Zekee

12000 BTU might help, but with forge heat you’ll probably find it struggling. A mini-split is usually a better long-term option for shop spaces—quieter, more efficient, and handles the heat load better.

As your budget is 500$, you have 2 options in my opinion. You either save some more money and buy a new (which is not necessarily the best choice), or you buy it from a second hand, which I would definitely recommend you to do. From my experience, you can find some machinery in a very good condition, and it will be even more qualitative than a new one and a lot cheaper. When it comes to this, I always check what options I have with second hand machines on [commercial link removed], because I always find something valuable there.