[knitterpotter]

Hi,
After searching for a used kiln, my husband is agreeable to my purchasing a new one. I am so happy. I would like to buy one made in the USA. Does anyone know about the manufacturing of the name brand kilns. Apparently, Paragon is made in Texas. Does anyone know about Skutt or L&L?
Thank you.
Lana

[bciskepottery]

I believe L&L are manufactured in New Jersey. http://www.hotkilns.com/

[JLowes]

Olympic is made in the USA; Georgia, specifically.

John

[Chris Campbell]

I believe Skutt is American too.

[Jonas WinSlo]

Parogon makes a nice product.
http://www.paragonweb.com/

[neilestrick]

L&L, Skutt, Paragon, Amaco, Blue Diamond, Evenheat, Olympic and others are all made in the USA. Kilns are of the few products in the USA that are typically not imported. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about L&L.

[DAY]

Kilns are simple 'machines', but very heavy, hence shipping is a substantial part of the cost. BUT: there are also steep discounts available to dealers, including 'free', when they order multiple units.
I also suspect that they are very similar to each other- except for the L&L element holders.

[neilestrick]

DAY, on 07 August 2012 - 08:40 AM, said:

Kilns are simple 'machines', but very heavy, hence shipping is a substantial part of the cost. BUT: there are also steep discounts available to dealers, including 'free', when they order multiple units.
I also suspect that they are very similar to each other- except for the L&L element holders.

Kilns are all essentially the same beast, however there are numerous small differences in design that make some last a lot longer than others, make them easier to maintain, and make them fire more evenly. In the long run all of these things add up to a savings in money and time.

I was working on a kiln yesterday (I won't say which brand), a large oval top loading electric which is going to need about 5 hours of repair work done to it, at a cost of probably $1000. A large portion of that cost will be upgrading the hinge system, which was terribly under-sized for the weight of the lid. As a result it has destroyed half a dozen bricks in the top ring of the kiln, and shifted the ring so much that the lid couldn't be closed. I'll also be replacing the elements, which will take longer than it should because of the design of the control panel. I'll have to dismantle most of the panel in order to access the parts and do the repair. So the customer is probably going to spend $500 more than they should have to, simply because of the poor design of the kiln.

[atanzey]

Neil - I'll say it for you:

Buy an L&L - it's worth the minor difference in price.

I bought one used, and replaced the elements, and a few damaged bricks and element holders. It was incredibly simple. Now, I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but it was still very simple. AND, it sat in pieces for almost a year waiting for a place to plug it in, but when I assembled, it was entirely straightforward. I seriously doubt that I'll ever buy another brand (assuming that I ever get to buy any more!)

Alice

[knitterpotter]

Thank you all for your comments. I'm happy that most of the good name brand kilns are made here. Sheffield Pottery is less than a few hours away so we will be going there next week to discuss kilns and anything else I will need. The L&L Easy Fire E18 3" brick one looks like it would work for me but we'll see what the folks there say.
Thanks again for your help.

[neilestrick]

knitterpotter, on 07 August 2012 - 05:43 PM, said:

Thank you all for your comments. I'm happy that most of the good name brand kilns are made here. Sheffield Pottery is less than a few hours away so we will be going there next week to discuss kilns and anything else I will need. The L&L Easy Fire E18 3" brick one looks like it would work for me but we'll see what the folks there say.
Thanks again for your help.

If you're looking at the E18T-3, which is 27" tall, you may also want to consider the E23S-3, which is wider but shorter, and overall slightly larger, but for the same price. The wider the kiln, the more efficiently you can use the space. Shorter kilns are also easier to load. If you're looking at the E18S-3, that's a great little kiln, too.

Since kilns last so long, take a good look at what your needs will be in 5 years or more. Will that size kiln still be large enough after your skills and speed have improved for 5 years? You may want to step up a size. Even if you're not filling it up completely right now, the difference in firing costs will be minimal.

[atanzey]

My first kiln (gas) is an 18" kiln. I love it, but the size certainly limits what you can fire. One medium mixing bowl pretty much takes a whole layer, so as Neil says, consider carefully!

Alice

[knitterpotter]

Neil, Thank you for suggesting the larger kiln. There is a $500 difference but it is 4.7 cubic feet compared to the 2.5 of the smaller one. Skutt has a nice one that size also, KM-1018 and is a few hundred less than the L&L. My husband agrees the extra cost is well worth it. Thanks again.
Lana

[yedrow]

L&L has some nifty element holders. Given the choice I would go with that brand for that reason. Kiln elements are like buzz saws on soft bricks.

Joel.

[DAY]

yedrow, on 08 August 2012 - 10:34 PM, said:

L&L has some nifty element holders. Given the choice I would go with that brand for that reason. Kiln elements are like buzz saws on soft bricks.

Joel.

Some people collect antique cars. I "collect" antique L&L kilns! The serial number is the day/month/year built, and I consider anything before digital controls to be an antique. If one is patient, the kilns owned by little old ladies who only fired it on Sundays to cone 06 can be found on craigs list in the $100-$300 range. 20- 30 years old, but fire like a brand new kiln. As Neil says, they are easy to work on. The small ones are great when you want to fire a few items to test a new glaze.