Good advice considering cast iron is super cheap to buy. You need heavy cookware that can hold heat and it's super important to get the pan hot first and as you said, let the meat sit out for 30m-1h before cooking it. Dry the meat as well and salt a good 45m before cooking to draw moisture out of the thin surface areas and then sear in a hot pan.

I usually use Falk copper cookware (but have some cast iron too when I want a ton of heat that stays hot) since it gets super hot but also has the added ability to change temperatures quickly. So when cooking, I have control and can start hot and take it off the burner to rapidly get the pan temperature down and then back up if I want to start creating a sauce from the fond, deglazing, etc.

But I wouldn't recommend someone spending $300-$500 per copper pan when they're getting started! Cast iron is a great place to start - and if taken care of, will last you forever.