I was at a surplus store down in Plainview TX today and a I found a 110lb Chinese made Steel anvil for $200. I did tap on it lightly with a ball-peen hammer and it had a good ring and seamed to have decent rebound.  Would this be a good buy or should I save for something better?

Currently I ham using an old 150lb tractor wheel weight as an anvil and it seams to be working okay, but it does leave some pitting on my projects.

Lol, it's probably better than what you are working on.  Might make an ok intermediat anvil.

How can you tell it's steel?

Did it look anything like this?

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janosgaborvarga/5057972416/

Is the rebound 60% or better?

If so, run with it.

A quality cast steel anvil will always beat a cast iron tractor weight.

A junk cast iron anvil, though, isn't any better than the tractor weight.

The difference between cast steel and cast iron is big.

How can you tell it's steel?

 It was marked steel and it did't sound anything like cast iron ASO sitting next to it when I tapped them with a hammer.

On 3/5/2013 at 9:14 PM, Paulky said:

Did it look anything like this?

No it was brand new. They even had three of them.

I meant to ask is it had the same form as that on, a Italian pattern.

No, it was more a of a traditional single horn.

I found it at the McDonald trading post But they don't have it listed on their web page.

Resurrection of ancient thread! Threadromancy!

Does anyone have more/updated info on these anvils?

There probably the anvils from alibaba

 

The original poster said 110 lb Chinese made Steel anvil.

A quick call to McDonalds and Cody said they were imported from China.

Laizhou Hengying Trade Co. makes this anvils, both the italian pattern, the london pattern they call "American", also the horrid squashed horn ASO sold in all hardware stores and numerous other items of interest. 

This anvils are not necessarily bad. All it requires is a buyer with expertise to go to China and oversee the cast since it can vary a lot.