skutt firebox8 vs AIM 84J kilns

[Jill Wilson]

IMO a manual kiln is too limiting and you won't get enough use out of it. You have to stay with the kiln the entire time it is firing to monitor the controls and it is a pain trying to set it accurately. Among my 5 kilns is one manual Evenheat kiln that I use to pull vitrigraph stringers and a few other minor chores. It gets little use because of the manual controls. By comparison, my first kiln was a small Aim, an 84B with a controller and a bead annealing layer. It was/is a fun, 8-9 inch kiln. Later, I added the Evenheat Hot Shot which was more versatile because of the slightly larger size. If you want to make jewelry or small projects, a 10-12 inch kiln is really handy. They heat and cool quickly and it doesn't take days to fill the kiln so that you can justify running it. Because I make lots of jewelry, I still use these two kilns constantly.

Regarding service: I've contacted Aim twice by email. One time I received a prompt response and one time I never received a response. They use Bartlett controllers and their manual refers you to the Bartlett web site to answer the controller questions. Evenheat also uses a Bartlett controller on the HotShot; however, Evenheat was very helpful with a recent problem. You might also look at small Paragons because they have repair questions, repair videos, and a list of repair people on their web site. I haven't used the small Skutt you are considering.

[pinkglass]

Thanks for all the help... actually a follow up question, it seems that the small kilns are very small and apparently will be quickly outgrown. Although, are they good for jewelry or will a larger kiln be better? I am asking in regard to the firing considering the small space (should heat and cool faster than a larger kiln).

So there are also larger kilns 10-14 inches by about 4-6 inches that use 120V regular outlets as well.. I was told once by a store owner that these are not good because the power is no enough to heat the larger space. Is this true? And if so am I better off buying a 900 dollar kiln with the 220 or 240 (i forget) voltage plug?

Gosh even one more question...
the tiny kilns 9x9 only have side elements
a bit larger but same voltage 14 x6 have only top elements
18 x9 and up have side and top elements

I understand that the side elements are needed in a larger kiln to keep the heat even. But why dont they have them in the medium size kilns and are they any good seing that there is only a top element.

Bottom line is I want to buy the best kiln I can have for under 1,000. I want to do mostly jewely and a few projects like coasters, tiles, and plates, largest being 8x8. I am completely confused as to which I need to buy a kiln with both side and top elements or if having only a top element is sufficient in a medium sized kiln. sorry for the length but it has been really hard to get these questions answered by people I know