phabib Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I'm investigating purchase of a power hammer directly from China. I'm leaning toward a 25kg hammer with the 2 piece design. They all look like they're based on the same design but I'm sure there are quality differences between the factories. Do people here know about any factories or brands that have a reputation for being particularly good or bad?Thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 A 2 piece design requires a LOT more precision and strength in the foundation.Why so light, are they that much cheaper?Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I have bought quite a lot of equipment from China and it can be a crap shoot! Best bet is to get on a plane , go there ,see and try the machine and then buy! A lot of those factories make junk And brilliant machines. Also bear in mind that there is a small percentage of businesses that are out and out crooks just like most places in the world. Their government is very hard on those that trade dishonestly. Should you elect to just buy off the internet then do so through Ali Baba as once you have joined through them their members seem to be on the level. It costs you nothing as the buyer and you get some form of recourse. How do you intend shipping? I bought a 20ft container full so shipping was cheap and hassle free. Breakbulk shipping is not nearly so easy and making sure that things like crates and pallets have all the correct fumigation certificates can be a real PITA . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabib Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks. I'm looking only at Ali Baba sellers. The quotes I'm getting are for 1 unit delivered to the shipping terminal. I live less than an hour from a major port so that helps.I figured that there would be good one as well as bad and I was hoping to benefit from people's prior experience to avoid any known bad ones.My brother travels to China a lot acting as a broker between buyers and sellers. I don't know if he'd have time to take on visiting a couple of factories though. I agree that would be the best way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Why not just get one from James Johnson in Texas - he's a dealer http://anyangusa.net/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 James Johnson is also a member of IForgeIron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabib Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 I would not be making a mistake buying through James Johnson. His reputation is first rate and I have heard nothing but praise for his support of what he sells.I contacted him and got prices and when I checked on a direct buy, the cost saving was significant. I don't begrudge James his markup, providing service and stocking parts costs money and from all I can tell, it is well earned in his case.I'm willing to take the risks associated with a direct purchase and to miss out on the support to pay less up front. I was hoping that some people here might have experience with who the particularly good and bad exporters are to help me choose one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Are you an American? Buy an American hammer. There are plenty of good ones to choose from and nearly no risks at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 What you're trading for savings buying direct is any recourse for poor product. Is eating the whole price + shipping if it's a bad hammer worth the risk?Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabib Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 I think my earlier reply didn't post.Thank you for the advice to buy American and the explanation about the trade off between price and support I'd be making. I thought I had been clear that I was planning to buy Chinese and that I had done a decent job of expressing that I was aware of the trade off.I have been contacted in a private message by someone who got a hammer from the vendor I've been leaning towards and who has been very happy with his purchase and the amount of money he saved. That was the kind of help I was hoping to get by posting here so I guess it worked after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I think my earlier reply didn't post.Thank you for the advice to buy American and the explanation about the trade off between price and support I'd be making. I thought I had been clear that I was planning to buy Chinese and that I had done a decent job of expressing that I was aware of the trade off.I have been contacted in a private message by someone who got a hammer from the vendor I've been leaning towards and who has been very happy with his purchase and the amount of money he saved. That was the kind of help I was hoping to get by posting here so I guess it worked after all. Share that info please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabib Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 I heard from a couple of people via PM and neither feels comfortable commenting in public. I expect that I'll be ordering within a week and I'll update the topic here with my experiences. I hope that I'll be able to say it was worth it both in the short term when a box arrives after a short wait, and after some period of use if it turns out I need some support or parts.I totally agree with everyone who posted before. There is a no risk, no hassle, way to do this. I'm putting all of my money behind door number 2 and when it opens I'll see if I got the prize or lost it all. One thing for sure is if this doesn't work out I won't be in a good place to talk to my wife about trying again for another hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Wish you luck. Hope it goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Åge Hjortland Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Hello, Anyang hammer that James sell in USA is a great hammer and you will be happy is you buy from him! The Anyang hammer and after service is great. But sins you want to purchase direct from China I would recomend TZ Runfa. http://tzrunfa.en.alibaba.com/Its a small company compare to Anyang . The standard hammers are cheap and not high end , but if if you as for best quality two piece hammers it will be good.Ask for 20 mm steel base. SKF bearings. H13 dies. They (me)also got a few 375 kg anvils for 25 kg hammers at the factory at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Welcome aboard Age, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. If you have and use an Anyang I'd be thrilled if I were one of them. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabib Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 Thank you for the input Age. I 100% agree about all of the positive things said about James. In my case, it is a hobby toy and not a money making tool so money saved is more important than support and uptime. I totally get the tradeoff. Recently I was explaining to someone why I use a $2000 Tektronix oscilloscope instead of a $500 Chinese import that has the same paper specs. If I was a blacksmith with a hobby that made me want a scope it would be different.As it happens, TZ Runfa came up to the top of my list too and that's what I'm getting. Its good to have that validation. I'm getting the 2 piece 25kg hammer. I expect to be wiring the money over tomorrow morning. If all goes well, the hammer should arrive the first part of October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) In a small hammer like a 25 kilo I would not consider going with a 2 piece. They are much more work and have extra costs to set up than setting up a 1 piece hammer. You will need extra wood for the forming, hardwood wedges to align the anvil both in your foundation and to the hammer. You should then seal around the anvil to prevent scale from getting under the anvil. If you don't get things aligned perfectly you will need to machine the face of one of the dies to they hit parallel. If you don't have a milling machine these extra costs could eat up any savings I would suggest you change your order to a 1 piece hammer if you can. Edited August 3, 2015 by JNewman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabib Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Thank you. I am buying the hammer with the base that's designed for the 2 piece design so I won't need to pour a fancy foundation or worry about alignment. I have been told that the 2 piece winds up working better because of the extra anvil weight. I figured with a fairly light hammer the extra advantage of that would be nice.Am I wrong thinking that the factory base will take care of at least the foundation problem for me.I'm really grateful for all of the viewpoints and advice and I hope they'll help someone else who's going down this road in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Am I wrong thinking that the factory base will take care of at least the foundation problem for me. Could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 My skeptic's instinct tells me I'd rather trust John's opinion than someone who's job is to sell a product. John has been working with pneumatic hammers of all types for a long time and has no dog in the fight. He has nothing to gain however you decide. The representative from the company you're considering buying from most certainly has an interest.That's my opinion, I could be wrong.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 gotta wonder what the saving is, if it offsets shipping and customs import duty and taxes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 gotta wonder what the saving is, if it offsets shipping and customs import duty and taxes...Can't possibly be worth it when you consider the total lack of support, especially when compared with an American manufacturer or even James Johnson whose supplier has tremendous incentive to "make good". A one time buyer is meaningless to a Chinese (or any) factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Åge Hjortland Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) Welcome aboard Age, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. If you have and use an Anyang I'd be thrilled if I were one of them. Frosty The Lucky.Hello. Thanks . Im located in Norway . Edited August 4, 2015 by Åge Hjortland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Hello. Thanks . Im located in Norway . When we suggest you put your general location in the Header it's so it will appear under your Avatar every time you post a message. Telling us in a single message won't help later on, we aren't going to remember once we open another message.There isn't a rule saying you have to but you'd be surprised how many folk living in and near Norway read and post here. If they don't know you're near you can be missing out on good opportunities to get together with others, maybe get invited to shows, events, parties, etc.Like I say it's not a rule but it has more benefits than liabilities by a long shot.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Åge Hjortland Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Thanks for your kind advice Frosty. Have you much experinece with C41 one and two piece hammers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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