Skutt Kilns

[Mira]

Okay, I'm new to the board, and this will probably sound like an advertisement, but I promised I would do it . . .

I recently purchased a hotstart kiln by Skutt. When it arrived there was a small dent in the lid. I sent an email to the general email of Skutt. To my delightful surprise, I got a phone call right back from an employee named Perry. Perry stayed on top of the whole thing, replaced the lid, and even let me keep the damaged one, which actually works just fine. I thanked Perry and promised to say some kind words on the net about Skutt's fabulous customer service. Thanks again Perry!! The lid made it here just fine! You've got a customer for life.

[Don Burt]

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Thanks again Perry!! The lid made it here just fine! You've got a customer for life.
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I've spoken with perry before...helpful guy

[Jerry]

There's a lesson there that other makers would do well to listen to. I've been an unhappy Paragon user for a long time. I spent too much money buying the kiln to trash it so I've had to figure out ways to fix the problems myself. When I called them I got put on hold (read "forget") or given to someone that had no idea what I was talking about. Too bad. There won't be another Paragon in my future.

Jerry

[Darrin Strosnider]

I hear you Jerry- I bought a Paragon 10-sided fusing kiln last year and even custom ordered a 12-key controller. When it arrived, I followed the "break-in" instructions to the letter, only to find out that the side elements were not working. I'm an engineer, but was afraid to troubleshoot due to possible warranty issues.

After waiting TWO weeks for them to reply, *I* finally dove into it, found the problem, repaired it, and then wrote up a detailed description of the issue.

Not only did they not return my phone calls or e-mail, I didn't get any acknowledgement, apology, "thank you", or anything. The only thing that kept me from sending it back was the shop owner I bought it from- she did everything she could to try and help.

I'll never buy another Paragon. In my experience- their workmanship is shoddy and their customer service is non-existent.

[Jerry]

I have asked the kiln question in another thread and found that L&L kilns are pretty well thought of by people that go to the kinds of temperatures I go. So, I suspect there's an L&L kiln in my future.

The problem with the Paragon was that the elements were mounted in the roof of the kiln and refused to stay there. Every time I fired I either got pieces of fire brick in my work, "J" hooks in my work, or, one time, an entire element in my work. That one really ruined my day. Paragon customer service was a bit less than helpful. I solved the problem by encasing the elements in quartz tubes and drilling holes to the outside of the case and running heavy stainless steel wires inside to the quartz to suspend them. That's quite a departure from their design, but they wouldn't help and my alteration has been running great for over 5 years no thanks to them.

Sorry for your trouble but I suppose we've both learned something.

CU
Jerry

[Dani]

We've all learned something.... Thanks for your comments. Hopefully, the Paragon folks are monitoring this board since they are sponsors. For that matter, it's useful info for competitors, too!