Spent $150 on a cheap anvil from Amazon and it chipped on the third project

I figured a budget anvil would be fine for basic work, but that thing was so soft it mushroomed and chipped within a week, has anyone else had luck with the cheaper cast iron ones or should I just save up for a proper steel anvil?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_leo3d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah cast iron anvils are total junk for anything beyond light work, they're just too brittle. A cheapo Harbor Freight anvil or even a big piece of railroad track will last way longer than those Amazon ones. Save up for a proper steel anvil or a good used one off Facebook Marketplace, you won't regret it after you feel the difference.

amy_reed793d agoTop Commenter

Cast iron anvils get more hate than they deserve, in my experience they handle plenty of hobbyist work just fine if you're not swinging a sledge all day. The rebound might not match a steel anvil but the price difference is huge and most people aren't going to notice a fraction of a second difference in their hammer strikes. A little common sense with heat and hammer weight goes a long way, and a cast iron anvil on a solid stump will outlast most beginners' ambition anyway.