Hot take: that 'bargain' anvil from the online auction cost me $200 and a month of headaches.

The face was so soft my hammer just bounced off, and it took forever to grind it down to something usable. Anyone else get burned by a cheap anvil that looked good in pictures?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunaf6714h ago

That "looked good in pictures" line is the real trap. I've seen a few that were basically just decorative cast iron with a shiny coat of paint. The time you spend fixing a bad one really does add up.

jake98611h ago

Man, that sounds like a rough deal. I totally get the frustration, and lunaf67 is right about the time cost being a real killer. In my experience, that soft face problem is the worst because you can't even tell from a photo. You end up putting in so much work just to get a basic tool, it makes you wish you'd just saved up a bit longer.

the_sam8h ago

Yeah, that "looked good in pictures" thing is a classic. I read a whole forum thread where people called it "photo finish syndrome," where sellers just polish the visible parts for the camera. It makes buying used such a gamble.