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PSA: I wasted $300 on a 'beginner friendly' forge kit from a big online store
Honestly, I bought one of those shiny new forge kits about two years ago because the ad said it was perfect for starters. It was basically a cheap firebrick box with a weak burner that couldn't get past a low orange heat. I spent a whole month trying to forge simple hooks and couldn't get a good weld to save my life. I ended up having to buy a proper, heavier burner and line the thing with ceramic blanket anyway, which cost almost as much as the kit. Looking back, I should have just built my own from the start or listened to the guys at the local shop. Anyone else get burned by a kit that was more trouble than it was worth?
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the_julia7mo ago
Oh man, I had the same thing happen with a "complete" knife making kit. The anvil was basically a chunk of cast iron that chipped if you looked at it wrong, and the tongs were so flimsy they bent on the first heat. Total waste of money.
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the_jenny7mo ago
Yeah, those "all-in-one" kits are a special kind of disappointment. Makes you feel like a real sucker when the main tools can't even handle the basic job. I bought a similar "beginner" woodworking set once where the hammer head flew off and nearly took out a window. Guess we all pay for that lesson in cheap tools at least once.
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