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  Dimensions Loading Max. Temp. Brick/Muffle Controller Travel Electrical Other
Fire Fly Inside
8"x8"x4"
Top loader w/ hinged lid 2350°F Kiln Brick Digital pyrometer - not programmable only reads to 1999°F Can travel in plastic bin Regular household current Great price!
Digital Fire Fly Inside
8"x8"x4"
Top loader w/ hinged lid 2350°F Kiln Brick Fully Programmable Can travel in plastic bin Regular household current Great price!
Caldera without Collar Inside
8"x8"x6"

Footprint
13"x20"x14"
Top loader
The lid on the Caldera can be slid to one side allowing little heat to escape when loading or unloading. This can be a nice advantage.
2350°F Kiln Brick Programmable Can travel in plastic bin Regular household current Best bang for the buck!
Caldera with Collar Inside
8"x8"x6" or 8"x8"x10"

Footprint
13"x20"x18"
Top loader
The lid on the Caldera can be slid to one side allowing little heat to escape when loading or unloading. This can be a nice advantage.
Bead door is tall enough that you can enamel throught it.

2000°F

Temp drops

No Elements in collar

Kiln Brick Programmable Can travel in a plastic bin Regular household current The bead door is taller and wider than the SC with a Bead Door
SC Series Inside
8"x8"x6" (SC2)
8"x8"x8" (SC3)

Footprint
14"x14"x16"
Front Loader 2000°F Muffle Programmable Can travel - no extra packing needed Regular household current
  • 6" in height = SC2
  • 8" in height = SC3
  • Plain door
  • Door with window
  • Door with bead door
  • Door with window and bead door
Home Artist Inside
12"x12"x12"
Top Loader 2000°F Muffle Programmable Can travel on built-in luggage wheels Regular household current  
Xpress E Series Inside
8.5" x 9" x 4.5" (E9A)
8.5" x 9" x 8.75" (E10A & E14A)

Footprint
13" x 13.5" x 8.75"
Front Loader 2000°F Kiln Brick Programmable Can travel Regular household current (except E14A is 240V) 4.5" height = E9A
8.75" height = E10A and E14A

Tips

  • Test your kiln every 75 firings.
  • Vacuum out your kiln regularly (hepa filter is best).
  • Always protect the floor of your kiln with a shelf or fiber paper.
  • Fiber shelves sprayed with rigidizer (often referred to as Hard Fiber Shelves) are best for firing metal clay. Cordierite shelves are a heat sink and can create hot spots under your piece. They are not recommended for metal clay firings, but are perfect for glass and ceramics.
  • Solderite boards are not rated to be fired above 1700°F and they tend to thermal shock when exposed to cool air. They are great for torch firing, but not ideal for kiln firing.
  • Before firing glass, enamels or glazes take a slightly damp paper towel or sponge and wipe down the thermocouple (just the end protruding into the kiln). Every time you fire your kiln the thermocouple sheds a layer of metal, or oxidizes. This can be seen in the tiny black flecks in your kiln. These do not burn out and Murphy's Law says they'll land right in your glaze or enamel!
  • Place your kiln on a heat-proof surface and 6" away from flammable items (wall, boxes, etc.)
  • It's tempting, but try to keep from putting things on the top of your kiln. Your peep hole and vents need to be open during firing.

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

Water-Base Finish vs. Powder Coat

The finish on the Paragon kilns is perfectly durable is a high-heat water base finish. Paragon chose to use this coating for the safety of their employees and because it's better for the environment.

Angled Control vs. Flat Control

The flat control allows you to view the temperature easier from across the room. No worries about dropping anything on it when unloading or loading the kiln. The buttons also have no gaps so there is no worry about getting anything inside the panel.

Toggle vs. Rocker

There really is no difference between the rocker and the toggle. The toggle is a bit easier to turn off in an emergency. It doesn't stick out enough to get in the way of anything.

Programmable vs. Presets

Presets are unnecessary. They can also be very limiting if you cannot change them. Kilns are easy to program, and the programs are retained in memory until you change them. If you are interested in mixing media (enameling, ceramics, glass, etc.) you'll want a kiln without presets. None of our kilns come with presets.

Window

The window is not necessary, but useful for enameling and glass fusing. After some time you will be able to learn what you are looking at through the window, due to the orange glow. Don't forget to wear Shade 2 minimum glasses. Keep in mind that the window is clear ceramic and if held at temps above 1700°F will cloud up over time. You can always replace it but if you are doing ceramics or other higher firings, skip the window option. You'll also have to play with the shelf height to have a good view of your work when it's firing.

Bead Door

The bead door option is for annealing the glass when doing lampworked beads. Most glass beadmakers work on 9-12" mandrels which do not fit in an 8" kiln without a door (with the bead door the mandrels can stick out during annealing. You can always buy a replacement door for $100+ and drill the holes to install it later. However, if you think you might like to do glass beads, or you might sell your kiln later then add the bead door now. If you plan on making a lot of beads at one time the Caldera w/Bead Collar has a wider and taller door. It can fit in more beads.