Re: skutt firebox8 vs AIM 84J kilns
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:52 pm
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.
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.