Good Day all. I am fairly new hear so allow me to apologize upfront if this thread is in the wrong place.

I am in the market for a new anvil given how my current working one (50kg/110lb) Groz anvil is a cast(steel allegedly) piece of crap with a soft face. The other anvil i have is an ancient mystery anvil that has been in the family for centuries. 

I am considering upgrading to this 203kg/450lb monster. What is your collective opinions on this piece? It goes for R 10 000 (700$) and allegedly is pretty good. Here is the link to the ad: commercial link removed

A minor issue is that transport would likely cost me near 200$.

Would this anvil be considered good quality and usable? Asking for a friend

 

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I don't know what the anvil market in SA is like, but that would be quite a good price in the US, even including shipping. I'm not familiar with Robey & Co anvils, though, so I can't speak to their reputation for quality. The condition looks decent in the photos; the sway in the face is not a problem, and actually beneficial for straightening and shaping longer workpieces.

Thank you very much for the advice. The anvil market is fairly pricey here, and anvils are few and far between, i paid about 200$ for my low grade anvil here. I honestly had no idea that the sway would be beneficial, it is the main reason for me coming here. 

I am also unfamiliar with that manufacturer, i had previously checked the Anvil Reviews by Brand and came up empty handed. 

450Lbs at 2USD shipped. Wow. That's practily free for that beast!  I wonder why so cheap. Maybe its been through a fire and the face is soft. It would be nice to see it in person to check that piece missing in the face and do some tests for rebound , ring and delamination by the chip. 

Yes, if you can check it in person, that would definitely be the best. Before the link got deleted, I saw that the listing said the ring and rebound were excellent; maybe you can get the seller to do a ball bearing test while you watch via Skype or FaceTime.

 

On 3/15/2019 at 10:10 AM, Kevin Olson said:

450Lbs at 2USD shipped. Wow. That's practily free for that beast!  I wonder why so cheap. 

My country is fairly poor, our minimum hourly wage is currenly $1.5/hr. I am still at university, but a graduate engineer in my field earns about $8.67/hour.

I estimated the shipping to be what it would cost me to drive there, it is about 860 miles from where I stay. Large country so that would be a normal holiday drive for me. 

 

On 3/15/2019 at 10:20 AM, JHCC said:

Yes, if you can check it in person, that would definitely be the best. Before the link got deleted, I saw that the listing said the ring and rebound were excellent; maybe you can get the seller to do a ball bearing test while you watch via Skype or FaceTime.

That is a brilliant Idea. I will be sure to do so before i commit to buying.

So.... Good buy? Would you do it if you were in my shoes?

 

Here is a better image of the cracked area, I think it doesn't look to serious.

If that's a normal holiday drive for you, you have the money, and it checks out (both by videoconference and in person), I would seriously consider it. It's a BIG anvil and possibly more than you will need (ThomasPowers likes to talk about how he uses his 175 lb anvil more than either of his BIG anvils), but definitely worth a second look and maybe even a third.

Thank you very much for your advice, I have been thinking about this anvil on and off for the past few months, and it is definitely worth taking a look when i am on that side of the world again, if not outright organizing a trip around. When i have time i will organize a skype with the seller, thank you for the idea.

If I buy it, worse case scenario i have a massive anvil that will be the pride and centerpiece of my shop.

Good day all,

I have contacted the seller of the Anvil and he sent me a few more images and a video of a ring/rebound test. May I ask what do you all think? The crack appears to be rather bad from these images however the rest of the anvil looks to be in good condition, in my limited opinion.  

 

On a side note, the seller also contacted me about shipping, so it would cost me about $86 to get it shipped to my house from him.

Looks like a usable anvil---IF the price reflects the damage!

The anvil is being sold for $700, so I think it is a good deal for this 450lb beast

US$700; or Canadian$700; or Australian$700;...?

$700 USD, roughly converted from the ten thousand Rand(local currency)