My final thoughts on the Doyle anvil from Harbor Freight. Thanks for watching my three part review! What are your final thoughts? Please share in the comments!
Glad I found your Channel. I was considering buying one of these, but now thanks to you I know what to look for. Awesome job, thank you! You've got another subscriber.
first one i bought i didn't need to etch it to see issues, it wasn't unusable, however i exchanged it today and got a perfect one, passed my etch test, and a really clean casting. i think over time they will improve greatly. my neighbors example has some minor parts on the heel but hes just going to roll with it, since he will be hobby knife making he wont be using that section much anyway.
Buyer beware….. I bought a Doyle anvil earlier this year and tried to return it due to a casting defect in the horn that had been filled with weld and crudely ground down with a coarse disc. Since the nearest store seems to have only one in stock at a time, I tried to return it to another store. That store was gracious enough to let me open up and examine the one they had…. but I found an odd defect beneath the tail that was poorly hidden with filler and I didn’t swap. I did eventually exchange it at the original store for the only one they had in stock. Unfortunately, it - too - had a filled defect in the horn and a golfball-sized void along the middle of the Pritchel hole. This one also seemed very soft with poor rebound and little - to no - ring. It dented nearly as easily as the cast iron anvil I have. I suspect it was not properly tempered. So, 3 out of 3 were not acceptable to me. It is interesting that the half dozen display models I have seen are nearly PERFECT… but, of course, it is corporate policy that displays can’t be sold or purchased. In my opinion, it is quite possible that the displays were from early production when HF was trying to generate interest in them. I also suspect that as demand increased, quality control decreased to meet demand. I eventually returned mine for a refund and ended up buying a Vevor 66# London-style from Amazon. The casting was noticeably better than the Doyle - as were the rebound and ring. I would definitely not recommend the Doyle anvil at this time…..
That’s one thing Hf is normally very good about - accepting returns. A bit surprised they accepted yours. Amber they agreed it was bad enough so that it didn’t matter. Happy you got a good one. Their QC on this seems to be very variable with more bad ones than expected
Something we’ll probably never know, but it would be interesting to know if the problems you faced with the first one were a result of them just “working the bugs out” in production or if such inconsistencies will continue for whatever reason.
Looked at 3 more in the store before finding one without the flaws seen on the first one, still a pretty small sample size. Glad I found this one and hope most are free of major defects.
Hats off to Harbor Freight for taking it back after stripping it. Glad you found a good one. I'm laughing trying to picture taking an anvil back and they ask what's wrong with it,..."It broke my hammer",..."all my sheet metal projects look like crap",..." my papers still keep blowing away"...."I keep stubbing my toe on it". Come on, its funny , how many reasons can there be for returning an anvil???
I think I'll try finding a good HF anvil for me and my boys to practice on. I didn't know HF had anything reasonably decent. I just bought a Ridgid 165# anvil which is fine - they aren't getting any cheaper. But again, I'll get one of these cheap ones for my 8 and 10 year old boys to learn on.
Hey you’re using max hearing pro when you’re blacksmithing? I hope. That spike noise when steel strikes steel is a very high decibel sound like a lo caliber “pew pew”. Eskimo fishermen tribe who hunt with small “pew pew” and without hearing protection had endemic early hearing loss…. I understand why you took your 1st anvil back to Harbour Freight. Glad you got your moneys worth on the 2nd anvil. Harbour freights financial model is to keep prices low by allowing their customers be their quality control department, so to speak. (Saw this in a well done UA-cam video so it must be true 😊)
Take a smidgen of advice. It ain't broke. Don't fix it. Don't like the color. Paint it. Don't strip the japaning. Polish it if needed. Do not gr8nd it. 8fmyournseeingnsparks your removing the heat treat. 😊
Thank you for the advice. Grinding the edges reduces the change of chipping them off, reduces marks left in you material, and aids in shaping and drawing out.
Just received mine, I had to order online unless I waited for the next shipment to arrive in store. I also noticed some smaller voids in the pritchel hole but my only major concern is mine has a small chip on the tail with a crack leading towards the hardy hole about an inch it looks almost superficial but I think I am going to try my luck with exchanging for one in store as soon as it's back in stock at my local. I really appreciate the reviews from you and the others in the community on this.
Been thinking I need an anvil, but not sure I am going to do a lot of blacksmith type work. I do have a local Harbor Freight so maybe I will watch for the good sale.
Hay thanks, I got the ugly blue from Amazon prime and saved about $40 for the 66 lbs and I prefer to have the pricier hole in it positioned. About removing it paint, It's great rust protection but ugly blue or Chinese Red so I simply painted over the ugly color with a gray that just looks much like steel that I'm finding comfortable with. Great review thanks. I would love a ball bearing test done right inside a tube and compare them head to head fairly.
@@ImpulseIronWorks The information you've provided will greatly assist me in purchasing one of these as an entry level anvil. How to find the flaws of poor quality control.
great video and a real cool work shop and you look like you know your stuff.Right on. i'm 73 and looking for an anvil which isn't too heavy,horseshoer.
Where should we pick up hammers now that we have something to pound on? :)
ua-cam.com/video/QvTHRWF5IAI/v-deo.html
Glad you found a better one in the store and that they took the other one back with no issues. Keep it up bud
Thanks, will do!
Buddy I'm surprised the took it back with the it being modified in any way ... hats off to your location for that
Yeah I wasn’t sure what to expect when I took it back
I ordered online and mine looks very nice and clean but I appreciate the heads up on what to look for!
Glad I found your Channel. I was considering buying one of these, but now thanks to you I know what to look for. Awesome job, thank you! You've got another subscriber.
thanks for the subscription! hope you found a good one
9 more subscribers to go and you can get monetized. Yay! Great job on the videos and keep them coming. Cheers from Alabama.
Thanks so much, almost there!!
first one i bought i didn't need to etch it to see issues, it wasn't unusable, however i exchanged it today and got a perfect one, passed my etch test, and a really clean casting. i think over time they will improve greatly. my neighbors example has some minor parts on the heel but hes just going to roll with it, since he will be hobby knife making he wont be using that section much anyway.
Definitely not unusable, but definitely worth taking back and getting one without the issues. Thanks sharing your experience!
Buyer beware….. I bought a Doyle anvil earlier this year and tried to return it due to a casting defect in the horn that had been filled with weld and crudely ground down with a coarse disc. Since the nearest store seems to have only one in stock at a time, I tried to return it to another store. That store was gracious enough to let me open up and examine the one they had…. but I found an odd defect beneath the tail that was poorly hidden with filler and I didn’t swap. I did eventually exchange it at the original store for the only one they had in stock. Unfortunately, it - too - had a filled defect in the horn and a golfball-sized void along the middle of the Pritchel hole. This one also seemed very soft with poor rebound and little - to no - ring. It dented nearly as easily as the cast iron anvil I have. I suspect it was not properly tempered.
So, 3 out of 3 were not acceptable to me. It is interesting that the half dozen display models I have seen are nearly PERFECT… but, of course, it is corporate policy that displays can’t be sold or purchased. In my opinion, it is quite possible that the displays were from early production when HF was trying to generate interest in them. I also suspect that as demand increased, quality control decreased to meet demand. I eventually returned mine for a refund and ended up buying a Vevor 66# London-style from Amazon. The casting was noticeably better than the Doyle - as were the rebound and ring. I would definitely not recommend the Doyle anvil at this time…..
That’s one thing Hf is normally very good about - accepting returns. A bit surprised they accepted yours. Amber they agreed it was bad enough so that it didn’t matter. Happy you got a good one. Their QC on this seems to be very variable with more bad ones than expected
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I took it in to return 😅. Hopefully most of them are better than my first one
Something we’ll probably never know, but it would be interesting to know if the problems you faced with the first one were a result of them just “working the bugs out” in production or if such inconsistencies will continue for whatever reason.
Looked at 3 more in the store before finding one without the flaws seen on the first one, still a pretty small sample size. Glad I found this one and hope most are free of major defects.
Hats off to Harbor Freight for taking it back after stripping it. Glad you found a good one. I'm laughing trying to picture taking an anvil back and they ask what's wrong with it,..."It broke my hammer",..."all my sheet metal projects look like crap",..." my papers still keep blowing away"...."I keep stubbing my toe on it". Come on, its funny , how many reasons can there be for returning an anvil???
😂
Ii misses the Road Runner every time?
Damn coyote keeps smashing his head with it... Worst hood ornament ever... I keep dropping it in the tub... And lastly... Can't get it to start.
please do hammer vid
Will definitely have a future video on it!
ua-cam.com/video/QvTHRWF5IAI/v-deo.html
I think I'll try finding a good HF anvil for me and my boys to practice on. I didn't know HF had anything reasonably decent. I just bought a Ridgid 165# anvil which is fine - they aren't getting any cheaper. But again, I'll get one of these cheap ones for my 8 and 10 year old boys to learn on.
That's a great idea!!
You said that you did something to the surface so that you could see the flaws. What is it that you did.
Paint stripper and wire wheel
Hey you’re using max hearing pro when you’re blacksmithing? I hope. That spike noise when steel strikes steel is a very high decibel sound like a lo caliber “pew pew”. Eskimo fishermen tribe who hunt with small “pew pew” and without hearing protection had endemic early hearing loss…. I understand why you took your 1st anvil back to Harbour Freight. Glad you got your moneys worth on the 2nd anvil. Harbour freights financial model is to keep prices low by allowing their customers be their quality control department, so to speak. (Saw this in a well done UA-cam video so it must be true 😊)
Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep forge lit. Keep Making. God bless.
Garbage anvil. So much energy and time wasted. That piece of crap would not last 2 months in my shop.
Forge On!!!
Take a smidgen of advice. It ain't broke. Don't fix it. Don't like the color. Paint it. Don't strip the japaning. Polish it if needed. Do not gr8nd it. 8fmyournseeingnsparks your removing the heat treat. 😊
Thank you for the advice. Grinding the edges reduces the change of chipping them off, reduces marks left in you material, and aids in shaping and drawing out.
Just received mine, I had to order online unless I waited for the next shipment to arrive in store. I also noticed some smaller voids in the pritchel hole but my only major concern is mine has a small chip on the tail with a crack leading towards the hardy hole about an inch it looks almost superficial but I think I am going to try my luck with exchanging for one in store as soon as it's back in stock at my local. I really appreciate the reviews from you and the others in the community on this.
Thanks for the info
Now, I know why you made the stand.
i want to get real anvil so just watch out for the issues gotcha ! that i can finally afford that is not just anvil shaped object
As with some HF tools, it can be a hit or miss. I’m a shade tree mechanic and their tools have served me well.
Couldn’t agree more, you learn what’s good and what’s not. Lots of good stuff for sure, I have an ever growing collection of there tools!
Great job and congratulations on all the success on your channel!
Thank you so much!
I’m the process of Stripping paint and dressing mine. I don’t see the weld plugs on mine but I’m not sure that they are not there yet.
Hopefully not!
Been thinking I need an anvil, but not sure I am going to do a lot of blacksmith type work. I do have a local Harbor Freight so maybe I will watch for the good sale.
I usually wait for coupons for most things I get from Harbor Freight, I was just to excited to wait on this one!
Hay thanks,
I got the ugly blue from Amazon prime and saved about $40 for the 66 lbs and I prefer to have the pricier hole in it positioned.
About removing it paint, It's great rust protection but ugly blue or Chinese Red so I simply painted over the ugly color with a gray that just looks much like steel that I'm finding comfortable with.
Great review thanks.
I would love a ball bearing test done right inside a tube and compare them head to head fairly.
What’s the reason for removing the paint?
personal preference, hot work with burn the paint occasionally anyway, and to show the viewers what the paint is hiding
Watched one your videos and new I had subscribe.
Thanks for the subscription!!
Glad I watched this, ill be opening mine before I exit!!
did you end up buying one or find any issues?
Yes I did I looked at three before I bought one. I'm well pleased!
Nice review, thanks for testing out & finding problems.
Thanks for watching!
Super glad that you gave an honest review of the first one and that you gave them a second chance as well! All around a great review series.
Thank you for the update!!!😇😁
Thank you for the comment!
Thank you for the review. It's greatly appreciated. I'll be checking them in-store before buying.
just curious what you found when looking at the anvils?
@@ImpulseIronWorks The information you've provided will greatly assist me in purchasing one of these as an entry level anvil. How to find the flaws of poor quality control.
@@warlord8954 hope you find a good one!
How can you inspect the anvil before purchase if you have to remove the paint to see the issues?
The face of the anvil is not painted. You may need to wipe some of the packing grease off though
@@ImpulseIronWorks Oh, OK. Thanks for the reply.
I bought one from HF and will have a maple stump for a stand.
Did you like it mounted to the stump?
@@MishterDale yes very solid
Did he say where to get the $2 hammers?
I find them at estate sales, yard sales, and flea markets!
I figured it was that or pawn shops.
ua-cam.com/video/QvTHRWF5IAI/v-deo.html
great video and a real cool work shop and you look like you know your stuff.Right on. i'm 73 and looking for an anvil which isn't too heavy,horseshoer.
i think this would be a great option for you!
Thanks for all the great info.
hope it helps
did you take pictures ? of it
Yes
Glad to see still hope.😅😅😮😮🫣🫣
Glad I found a good one, really happy with it and think they are a great option!