.g. metal spatulas. Good stainless steel, OTOH, is generally hard enough to survive reasonable run-ins with metal utensils, and doesn't require re-seasoning.