I'm new to smithing and have heard several horror stories and several praises of cast anvils, besides the harbor freight anvils and ebay anvils, what are some bad and good ones to lookout for? All help is appreciated

I started with a Harbor Freight 55lb ASO. If its all you can get hold of, it does work. However, there is a caveat. The edges tend to chip, it's light, and only the bottom of the horn is round (duckbill horn). It's also a dead anvil. With no rebound, you work harder to swing a hammer, and the stop will jar your wrist.

Still, it served me well until I got my Hay Budden.

Just a sum of good cast anvils:

 

Refflinghaus (German) The best on the market today.

Kohlswa (Swedish)

KL (English)

Brooks ( English)

Vaughns (English)

Columbian (NO idea where it was made)

Fisher (American)

UAT (German)

DLC ( German)

Söderfors (Swedish)

Note: There is a difference between Cast Iron and Cast Steel. Cast steel is mostly a-ok, but Cast Iron is junk. vulcans are cast iron with a top plate cast into them; these are lower end, not the prime, but better than a CI ASO from Harbor Freight.

I love Fishers(of course).  Look for one with a good top and edges.  Very kind to the ears when forging.

I love Fishers(of course).  Look for one with a good top and edges.  Very kind to the ears when forging.

I agree, worked for years on a RR track anvil.  After 4 years of looking I finally got my hands on a 200lb Fisher.  My wife used to complain about the ringing, the first time I forged on the Fisher she never heard it and she was at the closest point in the house to my shop.  LOL, she did say today whatever I was doing was shaking the house, she couldn't hear it.  My sledge was working on a piece of damascus.  Who new? ;)  

Columbians were made in Cleveland Ohio and were cast steel.

Fishers have a nice thick steel face and a cast iron body.

Vulcans have a thin steel face and a cast iron body.

The old HF *russian* anvils were cast steel but not hardened very hard.

Thanks for everyones help I really appreciate it!

Please define "older"  More than 10 years old or more than 100 years old?  In the last 100 years or so there have probably been dozens of brands of cast steel anvils made in or imported to the USA.  The most common that T Joe missed are probably Nimba, TFS, Old World, West, Fontanini, Delta, NC Tool, Rhino, to name a few.  I'm sure I'm missing some.  There have been a tremendous number of quality foundries here in the US that made one or a short run of cast steel anvils.  

 

From the standpoint of functionality there is a moderate difference in quality between all cast steel anvils ASSUMING condition is the same.  But please note that the lowest reasonable quality cast steel anvil is an order of magnitude better than a RR track anvil, most scrap anvils, or a cast iron ASO.  Also keep in mind that a skilled smith can make things on a RR track anvil that a beginner with the finest tools money can buy could never dream of.