12:35 also, one very big advantage is the ability to deal with warranty issues and have then resolved very quickly and easily. And potentially walk in and walk out basically.
That rebound looks pretty impressive even for someone with lesser experience 👀 if this thing holds up to the first impression Doyle may become my first anvil!! Kinda excited, thanks as always Roy & Jess 😊
I couldn't help but notice that without the tube, it bounces back much closer to the drop point. It seems that some of the bounce-back energy is being lost to tube friction.
@Christ Center Ironworks would you consider doing a series on blacksmith beginners from Mr. Volcano forge and doyle anvil.. Working from making first tongs and then other tools like the chisels, punches to maybe hardy hole tools?
I'm a vise snob. . .rock island, record, paramo. . .etc. Those Doyle vices are the best thing that you can buy for the money. Way better than any other imported vise on the market. They're not old American quality, but they're very very nice. Anvils seem pretty sweet too.
Not everyone aspires to be blacksmith or sword maker. Some of us will only forge occasionally or maybe we just need to give something a whack! This is perfect for that. 😊
Ive been looking for a 50+ lb anvil for a couple weeks now and then this video showed up. The mere fact the pritchel hole is where it is makes this totally worth the 150 bucks. Specially since im just an amateur blacksmith atm, very user friendly.
I find vintage anvils in my area for that kind of coin. I have 2 anvils, but believe an ASO (anvil shaped object) is just as useful. I can't count how many times I've walked to the back of my truck and hammered something on the hitch ball...
@@garethbaus5471 Back when forged in fire came that all got snatched up and resold at ridiculous prices. I think the market has leveled out on them, finally.
@@JordanHaisley I bought one of their new Angle Vises a couple weeks ago and was very impressed. I'd say it was nicer than some of the Palmgrens I have seen n Ebay by a long way. I may have to try this new Anvil, I gave away the Horror Fright one I bought without ever actually using it. I saw it was junk as soon as I took it out of the box. Although I would have to recommend it for holding down scrap cardboard. It worked well for that.
@@ChristCenteredIronworks Do you have any idea when you'll be able to release those? I'm planning to buy one soon and I'd love to hear your opinion of which one has the best bang for the buck, Doyle or Acciaio.
I purchased the 132 Lb Accio anvil, still getting it mounted and dressed. Seems to have good rebound. The Hardy hole is definitely oversized, and the Pritchel hole is annoying for its location just off the flat. I'll be building it up when I have time and electricity to my shop. I kind of like this Doyle, but I don't guess I need two anvils for the little forging I plan on doing. Good review, thanks!
You can get a ballpark idea of the rebound but the sides of the tube will interfere with the ball bearing on the way down as well as on the way back up.
Thanks so much Roy for the review of the anvil my friend. Very helpful and definitely information about it. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Forge lit. Keep Making. God Bless.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you use a ball that hard that dents the surface, doesn't that take away from the rebound test? Same with the wood acting as a dampener on the surface along with the weight you apply. I think it may be closer to 80% if you include some of these variables.
Thank you brother, great review as always I was wondering when you would make a video on the new Doyle anvil. Do you think they will make a heavier sized anvil? Looking forward to the shock and awe tests!
Nice 👍 hey 400k subs on the way 🎉🎉🎉 well done Roy! Blessings to you and your family. My hardy holes on my anvils are 40mm but they are like 200 years old probably. I would be interested to see if rebound is affected by a heavy mass in the base. Like sheet steel stand filled with concrete. If it works well that could be another plasma cut product for you 😃 All the very best. Cheers J
Looks like a great deal for solid edges... might even throw it in the band saw and pull that horn off and make it a small cone mandrel. Thanks for the review.
I forgot. I had a question. How do you hold it down to let's say a stump? I didn't see any holes for like a lag bolt in the foot of that anvil... Thanks again😇
Cool thing about DOYLE manufacturer makes MAC tools from the same dye process and they are identical versions down to the lazer cut finish, I bought everything from harbor freight that has the DOYLE manufacturer brand, quality stuff guys don't underestimate
I picked one up a couple days ago, and when I checked the rebound I was seeing about 60ish% on most of the face with several spots in the 20-30% range.
Great content. I've found Doyle to be consistent in their quality acros the brand so it's good to see that continue. As for HF giving you some sort of recognition for your efforts don't hold your breath. I've been making pro Harbor Freight content for nearly 3 years and never so much as a "thanks". Keep up the great work!
I suspect many tool suppliers use their products like carrots to get that great review. Now I rest assured HF is not one of those companies. Thanks for your comment.
a couple of tiny things about the rebound, but pretty good...a bit of friction and air resistance/damping in the tube, plus, having the wooden block touching the anvil surface *might* at a bit of damping at the seteel...might... ;-)
Thanks Roy, I have been teaching my kids and have been looking for a good beginner anvil for them. Looks like I found it with your help! May god be with you and your spirit!
On this pattern anvil, I’ve been fantasizing about devising a way to infill the underside with *something*, like casting it full of scrap brass, just to add weight. My misadventures casting brass so far have taught me, if you do it wrong enough, it will bond (essentially braze) itself to a steel mold! 😂😂
@@TingTingalingy yeah, mounting is my main issue, I need a heavier anvil stump, but heavy wood is hard to come by in my neck of the woods, i’m using a bunch of pine 4x4’s bolted together, and its just to light.
@@TingTingalingy eeh, I can tell the stand/mounting is definitely a part of the problem because *the entire stand/anvil combined moves around my shop in use* 1: the stand/anvil combination is probably less than 100 lbs 2:the floor of the shop is incredibly uneven 3: the anvil/stand are not mounted to the floor yet because shop layout is far from finalized. Don’t get me wrong, I need a lot of practice, but I’m pretty sure *not having to chase my anvil around the room as I work* would make things easier, and more weight in the anvil/stump would help that *a bit*
@@TingTingalingy interesting. My stand, like I said, 4x4’s bundled together, with steel straps and bolts that can be tightened as they age and dry and shrink, and the anvil sits on the end grain, has steel bars across the feet of the anvil that are tightened down with turnbuckles that are lagged into the sides of the base. The base and anvil move as a single unit, the anvil never moves on the base. What design do you figure stays still best?
About 12 years ago a friend bought and brought me a Harbor Fright Anvil. We put it in the shop, placed a test 1/4 X 2 inch by 12 in bar on it, smacked it one time with a hammer and.. I busted in two and the entire center of the anvil was poorly mixed concreter. We brought it back in a box and they suggested we misused it : ). I am leery of Harbor Fright and will not be coerced into buying one based on other's reviews nor likely to get sucked into a "warranty" However, I will go check one out.
Great Job Roy. I saw that anvil and past it by because of the red color lol. OK 139.00 down my way Charleston SC I will be taking a ride to take a look see... Thanks Roy (GOD Bless)!!!😇
Thanks for sharing. If I may ask what did it set you back? Looks promising but I know you will put it through the wringer. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Another major plus I can see vs the "HappyBuy"/Accaio anvil - the shape of the horn. My Amazon anvil has a shark nose shaped horn - a tapering oval shape - while the Doyle has a nice conical horn that looks nearly perfectly round from what I saw here. I'd want to dress that bottom part of the horn, but that's easily done. And it looks like the red paint is properly cured and dry, as opposed to the Accaio anvil I received which turned everything that touched it blue. On the upside, that first day with my anvil I developed some pretty handy angle grinder skills getting that blue mess off of it.
I have a dumb question. When HF says their anvil has an 80% rebound rate, is there a standard ball bearing size/hardness that they use to test that, or is it meaningless?
I'm currently working at Harbor Freight and I am looking forward to getting to inspect the Doyle anvil we r getting in our store and I am looking forward to seeing what happens with your testing as well and if I can find a way to afford it I might buy on to see how it works out for me
At first glance, it looks like they copied the Vevor and fixed the most obvious problems. And that's all I really want. Well, I'd like to see this scaled up to a 110 pound anvil with a 1" hardy hole (and the same 3/4" pritchel), but close enough. I may run out and get one. HF should really send you a commission.
I just bought one on 3/21 knowing that they'd be sold out after you did a review on it. The label on the box says number x of 1400, so I think they'll be sold out quickly if they only distributed 1400.
How would you mount that, Roy??? Plates over the front with lag bolts or would you just run it like you did in the beginning, on the rubber mat? I want mine affixed the stump, I'm weird like that Lol
Those freehand drops on the anvil looked *real* close to 80%, I think that tube system is just awful, you've got positive air pressure as the ball is coming down, slowing it down, and negative air pressure on the way up slowing it down. Not to mention surface friction from that bent tube. The fact that there was a ridiculous amount of variation between each drop compared to the freehand drops... He'd have a more accurate measurement just dropping the ball by hand in front of a ruler.
It would be fantastic if you could section this anvil and send it out for testing to find out what the hardness profile is all over the anvil and perhaps a look at the material grain size. This is obviously not thru-hardened, I would like to know how thick the surface hardness is. That way we would all have a good idea about the longevity we can expect and if there are any inclusions in the material. I know this is a tall order but would you consider doing this for us? Thank you for your consideration.
I've been interested in trying blacksmithing, and this looks nice. Just need to see if I can figure out a good forge solution. Not sure if I should try to make one, or search for a Michigan based blacksmith supplier.
They say "Cast Steel" on the website and "Premium cast steel construction...". The Chinese ones that look similar are actual cast steel, too. I have one. This one _seems_ to be a little bit higher quality with some updated design choices.
At a steam engine show in 2002. Bought 2 antique (late 1800’s) English anvils for $275.00 total. Seller was tired of hauling them around and had them marked down to $175 & $200, (180+ and 205 ish lbs). Put both in the corner of my shop and hadn’t thought of them in years… till now. Just checked current pricing… it appears to be one of the best investments I’ve ever made! Honestly, I had no clue of their value at the time, but my deceased Dad’s 70 YO farmer buddy said they were 8 & 9 out of 10 for condition / rebound, so If you don’t buy them, I will. 🤝 Thanks Bill G. and RIP, say Hi to Dad 4 me. Maybe I’ll start hammering on them in your honor and sometime soon!
Roy a quick question. I bought the new HF anvil. I put a cold peice of 1/2" rebar on it tapped a few times and it put some pretty nice dents into the face.. I was hitting in the middle flat close to out side edge... should it do that??? I trust your advice!😇
Saw a couple of other tool reviewers out there discuss talking with Harbor Freight on their channels so at this point I believe that they actually are looking at these reviews as well as things like forum posts, since they seem to be responding to demand. One person said that they had a conversation with some HF product person who talked about what HF is planning for the future and apparently they seem to be upping their game a bit in providing economical tools that aren't just junk. I know that I was pretty happy with the drill index that I bought from HF recently and $125 for a 115-piece cobalt drill set I thought was a pretty good value. The actual metal case that they come in isn't great and the latch doesn't really want to hold it shut, but I don't really care if I need to keep a thick rubber band around the case in order for it not to fly open as long as they'll drill consistent holes in metal and so far they have. A lot of people don't have a lot of money and still want to get started in this hobby, and I'd bet that this anvil is a big step up from a sledge hammer head mounted in a stump or a piece of railroad track. If it enables more people to take up blacksmithing then I'm in favor of it.
Great video! Can you tell if the horn is hardened? (and are they usually hardened on higher end anvils?) I like the horn on this one MUCH better my 88lb Vevor, which has a really wide and not very uniform horn (and is not hardened). This would almost be the perfect budget anvil if they had it in heavier weights with 1" hardy holes.
Now the debate is 66 pound Doyle I can get in store or 132 pound Acaio and wait for it to ship. Not sure how much the extra weight matters for knife making.
From what I can glean, as long as you're not sledge hammering anything on a 65# anvil, you're good. Knife making doesn't take a huge anvil. Benefits of a bigger heavier anvil is mostly size of striking surfaces. I'd say that 132 would be able to do anything you need it to do, and the 65 would be just plenty for making knives.
The horn on the 132lber is more oval than round. So you'll be doing a lot of shaping/grinding/profiling. So yeah, you'll get a bigger anvil, but the amount of work you need to do just to get it usable may sway your decision.
@@mobettadealgetta5111 also mind you, the horn on my 40KG acciaos shape is wide too, and it's proven kind of nice. I repair medieval style modern made combat armor and having that flatter plane on the horn has made reshaping and repairing sabatons, cuisses, pauldrons and other things easier than if it was on a very rounded horn. So everyone's mileage will vary.
@@KranVideo absolutely! there's pros and cons for each shape and size. Knowing these details should make it easier for the OP to make his decision. I'm just getting started, so I bought this one cause I didn't want to have to do the reshaping, paint stripping (I actually like the red) and the fact I can get to using it sooner vs. having to do all the dressing of the other models.
@@mobettadealgetta5111 I might buy one for portability. 40kg is 88lbs, having that sitting in the floorboard of my 2 door coupe is a hassle lol. Need something a bit lighter and easier for me to pull in and out.
I would think the base of the tube tester would dampen the rebound. I'd like to see the base not connected to the anvil and the tube suspended above the anvil
How well do you figure this would dispatch a pesky roadrunner? Asking for a friend. I estimate I will, hum i mean he will be dropping it from a height of 100-150 foot. I’ve used acme brand before, but they always backfire on me, hum I mean him. Thanks Wile .E Coyote.
Ur drop test isn’t really good because the way the ball is dropped it is spinning when in reality for this test it should be falling with zero spin or as close to that you can get. Maybe change the release mechanism so it doesn’t give the ball any spin
I wish these anvils had been available 12 years ago. They may not be the best, but they are a lot better than the random pieces of metal i used when i was starting out. i kind of wish they would put more of the anvils mass underneath the strike face, rather than having so much in the horns. Even so, $140 bucks for a steel anvil that actually has a hardened face is a good deal for a beginner. When i started the only chance to get a decent anvil was estate sales and the like. Most went for a higher price that they were worth ($8+ per pound), and usually were heavily sway backed, or had horribly chipped out edges. Even scouring scrap yards looking for a large heavy chunk of steel was mostly a fruitless effort. Being able to walk in and grab anvil like this off the shelf for like $2.50 per lb is awesome. I managed to score a 200lbs Peter wright after a lot of searching, but i had to travel over 2hrs, and go to a neighboring state to get it. Anvils aren't very common where i live. It would make for a nice travel anvil. It'd also make for a good beater if i ever get the chance to teach someone in the future.
I'm a mechanical engineer. I wouldn't average the rebound tests, considering that the differences are almost surely due to friction between the ball and your tube, both on the way down and on the way back up, plus air resistance and other stuff. I'd consider the highest rebound measurement as being some unknown amount lower, than the actual rebound of the anvil. If your release mechanism starts the ball spinning at all, or the ball touches the tube on the way down, then when the ball hits the anvil, it is spinning, and like a wheel getting traction, wants to roll along the anvil surface in the direction the ball is spinning, in addition to bouncing up. So it hits the tube again and then wants to roll up the tube, gaining even more spin. If it's touching the anvil and tube at the same time, it's acting like a brake also. Last but not least, if the OD of the ball is even close to the ID of the tube, air resistance becomes an issue as it compresses the air under it. On the way back up, it's both pushing the air above it, and pulling a slight vacuum behind it, all serving to slow the ball down and not let all the drop energy and rebound energy show up as rebound height. Luckily, steel is a lot heavier than air, and the velocity is pretty low, so air resistance in open air isn't much, but in a tube, it can be depending upon clearance. And a ball (say a bowling ball) moving along with no spin just above the bowling alley, puts a certain percentage of its energy into spinning up to match its speed and stop slipping. For a solid cylinder, the loss of energy to do that is 1/3, for a sphere it's quite a bit lower, and I don't feel like doing calculus at the moment to figure out the answer, hahaha. Besides, the ball's velocity is different at each point in its journey here, and the answer wouldn't mean much without knowing the ball's initial and final spin rate.
One thing you could try, is to only have the tube for the top 4 or 5 inches, and see if the rebound is higher. I bet it would be. Of course, you'd have to be ready to catch the ball as it comes down again with no tube to contain it.
12:35 also, one very big advantage is the ability to deal with warranty issues and have then resolved very quickly and easily. And potentially walk in and walk out basically.
That rebound looks pretty impressive even for someone with lesser experience 👀 if this thing holds up to the first impression Doyle may become my first anvil!! Kinda excited, thanks as always Roy & Jess 😊
You should see the rebound of a Fisher 😊
@@TingTingalingy Thanks, price point is also a contributing factor.
@@bobbee1934 it was a tongue in cheek remark since fisher's have a cast iron body and are well respected anvils.
Looks like it's denting like a lot of Harbor Freight anvils.
I couldn't help but notice that without the tube, it bounces back much closer to the drop point. It seems that some of the bounce-back energy is being lost to tube friction.
@Christ Center Ironworks would you consider doing a series on blacksmith beginners from Mr. Volcano forge and doyle anvil.. Working from making first tongs and then other tools like the chisels, punches to maybe hardy hole tools?
Great Question😇
I'm a vise snob. . .rock island, record, paramo. . .etc. Those Doyle vices are the best thing that you can buy for the money. Way better than any other imported vise on the market. They're not old American quality, but they're very very nice. Anvils seem pretty sweet too.
That was my impression too just looking at the Doyle vise at HF.
Yeah, I agree; it's either that or the Yost ADI vises.
Not everyone aspires to be blacksmith or sword maker. Some of us will only forge occasionally or maybe we just need to give something a whack!
This is perfect for that. 😊
Who all clicked away to Harbor Freight's website during that intro?
Almost
Guilty as charged...
Me me me me me me lol
Heck, I went to two different Harbor Freight’s to find one😂
I did
I have wanted to see the old 110# anvils back at hf for a long time, they were actually decent. Good to see they finally have a real anvil again
Yeah I had one for years.
It was stolen while I was away.
Ive been looking for a 50+ lb anvil for a couple weeks now and then this video showed up. The mere fact the pritchel hole is where it is makes this totally worth the 150 bucks.
Specially since im just an amateur blacksmith atm, very user friendly.
I find vintage anvils in my area for that kind of coin. I have 2 anvils, but believe an ASO (anvil shaped object) is just as useful. I can't count how many times I've walked to the back of my truck and hammered something on the hitch ball...
@@a.joegevara3519 In my area an abused but useable anvil was more than double that price 7 years ago.
@@garethbaus5471 Back when forged in fire came that all got snatched up and resold at ridiculous prices. I think the market has leveled out on them, finally.
@@a.joegevara3519 here in Phx area the used UP anvils are double the price of this one
Pittsburgh I see anvils on sale for 11 a lb.
I’m wondering why they don’t put some holes in the feet of that anvil, so you can bolt it down to a base.
Own a drill???
@@donaldoehl7690 Yes, but there’s no good reason not to cast it with holes in the feet. And an anvil won’t fit in my bench vise.
Never thought I'd see HF come out with a decent anvil, but based on your info it appears they have. Encouraging!
Me either but we'll see how it holds up in the future videos 😉
I’m cautiously optimistic about the Doyle line.
They had a decent one around 25 years ago which was made in Russia.
@@JordanHaisley I bought one of their new Angle Vises a couple weeks ago and was very impressed. I'd say it was nicer than some of the Palmgrens I have seen n Ebay by a long way.
I may have to try this new Anvil, I gave away the Horror Fright one I bought without ever actually using it. I saw it was junk as soon as I took it out of the box. Although I would have to recommend it for holding down scrap cardboard. It worked well for that.
@@ChristCenteredIronworks Do you have any idea when you'll be able to release those? I'm planning to buy one soon and I'd love to hear your opinion of which one has the best bang for the buck, Doyle or Acciaio.
So far looks like a fairly nice anvil!!! Looking forward to the next videos on this one!!!
I purchased the 132 Lb Accio anvil, still getting it mounted and dressed. Seems to have good rebound. The Hardy hole is definitely oversized, and the Pritchel hole is annoying for its location just off the flat. I'll be building it up when I have time and electricity to my shop. I kind of like this Doyle, but I don't guess I need two anvils for the little forging I plan on doing. Good review, thanks!
there is no such thing as too many anvils lol.
ROFL!!!!
Never no?
You may have mire than 1 grandson?👍
Thanks for the great review, looking forward to the other testing on this one.
Very welcome thanks for watching
Picked one up a few days ago and I like it. Beats the hell out of rail road track anvils.
Nice looking anvil. I have been using an annealed 100 lb block of 4140 for an anvil and ground down a railroad spike driver head to use as a horn.
Badass!
They're listening (except regarding the Hardy hole) to the community, I wonder if they'll be producing a larger version, perhaps 135 pounds or more?
That would be nice!
Surprising amount of rebound. Look forward to the torture test😉
I'm going to get a lot of hate for sure 😁
Good to see an upgrade anvil, come from HF. Thank you Roy!
Find their original, Russian made anvil if you can. They were bad to the bone
Your welcome and thank you for all your support and watching
Thanks for reviewing this Roy. I've been looking for another anvil for my son and I think this one may just fit the bill
Please advise… for a newly retired shop guy, suggest an anvil for me… 65lb? Looking for quality. Thx!
This one would be a excellent option
Well, thank you for putting this on my radar. I'm gonna have to go take a look some time soon.
I LOVE that concrete block shop building!!!
You can get a ballpark idea of the rebound but the sides of the tube will interfere with the ball bearing on the way down as well as on the way back up.
Thanks so much Roy for the review of the anvil my friend. Very helpful and definitely information about it. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Forge lit. Keep Making. God Bless.
I can't wait for the destruction test they look like so much fun
Ohh it's coming 😂😉🔥
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you use a ball that hard that dents the surface, doesn't that take away from the rebound test? Same with the wood acting as a dampener on the surface along with the weight you apply. I think it may be closer to 80% if you include some of these variables.
Thank you brother, great review as always I was wondering when you would make a video on the new Doyle anvil. Do you think they will make a heavier sized anvil? Looking forward to the shock and awe tests!
just leaving the base solid would be a drastic improvement. I'd rather have a shorter anvil than a massive hallow spot under the working face.
Nice 👍 hey 400k subs on the way 🎉🎉🎉 well done Roy! Blessings to you and your family.
My hardy holes on my anvils are 40mm but they are like 200 years old probably.
I would be interested to see if rebound is affected by a heavy mass in the base. Like sheet steel stand filled with concrete. If it works well that could be another plasma cut product for you 😃
All the very best. Cheers J
Thank you Joshua for the congrats and for the potential product idea 💡😊 God bless you and your family 🙏
I had a Vevor 66lb anvil and bought the HF Doyle the rebound is twice that of the Vevor and the cast quality is much better.
It does appear to be a superior anvil to the acciao...
Looks like a great deal for solid edges... might even throw it in the band saw and pull that horn off and make it a small cone mandrel. Thanks for the review.
Thank you for watching
I forgot. I had a question. How do you hold it down to let's say a stump?
I didn't see any holes for like a lag bolt in the foot of that anvil... Thanks again😇
Most all anvils don't have holes in their feet.
They'll get strapped down by some configuration.
Thanks Ben. Today I was watching some other BS AND some had chains on them..
Thanks for the review. I looked at the Central Forge one a while back and stayed away. This one looks much nicer. I really like the horn.
Cool thing about DOYLE manufacturer makes MAC tools from the same dye process and they are identical versions down to the lazer cut finish, I bought everything from harbor freight that has the DOYLE manufacturer brand, quality stuff guys don't underestimate
Great review. Im just a hobby bladesmith but wouldn't you get a more accurate test if the bearing wasnt rusty?
You got one of these.Totally awesome my brother!!!
I picked one up a couple days ago, and when I checked the rebound I was seeing about 60ish% on most of the face with several spots in the 20-30% range.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Great content. I've found Doyle to be consistent in their quality acros the brand so it's good to see that continue.
As for HF giving you some sort of recognition for your efforts don't hold your breath. I've been making pro Harbor Freight content for nearly 3 years and never so much as a "thanks".
Keep up the great work!
I suspect many tool suppliers use their products like carrots to get that great review. Now I rest assured HF is not one of those companies. Thanks for your comment.
@@charlesmoeller5051 naw they totally are but it depends on the product line. they send offroading stuff to Matt's off road recovery and fabrats
@@Grunttamer ❤
“thanks”
so if i bought one of these the first thing id do is mount it on my mill, grab some carbide and add a pritchel to the heel area and widen the hardy.
a couple of tiny things about the rebound, but pretty good...a bit of friction and air resistance/damping in the tube, plus, having the wooden block touching the anvil surface *might* at a bit of damping at the seteel...might... ;-)
When he dropped by hand it bounced nicely.
Thanks Roy, I have been teaching my kids and have been looking for a good beginner anvil for them. Looks like I found it with your help! May god be with you and your spirit!
Never heard of that brand Anvil until now and didn't know HF had them?? Learning experience all around!!
Glad it was helpful ☺️
I just got one a week ago. So far ive only had time to use twice. I love it so far. Its hard to balance work. Family and hobby.
Thanks for the video, what was the hardness of the horn ?
Doesn't matter all that much,, I just ordered one !!
Thanks again
It wasn't hard at all maybe 40hrc or less... But the entire face is decently hard
How difficult would it be for the user to upsize the Hardy hole to 1"?
looks like a rebranded Vevor, hope they make em in the 160 and up sizes.
On this pattern anvil, I’ve been fantasizing about devising a way to infill the underside with *something*, like casting it full of scrap brass, just to add weight. My misadventures casting brass so far have taught me, if you do it wrong enough, it will bond (essentially braze) itself to a steel mold! 😂😂
@@TingTingalingy yeah, mounting is my main issue, I need a heavier anvil stump, but heavy wood is hard to come by in my neck of the woods, i’m using a bunch of pine 4x4’s bolted together, and its just to light.
@@TingTingalingy eeh, I can tell the stand/mounting is definitely a part of the problem because *the entire stand/anvil combined moves around my shop in use*
1: the stand/anvil combination is probably less than 100 lbs
2:the floor of the shop is incredibly uneven
3: the anvil/stand are not mounted to the floor yet because shop layout is far from finalized.
Don’t get me wrong, I need a lot of practice, but I’m pretty sure *not having to chase my anvil around the room as I work* would make things easier, and more weight in the anvil/stump would help that *a bit*
@@TingTingalingy interesting. My stand, like I said, 4x4’s bundled together, with steel straps and bolts that can be tightened as they age and dry and shrink, and the anvil sits on the end grain, has steel bars across the feet of the anvil that are tightened down with turnbuckles that are lagged into the sides of the base. The base and anvil move as a single unit, the anvil never moves on the base.
What design do you figure stays still best?
@@TingTingalingy interesting, thanks!
Seriously, don’t do that. There’s no reason for it. This style or anvil has been made for a long time, and is very successful.
About 12 years ago a friend bought and brought me a Harbor Fright Anvil.
We put it in the shop, placed a test 1/4 X 2 inch by 12 in bar on it, smacked it one time with a hammer and..
I busted in two and the entire center of the anvil was poorly mixed concreter. We brought it back in a box and they suggested we misused it : ).
I am leery of Harbor Fright and will not be coerced into buying one based on other's reviews nor likely to get sucked into a "warranty"
However, I will go check one out.
Great Job Roy.
I saw that anvil and past it by because of the red color lol. OK
139.00 down my way Charleston SC
I will be taking a ride to take a look see...
Thanks Roy (GOD Bless)!!!😇
Have you tested the vevor? Looks identical. How would the Doyle compare I wonder? 🤔
This looks a lot like the acciao anvil, How are you supposed to mount it?
Thanks for sharing. If I may ask what did it set you back? Looks promising but I know you will put it through the wringer. Can't wait to see what happens next.
It was $146.00 at the local harbor freight store here in northern Michigan...
Another major plus I can see vs the "HappyBuy"/Accaio anvil - the shape of the horn. My Amazon anvil has a shark nose shaped horn - a tapering oval shape - while the Doyle has a nice conical horn that looks nearly perfectly round from what I saw here. I'd want to dress that bottom part of the horn, but that's easily done.
And it looks like the red paint is properly cured and dry, as opposed to the Accaio anvil I received which turned everything that touched it blue. On the upside, that first day with my anvil I developed some pretty handy angle grinder skills getting that blue mess off of it.
Good review. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
I have a dumb question. When HF says their anvil has an 80% rebound rate, is there a standard ball bearing size/hardness that they use to test that, or is it meaningless?
I just got this anvil, love the conical horn much better than the duckbill you see on most anvils.
What do you guys doing to use your anvils so often? I bought a rigid anvil back when I bought our house and I've used it twice...
I'm currently working at Harbor Freight and I am looking forward to getting to inspect the Doyle anvil we r getting in our store and I am looking forward to seeing what happens with your testing as well and if I can find a way to afford it I might buy on to see how it works out for me
At first glance, it looks like they copied the Vevor and fixed the most obvious problems. And that's all I really want. Well, I'd like to see this scaled up to a 110 pound anvil with a 1" hardy hole (and the same 3/4" pritchel), but close enough. I may run out and get one. HF should really send you a commission.
i ssaid pretty much the same thing. id love to see one in the 70-80 kg range
I just bought one on 3/21 knowing that they'd be sold out after you did a review on it. The label on the box says number x of 1400, so I think they'll be sold out quickly if they only distributed 1400.
Mine said 253 /400. So maybe only 400 on first run ?
How would you mount that, Roy??? Plates over the front with lag bolts or would you just run it like you did in the beginning, on the rubber mat? I want mine affixed the stump, I'm weird like that Lol
do they sell the hardy tools for it ? How heavy is it?
Those freehand drops on the anvil looked *real* close to 80%, I think that tube system is just awful, you've got positive air pressure as the ball is coming down, slowing it down, and negative air pressure on the way up slowing it down. Not to mention surface friction from that bent tube. The fact that there was a ridiculous amount of variation between each drop compared to the freehand drops... He'd have a more accurate measurement just dropping the ball by hand in front of a ruler.
It would be fantastic if you could section this anvil and send it out for testing to find out what the hardness profile is all over the anvil and perhaps a look at the material grain size. This is obviously not thru-hardened, I would like to know how thick the surface hardness is. That way we would all have a good idea about the longevity we can expect and if there are any inclusions in the material. I know this is a tall order but would you consider doing this for us? Thank you for your consideration.
Unless it's really expensive then y would ya even care about those detail with the thing
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing the new video.
Thank you Steve
I've been interested in trying blacksmithing, and this looks nice.
Just need to see if I can figure out a good forge solution. Not sure if I should try to make one, or search for a Michigan based blacksmith supplier.
You can literally take a hair dryer and point it at a camp fire and heat metal to forging temps. Don't overthink it. Jump in and get started.
Is it truly cast steel or is it cast iron with a name change like you see on some of the cheap overseas anvils
They say "Cast Steel" on the website and "Premium cast steel construction...". The Chinese ones that look similar are actual cast steel, too. I have one. This one _seems_ to be a little bit higher quality with some updated design choices.
At a steam engine show in 2002. Bought 2 antique (late 1800’s) English anvils for $275.00 total. Seller was tired of hauling them around and had them marked down to $175 & $200, (180+ and 205 ish lbs). Put both in the corner of my shop and hadn’t thought of them in years… till now. Just checked current pricing… it appears to be one of the best investments I’ve ever made! Honestly, I had no clue of their value at the time, but my deceased Dad’s 70 YO farmer buddy said they were 8 & 9 out of 10 for condition / rebound, so If you don’t buy them, I will. 🤝 Thanks Bill G. and RIP, say Hi to Dad 4 me. Maybe I’ll start hammering on them in your honor and sometime soon!
I see possibilities if I were to do road shows, again. My 130 pounder is to heavy for me to move, it stays in the shop. Thanks Roy for sharing. 👀👏🙏🏼
That rebound is definitely more appealing then the 66lb Accio that I got, but my anvil works just fine... Stop tempting me to buy more anvils man!
the beatings will continue, until morale improves
Roy a quick question. I bought the new HF anvil. I put a cold peice of 1/2" rebar on it tapped a few times and it put some pretty nice dents into the face..
I was hitting in the middle flat close to out side edge... should it do that???
I trust your advice!😇
Saw a couple of other tool reviewers out there discuss talking with Harbor Freight on their channels so at this point I believe that they actually are looking at these reviews as well as things like forum posts, since they seem to be responding to demand. One person said that they had a conversation with some HF product person who talked about what HF is planning for the future and apparently they seem to be upping their game a bit in providing economical tools that aren't just junk. I know that I was pretty happy with the drill index that I bought from HF recently and $125 for a 115-piece cobalt drill set I thought was a pretty good value. The actual metal case that they come in isn't great and the latch doesn't really want to hold it shut, but I don't really care if I need to keep a thick rubber band around the case in order for it not to fly open as long as they'll drill consistent holes in metal and so far they have. A lot of people don't have a lot of money and still want to get started in this hobby, and I'd bet that this anvil is a big step up from a sledge hammer head mounted in a stump or a piece of railroad track. If it enables more people to take up blacksmithing then I'm in favor of it.
Looks nicer than my 65 lb Vevor. Wish they had a lager one in this. Looking to get a 110+ lb anvil now
They just might in the future but who knows .... I'm just glad it's not blue lol
@@ChristCenteredIronworks 😂
Great video! Can you tell if the horn is hardened? (and are they usually hardened on higher end anvils?)
I like the horn on this one MUCH better my 88lb Vevor, which has a really wide and not very uniform horn (and is not hardened). This would almost be the perfect budget anvil if they had it in heavier weights with 1" hardy holes.
How is gonna be fixed in a workbench?
Couldn't the hardy hole be drilled out with a 1" bit and then the corners squared up with filing?
I'm not a blacksmith but I want one in my shop . Thank you for the information.
Looks like I'll be headed to Harbor Freight next payday. Probably grind all the red off, but otherwise, I like what I heard and saw here.
Glad you enjoyed the video thanks for taking the time to watch 🔥
Now the debate is 66 pound Doyle I can get in store or 132 pound Acaio and wait for it to ship. Not sure how much the extra weight matters for knife making.
From what I can glean, as long as you're not sledge hammering anything on a 65# anvil, you're good. Knife making doesn't take a huge anvil. Benefits of a bigger heavier anvil is mostly size of striking surfaces. I'd say that 132 would be able to do anything you need it to do, and the 65 would be just plenty for making knives.
The horn on the 132lber is more oval than round. So you'll be doing a lot of shaping/grinding/profiling. So yeah, you'll get a bigger anvil, but the amount of work you need to do just to get it usable may sway your decision.
@@mobettadealgetta5111 also mind you, the horn on my 40KG acciaos shape is wide too, and it's proven kind of nice. I repair medieval style modern made combat armor and having that flatter plane on the horn has made reshaping and repairing sabatons, cuisses, pauldrons and other things easier than if it was on a very rounded horn. So everyone's mileage will vary.
@@KranVideo absolutely! there's pros and cons for each shape and size. Knowing these details should make it easier for the OP to make his decision.
I'm just getting started, so I bought this one cause I didn't want to have to do the reshaping, paint stripping (I actually like the red) and the fact I can get to using it sooner vs. having to do all the dressing of the other models.
@@mobettadealgetta5111 I might buy one for portability. 40kg is 88lbs, having that sitting in the floorboard of my 2 door coupe is a hassle lol. Need something a bit lighter and easier for me to pull in and out.
Nice vid brother! Just called my local HF and have it set aside for tomorrow :)
Awesome hope you enjoy it 😊
I would think the base of the tube tester would dampen the rebound. I'd like to see the base not connected to the anvil and the tube suspended above the anvil
Is there a reason the feet don't have mounting holes??
I have sold and shipped a few anvils, only item you don’t have to box, just put a tag on it 😊
I went to the store after work and they only had the display even though it showed in stock. I ended up ordering one online instead. Now the wait 😂
Had the same experience....had to try like three times to get mine.
Would someone please give the size and tolerance for a legal “scoch “?
It's about a 64th of an inch
@@ChristCenteredIronworks is that +/- 0.0039” or 1/10mm?
Do they make it in like a 150lb? If they do I'd really think about getting one.
How well do you figure this would dispatch a pesky roadrunner? Asking for a friend. I estimate I will, hum i mean he will be dropping it from a height of 100-150 foot. I’ve used acme brand before, but they always backfire on me, hum I mean him. Thanks
Wile .E Coyote.
I am impressed. The old blue one they had was a hunk of junk. I am glad they finally came around to selling a halfway decent one.
Me too
What is the best way to mount this, without mounting holes in the base?
Metal straps over the legs
I wish they had this when I bought the blue one
It's red, just like the Chinese flag.
Ur drop test isn’t really good because the way the ball is dropped it is spinning when in reality for this test it should be falling with zero spin or as close to that you can get. Maybe change the release mechanism so it doesn’t give the ball any spin
How do you bolt it down?
Like I did my acciaio
Do you recommend buying this one? Or is there something else you recommend?
I wish these anvils had been available 12 years ago. They may not be the best, but they are a lot better than the random pieces of metal i used when i was starting out. i kind of wish they would put more of the anvils mass underneath the strike face, rather than having so much in the horns. Even so, $140 bucks for a steel anvil that actually has a hardened face is a good deal for a beginner. When i started the only chance to get a decent anvil was estate sales and the like. Most went for a higher price that they were worth ($8+ per pound), and usually were heavily sway backed, or had horribly chipped out edges. Even scouring scrap yards looking for a large heavy chunk of steel was mostly a fruitless effort. Being able to walk in and grab anvil like this off the shelf for like $2.50 per lb is awesome. I managed to score a 200lbs Peter wright after a lot of searching, but i had to travel over 2hrs, and go to a neighboring state to get it. Anvils aren't very common where i live. It would make for a nice travel anvil. It'd also make for a good beater if i ever get the chance to teach someone in the future.
How should it be mounted to a bench or table?
Alpena is a great HF store. Good review. Thanks.
sounds dead to me but I am used to a Peter Wright anvil.
Very cool. Looks like a good anvil to buy.
I'm a mechanical engineer. I wouldn't average the rebound tests, considering that the differences are almost surely due to friction between the ball and your tube, both on the way down and on the way back up, plus air resistance and other stuff. I'd consider the highest rebound measurement as being some unknown amount lower, than the actual rebound of the anvil.
If your release mechanism starts the ball spinning at all, or the ball touches the tube on the way down, then when the ball hits the anvil, it is spinning, and like a wheel getting traction, wants to roll along the anvil surface in the direction the ball is spinning, in addition to bouncing up. So it hits the tube again and then wants to roll up the tube, gaining even more spin. If it's touching the anvil and tube at the same time, it's acting like a brake also.
Last but not least, if the OD of the ball is even close to the ID of the tube, air resistance becomes an issue as it compresses the air under it. On the way back up, it's both pushing the air above it, and pulling a slight vacuum behind it, all serving to slow the ball down and not let all the drop energy and rebound energy show up as rebound height.
Luckily, steel is a lot heavier than air, and the velocity is pretty low, so air resistance in open air isn't much, but in a tube, it can be depending upon clearance. And a ball (say a bowling ball) moving along with no spin just above the bowling alley, puts a certain percentage of its energy into spinning up to match its speed and stop slipping. For a solid cylinder, the loss of energy to do that is 1/3, for a sphere it's quite a bit lower, and I don't feel like doing calculus at the moment to figure out the answer, hahaha. Besides, the ball's velocity is different at each point in its journey here, and the answer wouldn't mean much without knowing the ball's initial and final spin rate.
One thing you could try, is to only have the tube for the top 4 or 5 inches, and see if the rebound is higher. I bet it would be. Of course, you'd have to be ready to catch the ball as it comes down again with no tube to contain it.
I agree, but if he's using the same device for all tests it still makes a decent comparison...
I thought you ground the paint off the horn yourself, but that's super cool
for everyday garage use, its perfect.