I finally had time (and everything else needed) to test the Anvil and though another small review doesn't hurt this thread.
Quite some time passed, since I used a butane vape the last time. Must be like 10 years ago. It was the Vaponic Glass vape. At one point it broke and I switched again to combustion (stupid me), only to rediscover vapes 4 years ago. But I went straight to electronic device and mostly portable session vapes.
After ditching combustion completely, I kinda noticed an urge for "quicker" hits. Taking your time on the Crafty/Mighty is nice, but not always preferable. So I started digging again, and spend quite some time deciding if I wanted to go with the Anvil or just a Dyna.
My decision felt on the Anvil, because I kinda liked the complete package. It looked a bit more durable and more "though through". But to be honest, the Dyna also didn't look bad. And I simply digged the looks of the Anvil, and all the positive reviews in here probably influenced me.
After receiving the Anvil, the first impression was a mix between "Great craftsmanship" and "It's less complicated than I though". The price tag is still huge, for what you get. But I have to admit, that my (2nd hand) unit was flawless, and producing the device in a non-asian country can probably make the price skyrocket.
The use of a good torch is mentioned often, so I went with the best I had at hand: The Ronxs 3-flame lighter. The inner flame a tad shorter than the oven's length. I started with the half bowl, and filled it very lightly with some fine grinded herbs. Not packed at all.
The 3 flames of the Ronxs don't concentrate on one point, so I pointed 2 flames on the bottom ring (at the end of the oven) and the third flame a bit higher. The Anvil clicked around the 18-20 sec mark. The second click is definitely noticeable. Doing some dry hits beforehand helped a lot. The airflow felt great, and the herbs had some nice, light roast. I went with a second heat cycle more up the oven and was able to extract the rest easily.
Over the evening I started to experiment a bit with the half bowl and different heating/airflow settings. The anvil wasn't that hard to understand and by no means complicated. Didn't had trouble with any combustion at all. Just be careful with too fast re-heating if you want to give it another try.
But I noticed, that reheating wasn't even needed after you found your "desired roast spot". It's really nice to see, how great you can adjust the roast, simply by going up or down the oven and getting the same result every time you use that spot. The anvil is indeed really consistent! I settled on 1 flame on the oven's ring (the battery ring) and 2 flames on the top of the oven (like I said, the flames of the Ronxs are a bit separated, so this is possible simply by holding the lighter a bit rotated). I needed ~25 seconds in that position and got some nice dark roast. Not completely RTL, but not much left.
I am a fairly lightweight taker. I don't do hits from bongs, didn't smoke in any way for years, ... but I still had no problem using the default mouthpiece as long as I would let the Air intake open and I was using the half bowl. Using the XL Bowl (also not packed, and maybe only 3/4 filled) on the other hand produces (of course) a lot more vapor. It was right on the edge for me. I guess I have to lower the roast with the XL one, or go with a different mouthpiece. The XL bowl felt more like a "Crafty" Bowl and hitted like one (but in one single convenient draw!
). The half bowl is a nice microdoser. But I don't vape often, and mostly just on the weekends. So I am probably a bit lightweight.
Overall I am really glad that I got the Anvil. A fun, small device which I really like to use. It just feels nice and like a proper, quality product. In combination with the small Ronxs lighter and the travel case, I can even use it outside easily. I tend to do walks and simply enjoy some music. Cannot wait for the summer!
The only downside for me, is the high butane use. I probably burn through a whole lighter filling in a single evening... Probably have to take a look at some indution heaters next
