Kiln Height — What height do you need?

6" in height allows you to fit 1-2 shelves. You'll want to purchase 2 pair of the 1" posts, 2 pair of the 2" posts, and 2 shelves. Unfortunately 6" is not tall enough for glass bracelet mandrels or even simple coffee mugs. In order to fit stilts and a shelf in the kiln when firing a mug you'll need the 8" or 10" kiln.

For more versatility we recommend the SC3 or Caldera with collar.

Top Loading vs. Front Loading — What are you planning on firing?

Top loading kilns are easier to load. The tendency with a front loader is to only use the front 4". The heat sensor, or thermocouple, is actually at the back of the kiln. The front of your kiln tends to be cooler. Top loaders allow you to see work from a birds-eye view when placing it on the shelf. If you are only firing a few pieces, in a top loading, you can elevate your first shelf on 2" posts. This way you are firing in the center of the kiln.

If you are going to do a lot of enameling, for production purposes, it is going to be easier to have a front loading door. However, you can certainly enamel in a top loader. Elevate the shelf near the top of the kiln on posts. You'll place your enameled piece, which is on a trivet, into the kiln using Big Tweezers (12"+) and heat-resistent gloves. You'll also remove it this way. This is no more difficult than working with a firing rack, firing fork, and trivet. It's just different and not shown in books.

Also, many customers report successful loading through the bead door on the Caldera. The SC bead door is not tall enough to allow a trivet to pass through.

Kiln Brick vs Muffle/Fiber Type — What's it made of and why?

There is no truth to the wives tale that you cannot fire multiple mediums like metal clay, glass, ceramics and more all in the same kiln. There is no residue left as most items burn off by 1000F. Also, there is no truth to any statements that it is better to fire metal clay in a fiber/muffle wall kiln over a kiln brick kiln. The new jewelry type kilns, such as the SC series and Evenheats, were designed with the muffle as they heat and cool faster, the elements are not exposed, they are a bit more lightweight, and the white interior is more aesthetically pleasing.

However, the fact remains that a kiln that has elements on 4 or 5 sides is better than one that only has elements on 3 sides. Glass, for example needs to have radiant heat in order to achieve temperature uniformity. Radiant heat is line of sight, not convection. Also, with a kiln that has kiln brick you are going to have stored thermal energy, thus it will retain the heat better. This means if you do multiple firings, you will be able to heat the kiln back up faster, and when opening the door to do enamels, your kiln will recover more quickly. This is why all kilns sold for the purpose of enameling are kiln brick. The Caldera and Fire Fly are very fast for a brick kiln because they are overpowered. So this helps with the conception that kiln brick kilns are slower to heat up. The Caldera also has a digital controller so there is a level of precision in the firing process. The Xpress series is the best of all worlds if you can afford it. Kiln brick, metal casing on entire kiln, programmable, front loader. All great things!

There also is no truth to the fact that moving the Caldera, Fire Fly or Home Artist kilns can displace the elements. They are securely fitted in a track. Elements do expand and contract as they heat and cool. With larger kilns you can have elements that need to be re-pinned, but this isn't usually the case with the smaller kiln brick kilns. The kiln brick is more fragile than the muffle kilns. However, by simply getting a plastic bin, and handling with care you can transport these kilns adequately. However, the muffle kilns do not require as much care and can be placed in the trunk of your car without a box or bin. So if you are teaching a lot, then do get a muffle kiln. It is important to keep your kiln brick kiln elements clean with an occasional vacuuming. Excessive movement can cause the brick to chip and break off. Vacuuming your fiber wall kilns is also good for maintenance.

Another thing to consider is maintenance. Elements will go out between 5-10 years depending on use and how hot you fire your kiln. The closer you can get to the top rating the more wear and tear you put on the elements. The muffle type kilns cost $250 to replace the elements. Plus you'll most likely need to ship it back to the manufacturer for replacement ($350+). The elements in a kilns brick kiln are less than half the cost to replace and you can either do that yourself or have it done locally.

Comparing the Paragon against Evenheat Kilns