Ellis vs. Chili Forge

R

ritzblitz

Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
293
So I got my tax return and I think I'm going to spend it on a new forge.

I think I am either going to get the 8" x 13" Ellis forge or the Chile Forge Habanero.

I am leaning towards the Habanero because it seems better than the Ellis for these reasons:
Burners already come tuned (do Ellis' as well?)
In stock ready to ship
3" longer inside
Has work rest (doesn't really matter but definitely a plus.)
Includes "repair kit"
Ceramic tile floor (does Ellis have this too?)

The only problem is that I've heard that the angle the burners are going into the forge isn't quite optimal. But of course, there could be other problems that I don't know about. Thats why I created this thread.

Does it really make a difference if I run two tanks or a 100lb tank on the Habanero?

I would really appreciate opinions on both forges.

The price comes out to be just about the same for both forges along with all the required hook up stuff.

Thanks alot guys!

Alex
 
I'm biased, but I'd go with one of Darren's forges. I can vouch that his blown burners are entirely plug-n-play (you have to provide the blower, but the burner just works). As for a "repair kit", Darren shipped my forge with enough refractory to line the forge and then some. I haven't really had much issue with the length. If I need to work something over 13" I open the back of the forge and pass it through. The floor of my Ellis forge is lined with kaowool, covered with Satanite, covered with bubble alumina. It's pretty tough and has held up very well to all of the welding flux I've thrown at it.

You may wait a bit for a forge from Darren, but IMHO it's well worth it.

-d
 
I'm not familier with the Habanero. Who makes it? Darrell's customer support is up there with the best. He and his wife run a great shop.
 
I recently got a Hababero and its the best forge i've ever used. using it for welding billets mostly. it's quite, very efficent with gas usage, and i've no problems with the burners. highly recommended.
 
Hi Alex,

I thought I'd post some responses to your questions. I do need to "beef up" my forge web pages with more info to address some of the questions you have. I don't use cute names for my forges, just the straight up description of what you're getting. :) The burners come more or less tuned, the venturi requires you to screw on the burner flare, and the forced air is tuned as you run...that's one of the advantages to it, you can tune it for the desired atmosphere while you're running. I supply more than enough extra refractory to do plenty of repairs to the forge, you don't need an extra repair kit with it, though I do sell all of the supplies for future relines and such. The latest versions are coming with a work rest, a much beefier one than the other forge. I'm always trying to improve the forges with feedback from my customers. The floor material is a much higher alumina castable than the kiln shelves used in the other you mentioned, which will last much longer as well. You won't notice the difference in length, though I can build a custom size one for you if you'd like. Our 8x13 horizontal is $120 cheaper than the other...we supply everything you need to hook it up....with the forced air burner, you'll just need to supply a blower. I've currently got a batch in process so the wait would be reduced to two weeks rather then three.

I've actually hired a welder, so I'm hoping by the time the Madison conference gets here all of our forges will be in-stock items ready to ship immediately (except for custom sizes of course).

For general forging, you can get by with a smaller bottle, but prolonged forge welding does require a larger tank. I've got tank manifold kits in stock (but not on the website yet) for $15.00 if you would need one of these for putting together a couple of 20 pound tanks.

I believe that our forges are the currently one of the best on the market, and I'd love to have you as one of our customers. If I can help with any other questions please feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call at (865) 660-5280.

:)

-Darren
 
Darrens reputation is by far one of the greatest. i havent used his forges but i have purchased supplies to build mine and his prices are great. you cant go wrong with something that comes from Darren. when i get to the point of welding im going to have him build me a custom one. i wouldnt go anywhere else.
 
I love my Darren Ellis Forge. I've had it for about 3 or 4 years (I think). It does everything that I need. His products continue to improve and I can see his latest models are even better than what is already working well for me.

I can't comment on the other forges...after getting my Ellis, I've never needed to look at others.

-Rob
 
Hmm, well from Darren's post it seems as though it is just as good if not better than the Chile forge. Does the 8x13 forge come with the regulator and everything I need to hook it up to the propane tank as well??

Also, We have a 100lb(i think) tank for our gas stove that I'm thinking about tapping into. Think this would be hard? I'm going to go look at it today.

Darren, I'm going to send you an email.

Alex
 
ritzblitz said:
Hmm, well from Darren's post it seems as though it is just as good if not better than the Chile forge. Does the 8x13 forge come with the regulator and everything I need to hook it up to the propane tank as well??
Click to expand...

Yup, he'll send you everything you need.

Also, We have a 100lb(i think) tank for our gas stove that I'm thinking about tapping into. Think this would be hard? I'm going to go look at it today.
Click to expand...
There will likely be a little plumbing involved. Odds are that the regulator on your tank right now for your stove is a low pressure regulator which will do you no good for a forge. You need a high presure regulator for the forge (and t's good to have that adjustment right at the forge for tuning while you run) and a low pressure one for the stove.

-d
 
Today was the first day I used my new 8x13" blower type forge by Darren.
I do not have many hours forging blades but I would like to comment on Darrens forge.
It is pretty easy to setup. (directions are good).
It does reach forging temp.
The blower he recomends cost about $135. but there are others out there.
The thermocouple he recomends works good and if you get the protector tube
it will fit in the thermocouple pipe if you scrape the pipe out with a long drill bit or a file. ( I would recomend doing this befor lining the forge as to not damage the lining.)
A 20lb tank is good for a test run but I plan to have a larger tank installed.
Here is some pics of my set up.
DSC_0002.jpg

DSC_0001-4.jpg
 
ritzblitz said:
Hmm, well from Darren's post it seems as though it is just as good if not better than the Chile forge. Does the 8x13 forge come with the regulator and everything I need to hook it up to the propane tank as well??

Also, We have a 100lb(i think) tank for our gas stove that I'm thinking about tapping into. Think this would be hard? I'm going to go look at it today.

Darren, I'm going to send you an email.

Alex
Click to expand...

Hi Alex,

We have a fitting that we sell that will allow you to screw two regulators into a propane bottle fitting. Thus, you could run your low pressure regulator for the stove as well as the high pressure regulator for the forge off of the same tank, as long as the low pressure regulator connects to the tank via a POL fitting.

Yes, the 8x13 comes with everything for hook up. If you plan to do Damascus work in the future, I'd try to steer you in the direction of a forced air burner. I can recommend a good blower as Dave mentioned above, but you can pick up cheaper blowers from surplus places for good prices too if you shop around. I only like to recommend the best value for the money for those not wanting to shop around for blowers.

Let me know if I can help with any other questions. :)

-Darren
 
loussharp1 said:
Today was the first day I used my new 8x13" blower type forge by Darren.
I do not have many hours forging blades but I would like to comment on Darrens forge.
It is pretty easy to setup. (directions are good).
It does reach forging temp.
The blower he recomends cost about $135. but there are others out there.
The thermocouple he recomends works good and if you get the protector tube
it will fit in the thermocouple pipe if you scrape the pipe out with a long drill bit or a file. ( I would recomend doing this befor lining the forge as to not damage the lining.)
A 20lb tank is good for a test run but I plan to have a larger tank installed.
Here is some pics of my set up.
DSC_0002.jpg

DSC_0001-4.jpg
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

Looks great! With that blower, that forge will get screaming hot, you'll never wish you had a better blower. You can also Tee off of it and put an air dam on the forge if you want to, it's got more than enough cfm to do both. :)

One suggestion, rotate that burner down so it hangs off of the end of your forge table, that's the orientation it's built up for, the controls will be easier to access then.

Thanks for the feedback on the forge, Dave, I appreciate it! :)

-Darren
 
ritzblitz,
I am not currently a forge user but have done business with Darren and his Better Half. They treated me with courtesy, professionalism, and provided value for the money.
That is hard to argue with....give them a call (suggested the "old telephone company guy")
 
Dont like to hijack threads but since Darren brought it up, if we plan to get into making damascus would the vertical be better than the horizontal? Seems to me I have heard several times that verticals are good for welding. Is there any disadvatage for regular forging with a vertical?
 
loussharp1 - There is another good reason to turn the blower arm downward on that rig. When you shut it off the hot gasses will go up into the blower. This can be very bad if the power fails while the unit is running,as there will also be gas rising in the blower pipe.
Stacy
 
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