I did get some cast iron for a wedding present, back when iron was first discovered, and it was poor quality, with uneven thickness of the metal, and visible ridges where the pan was supposed to be flat. So there is bad cast iron out there.
As far as enameled cast iron, you need to be careful not to chip it by banging it around. The enamel is a kind of ceramic, and can be chipped. It can also craze if temperature shocked.
The point I'm making is that both cast iron, and enameled cast iron are durable, great working tools. But they do have limits.
I agree that once properly seasoned, cast iron can be washed, and lightly scrubbed with soap and a plastic scrubber without damaging the patina. However, should you remove the patina, say, with a steel wool scouring pad, you can re-season it fairly quickly. If you chip the enamel on it's cousin, that can't be fixed.
Another tip about cast iron, and I may have said this previously, cast iron is a poor heat conductor (and poor electrical conductor as far as metals go). To get even heating accross the surface, the thicker pans will work better. But it takes a bit of preheating for the temperature to even out over the cooking surface. The thicker pans also have more thermal mass, and so maintain a more even temperature when food is added or taken from the pan, making them great for cooking meals where the pan is used for multiple pieces of food, such as stir fries, chicken, pork chopps (like enough for a family), pancakes, etc.
Steel is similar in its heat characteristics to cast iron. This includes stainless steel, which is why they are often joined to an aluminum or copper basses. The heat conductivity of the base spreads the heat evenly across the ferrous pan, giving you a more evenly heated cooking surface.
Bonus, it is that poor electrical conductivity, or resistance, in steels and iron that cause them to heat so well with induction burners. As eddy currents caused by induction move around in the pan, they cause the pan to heat due to that resistance. Both copper and aluminum conduct electricity to easily, and therefore generate much less heat due to eddy currents.
All pans, aluminum, copper, steel, mineral steel, SS, cast iron, enamled cast iron, even borosilicate glass pots have advantages and disadvantages. They all will cook your food. My personal preference is cast iron. I know people who love anodized aluminum, with others who swear by ceramic coated non-stick pans.
I just remember scrubbing cast iron with sand and water from the beach, throwing on the fire to dry it, and knowing it could stand any abuse I could throw at it, except for extreme thermal shock. Plus, I remember a few good steaks and burgers cooked up over a camp fire, under a massive tree-fort made by me and a very good friend, when we were teens. Cast iron has good memories attached to it for me, including memories of my parents, grandparents, etc. It gives me a connection to those who came before me. Plus, it just works.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North