[RoyOdom]

JBaymore, on 22 February 2013 - 09:01 PM, said:

I throw pretty dry also... so the spash pan for my ancient CXC was lost to memory long ago.

And I remove the spash pans on the Brents and the Shinmpos at the school when I am demo-ing.

I'd HATE a wheel with an integrated splash pan of some sort. They limit wheelhead access and negatively affect hand position a bit on certain forms.

best,

.....................john

[RoyOdom]

Benzine, on 20 February 2013 - 10:05 PM, said:

Anyone have experience with this wheel? I'm a fan of the electric Brents myself, but these seem very similar. I have a Shimpo RK in my classroom, which is a good wheel, but that's my only experience with the brand.

[RoyOdom]

Karen Wise at Shimpo is the perfect example of all that is good about Shimpo. Mine had a board problem one month after the warranty went out. She helped my troubleshoot it and finally wound up sending me a new board - no charge. Customer service is unbelievable! I love my Shimpo and often throw with 20+ lbs. of clay with no problems. The torque does require some getting used to but learning to work with it doesn't take a lot of time.

[Meg]

When I was shopping for a new wheel recently I was personally turned off by the fact that everything in the Whisper is electronic. Maybe it's because my Dad is a mechanic and he's always complaining about how the new vehicles have so many electronics and so many more variables to go wrong.They’re also harder to diagnose and fix. I considered that if a belt broke, I could surely replace it myself, but if an electronic part screwed up, I would have to send it in and wait.


My budget was on the low side, and I went for a Bailey- with the 2-peice removable, HUGE slash pan. This was a major turn-on for me. It definately has a whir, but that has lessened with use, and I throw partly by sound, anyway. Unfortunately I hadn't used anything but a very old Oscar Paul for 7 years, so I can't offer up much of a comparison, but it sure feels like a dream to me! (Although I still love the splash pan design of my old Oscar Paul the best: removable wheel-head, one piece removable pan. Just big enough for a water bucket and not too big. There's nothing else like it!)

[OffCenter]

Meg, on 22 February 2013 - 11:25 PM, said:

...and I throw partly by sound, anyway.

I never thought of that. I think I do, too, a little bit.

Jim

[neilestrick]

JBaymore, on 22 February 2013 - 08:01 PM, said:

I throw pretty dry also... so the spash pan for my ancient CXC was lost to memory long ago.

And I remove the spash pans on the Brents and the Shinmpos at the school when I am demo-ing.

I'd HATE a wheel with an integrated splash pan of some sort. They limit wheelhead access and negatively affect hand position a bit on certain forms.

best,

.....................john

I, too, never used to use a splash pan. But the TS splash pan sits further from the wheel head than any other pan I've used, so it doesn't really get in the way. A 16" bat will fit with the pan in place. And with 11 wheels running in the studio, the huge pan makes a world of difference in keeping the studio clean.

[OffCenter]

neilestrick, on 23 February 2013 - 09:44 AM, said:

I, too, never used to use a splash pan. But the TS splash pan sits further from the wheel head than any other pan I've used, so it doesn't really get in the way. A 16" bat will fit with the pan in place. And with 11 wheels running in the studio, the huge pan makes a world of difference in keeping the studio clean.

Splash pans make sense in a classroom or other setting like that (or for anyone who likes them). The TS splash pan sitting further from the wheel head gets in the way even more than a pan that is close to the head for me. When I'm throwing a large bowl, I need to get under it at an angle.

Jim

[Claypple]

neilestrick, on 23 February 2013 - 07:44 AM, said:

JBaymore, on 22 February 2013 - 08:01 PM, said:

I throw pretty dry also... so the spash pan for my ancient CXC was lost to memory long ago.

And I remove the spash pans on the Brents and the Shinmpos at the school when I am demo-ing.

I'd HATE a wheel with an integrated splash pan of some sort. They limit wheelhead access and negatively affect hand position a bit on certain forms.

best,

.....................john

I, too, never used to use a splash pan. But the TS splash pan sits further from the wheel head than any other pan I've used, so it doesn't really get in the way. A 16" bat will fit with the pan in place. And with 11 wheels running in the studio, the huge pan makes a world of difference in keeping the studio clean.

Do you use slip or water?

[JBaymore]

Claypple, on 25 February 2013 - 12:25 AM, said:

neilestrick, on 23 February 2013 - 07:44 AM, said:

JBaymore, on 22 February 2013 - 08:01 PM, said:

I throw pretty dry also... so the spash pan for my ancient CXC was lost to memory long ago.

And I remove the spash pans on the Brents and the Shinmpos at the school when I am demo-ing.

I'd HATE a wheel with an integrated splash pan of some sort. They limit wheelhead access and negatively affect hand position a bit on certain forms.

best,

.....................john

I, too, never used to use a splash pan. But the TS splash pan sits further from the wheel head than any other pan I've used, so it doesn't really get in the way. A 16" bat will fit with the pan in place. And with 11 wheels running in the studio, the huge pan makes a world of difference in keeping the studio clean.

Do you use slip or water?

Usually slurry. Small amount of water if I don't have some slurry worked up. Scrape the slurry off my fingers and put it back on the piece as I am working.

best,

................john

[Pres]

JBaymore, on 25 February 2013 - 07:00 AM, said:

Claypple, on 25 February 2013 - 12:25 AM, said:

neilestrick, on 23 February 2013 - 07:44 AM, said:

JBaymore, on 22 February 2013 - 08:01 PM, said:

I throw pretty dry also... so the spash pan for my ancient CXC was lost to memory long ago.

And I remove the spash pans on the Brents and the Shinmpos at the school when I am demo-ing.

I'd HATE a wheel with an integrated splash pan of some sort. They limit wheelhead access and negatively affect hand position a bit on certain forms.

best,

.....................john

I, too, never used to use a splash pan. But the TS splash pan sits further from the wheel head than any other pan I've used, so it doesn't really get in the way. A 16" bat will fit with the pan in place. And with 11 wheels running in the studio, the huge pan makes a world of difference in keeping the studio clean.

Do you use slip or water?

Usually slurry. Small amount of water if I don't have some slurry worked up. Scrape the slurry off my fingers and put it back on the piece as I am working.

best,

................john

First wheel I bought for school was from Bailey, the one with the integrated splash pan. Hated it. Hard to clean, limited space even though the splash pan was distant. Relegated that wheel to trimming in the future which worked well considering the splash pan. I thow pretty dry, but use water when centering. Years ago I started adding a little hand cream to the water to keep hands conditioned, and found that it helped lub against the clay-this when throwing raku in Don Tigny's summer classes. Got out of the habit over the years and now throw with water.

[Benzine]

I'm going to hijack my own topic, and change up the discussion slightly. As I'm still shopping around for a wheel, what are thoughts on the Pacifica GT800?

Also, this is unrelated, but I keep forgetting to ask. I have a Leach style treadle wheel in my classroom. I had never seen one, until a couple years ago, when I started at this school. I'm not a fan of it, because I'm not very tall, and have to stand to use the thing. The students don't mind it, because they aren't used to anything. Anyway, what is the purpose of the curved arm, to the right of the wheel? It is attached to a long rod, that goes through the splash pan.

[yedrow]

I wouldn't own a Pacifica. We had to change out three pedals on a brand new one bought last year. The first one broke within weeks.

Joel.

[Benzine]

yedrow, on 26 February 2013 - 11:29 PM, said:

I wouldn't own a Pacifica. We had to change out three pedals on a brand new one bought last year. The first one broke within weeks.

Joel.

That's unfortunate. Is it just the pedal that goes out on them?

[neilestrick]

A good friend of mine has a couple dozen Pacifica wheels in his studio, and he loves them.

[Jo-Ann]

I rented a Pacifica for a few months and liked it fine, no complaints, I own a shimpo VL, I really like it but I don't throw more than 15 -20 lbs but when I have I found it to be a little sluggish . . . So I just don't do it

[CarmKim]

My Shimpo is 40 years old. It serves me well, I love it.

[Benzine]

What about little brothers/ sisters in the Brent family, like the IE or IEX? I've got experience with the B and C models, but that's it. I realize that the IE models can handle lower weights, but I'm guessing they are still a quality product. Any thoughts?

[Mark C.]

I do not know about current models of Pacifica but the older ones has pressboard under the plastic deck-Our local art center had a few decks with holes and the board got wet and slowly blew the wood apart with moisture . Out of 10 wheels soon 2-3 where toast from deck and mechanical issues.
I once toured that factory back in the day(80's) and those wheels were super noise free but had some questionable choice of materials in them.
There are many great wheels out there-service and quality materials are what to look for.
The only Brent product I never liked was the kit kick wheel from plywood .
Mark

[ranchonodinero]

Benzine, on 20 February 2013 - 09:05 PM, said:

Anyone have experience with this wheel? I'm a fan of the electric Brents myself, but these seem very similar. I have a Shimpo RK in my classroom, which is a good wheel, but that's my only experience with the brand.

I have a a shimpo whisper and they are true to their names. Brent has a great history behind them, so I don't want to knock them, but do your homework and shop. If you are buying new, you can't find a comparable brent for the price of the whisper. If noise is an issue at all, go with the whisper.

[yedrow]

Benzine, on 27 February 2013 - 10:52 AM, said:

yedrow, on 26 February 2013 - 11:29 PM, said:

I wouldn't own a Pacifica. We had to change out three pedals on a brand new one bought last year. The first one broke within weeks.

Joel.

That's unfortunate. Is it just the pedal that goes out on them?

Yep. The wheel is okay. It's a wheel. I don't really see much difference between wheels beyond their power and the pedal. That being said, I've never used a cone driven wheel beyond trying it.

The pedals on the Pacifica would go out about every two or three months of ~25-30 hours work per week, mostly throwing, same problem every time. We finally got an older model pedal and it has worked fine since.

Pretty much all I care about in a wheel is if it has enough power to throw and if the pedal is sensitive enough to cover a range of activities. I can get a lot of use out of a low power Creative Labs wheel. I've yet to really see that much of a difference beyond that. They're pretty simple tools, but some are cheaply made.

Allow me to rephrase my statement. If I were going to do clay work in such a way that a Black and Decker quality tool would serve me well, then I would get a Pacifica. They are cheap for a 1hp wheel. That being said, my needs are more along the Makita flavor. I prefer the Soldner wheel for some very obvious reasons if you spend several days a week sitting at a wheel for hours at a stretch.

Edit Note: We recently got some Baileys in the shop and beyond being a there being a little noisy, I'm so far impressed. I'm not sure I like the splash pan though. Time will tell.

Joel.