Kexel Werkstatt Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Ok, so yes I did the search thing, this topic is not related to the past Chili or Majestic Forge topics... This is simply my experience of the two forges should any other newbies think of approaching things the same way I did. This is what I've learned, although I thought I already learned it over the years with other endeavors. A huge Kudos to those here (Mikey98118, Frosty, Glenn and many others) for all the work, support and resource they provide as far as burners, forges, and "making your own" goes. I'm just going to focus on these two production forges. A couple months ago I decided to get back into Blacksmithing. I played a bit when I was in my early twenties, and am now in my mid-forties. So, needless to say it has been a long time since my last rodeo. When I was in my twenties, I bought a NC Whisper forge (I believe it was, can't remember baby/mama, whatever). I remember it working pretty well, for what I was doing. Fast forward to a couple months ago, I lurked here a bit and elsewhere, and did Google "review" type searches on both Majestic (low-priced) and Chili (high-priced), as well as other forges. I pulled the trigger on the Majestic Forge 2-Burner Artist Deluxe. What I have found is I did not research enough of the details, and I did not follow the lessons-learned with other projects. I'm going to summarize this entire experience with one phrase - "Buy once/cry once". I know this, but did not follow it this time due to some apprehension. I do not regret it as the Majestic did not cost a ton of money, and I'll be able to resell it for some return, or just stash it should my incoming Chili have an issue so I'm not "out of work" if that happens. I have not yet received or fired up my Chili Forge, but after more extensive research, coupled with the current experiences I have, I can tell it will be a significant upgrade. After having run the Majestic Forge for just a couple weeks, I could see why it isn't favored by those that do a lot of work, or work that requires a fair amount of consistency, efficiency, or heat. Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the Majestic Forge in any way. I am actually happy with it, for what it cost. That being said I do see it now as only an introductory forge - one that a new person could buy, or one who only plans to use it a couple times/month or a few times per year as needed for something special or random projects. For what it cost to my door, it's actually a very good "deal". Kudos to Majestic for providing this item to that market segment in my opinion. I think it actually fits another nice niche, which is an option for those who want to "try" Blacksmithing, but aren't 100% sold they will like it, do it long term or perhaps fall back out of the craft because it wasn't what they expected, it's harder than they thought, or they just lose interest for any other reason. At least under those circumstances, you did not invest a lot in the forge. However, in just a couple weeks I've learned I should have stuck with my gut, puckered up and spent the money on the Chili. I've already ordered it and although they are seriously back-logged, it was great to speak with them, and hopefully my Habanero will be here in a month-6 weeks. I'm really looking forward to it, and here's why: Investment: I've already invested a lot in an Anvil, tooling, tools, time, energy, etc. I just invested in a Chili forge as well. The Majestic is not so much an investment as it was an expense. The return will not be very high if I resell it, but the Chili in like condition would sell instantly closer to what I paid for it. I can tell my Majestic would not last "forever" (neither will the Chili), but he Majestic would definitely not last as long; I don't need to have the Chili in hand personally to realize this. Efficiency: The Majestic uses a TON of fuel to get hot, stay hot and get any substantial material hot, stay hot, and get anywhere near forge welding temperature. When I say a ton of fuel, I mean it. Running two burners at ~12-15psi to get standard stock yellow hot is a waste. Now, that being said, please see above - if you are only going to fix a couple things around the farm a few times per year with it, who cares. I have found I still love the craft, and am constantly in my shop tinkering now, and will be doing so for a long time. So, for me, a more efficient model is needed. The Chili Habanero will fit the bill nicely here. Obviously design and materials are what contribute to the better efficiency; hence a higher quality product overall. The Majestic gets blazing hot on its exterior, and whatever it sits on does as well. So, you are losing a lot of heat that way and it's just not "good" to have whatever your forge is sitting on or near to get burn-yourself hot. Structural/Integrity: Majestic is not a bad company in any way, I reiterate! They were very friendly, very helpful, shipped quickly, and I did indeed receive what I purchased, said better yet "paid for". I hope that if someone from Majestic reads this, they fully understand I think they did great job, and their forge was a great value. The Chili forge is just better made, plain and simple, no arguments. Hence the price. I don't think Majestic would argue with that, and I think if Majestic wanted to sell $1000+ forges they could but that is not what they do, and that is fair. One cannot expect to pay $375 for a forge provider and expect to receive a forge that deserves the $1000 price tag. I know the experts here can build quite impressive forges themselves, very economically, and that is fantastic. I'm just not interested in trying that yet. Maybe next time. If a new 'Smith is interested and confident in building their own forge, they should do so - it makes the most sense as far as flexibility and costs go. That is all I have to say about it for now. When I actually receive my Chili forge, I'll provide an update with the experience to close the loop on this story. One could say, and it would be fair, that it is not fair to provide the above introductory summary of comparisons without actually having received or used the Chili forge yet. However, unless I receive a complete lemon, damaged, or otherwise tampered with Habanero, and after having done all the further research here and elsewhere since purchasing the Majestic, I do not believe I will have to edit much. Hopefully once this is done, it will be easy for other new folks to find and somewhat helpful. I do not work for Chili Forge. I work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtodriscoll Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Thanks for the post Kexel! Interestingly enough, those were the two brands/models of forge I was narrowing down to after doing some research. The Majestic Forge has the "As Seen On TV" (Forged In Fire) advertising going for it! But, if you've ever watched that show, you will see tons of dragon's breath billowing out of those forges and contestants go down fairly often with heat-related health issues. The more I researched, I had to remind myself that "Forged In Fire" has deeeep pockets for buying as much Propane as they need to run the show; whereas I do not. So...I struck that one from my list. The Chili Habanero forge had risen to the top of my list and I was close to pulling the trigger. Then I came here... As I learned more on this site, especially regarding ribbon burners, I decided to try my hand at building my own forge and burner. Materials to build my own will only be about 10-20% of the cost of a Chili forge (not including my time), so if the experiment doesn't pan out, I'm not out a ton of money. Plus I'm not in a huge hurry as I have some coal I need to use up in the meantime. Keep us updated on how the Chili forge experience works for you! - Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Excellent post, Kexell. I wiil only add that Diamondback would be my choice for second place after Chilly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kexel Werkstatt Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 Thanks Matt. I do not want to deter anyone from buying a Majestic (or any other less expensive forge for that matter) - it has done what I needed thus far, but my needs now exceed its capabilities is all. If all one can afford is a hole in the ground and a hair dryer, then please do so to get started rather than doing nothing! Building your own forge is definitely the most economical, but many are not interested in that due to the time/risk/experience level/required tools issues... which I fall under like so many others. No doubt building your own will most likely achieve more satisfaction and flexibility for your needs. Congrats to you for taking the plunge and I'm sure your forge will turn out great. I just put this together for future searches by new people like myself... and just sharing my own experiences. I will say the main reason I did not attempt to build my own is that the more I read, the more it seemed I would ideally have a welder, and other tools I don't have, and the more threads I kept finding about "my home built forge doesn't get hot", or "why does my home built forge have XYZ problem", etc. I just wanted to get to work and bought one. EDITED: Mikey98118, we were typing a the same time, sorry I missed your post. Thank you - and I know Chili uses burners from your design, I did my research there as well. Thanks for the input on Diamondback as well. The only reason I did not consider a Diamondback is because of the vertical burners (similar to Majestic's) - which I've ready by many here are not ideal for multiple reasons. It does look like a solid product, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 There is also an "intermediate step". I've attended two gas forge building workshops put on by an ABANA affiliate. They supply the materials, design, tools and oversight and the participants set up an assembly line and built forges. At the end of the day we drew numbers for who got which forge. Much cheaper than a commercial one; but with expert advice and we divided the tasks so people did what they were skilled at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 After twenty plus years at it, I mainly see the understanding gained by building your own forge to be the primary good in doing so. People choose to build for many reason outside of profit and loss of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Since purchasing a forge and getting a first-hand look at what is what I will definitely try my hand at making my own at some point. When that point will be is unknown though. Speaking of diamondback forges. They are well made and deceptively simple. I'd like to get a chance to use a Chili forge at some point. I'm sure I'd enjoy the experience. I had the opportunity to use a majestic forge before I purchased my forge and decided I'd roll the dice on a diamondback after asking a few questions here and what seemed like endless reading, researching, comparing, and what turned into a lot of foot dragging, I made the leap. Glad I did. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 Personally I would not consider a diamondback product, but each to their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtodriscoll Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 The forge I use now is a coal forge built from an old gas grill body/cart. It works, but I'm ready for a cleaner fuel source and something that doesn't burn your steel up if you look away for a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 7 hours ago, Latticino said: Personally I would not consider a diamondback product, but each to their own I struggled with the decision because I'm not a fan of the owner but in the end I was buying a forge not making a friend. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 Really? I don't care for the owner's views, and you know that I personally can build a better forge, but I still find them worth recommending to people who don't want the learning curve involved in building for themselves. Your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 No comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 Fair enough, and enough said about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthForgoth Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Thank you so much for this balanced review! This was extremely helpful as these were the two companies I had narrowed down my focus down to, as well. I'm currently using a (very) homemade coal forge and am researching to upgrade! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 I wuold only add that the Diamondback model I am speaking of is the single burner model. Haven't seen any reviews of the two burner model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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