mousey Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 I'm about to invest in my first 'grownup' kiln and so far, the Olympic FL20E seems like it has such a massive value edge over the competition that I've become suspicious. Can anyone pitch any opinions my way? I'm particularly attracted to the size and the fact that it's front-loading. Apologies in advance if this isnt an appropriate subforum to ask questions like this in, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 One thing I can say is Olympics take a different size kiln shelves than other more standard size kiln/shelve configurations. I have a friend with there large car kiln (gas ) and its cheaply made -yes it cost less than the others but you get what you pay for sometimes. Check on the actual kiln shelve sizes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousey Posted April 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 Ach... this is worrisome... the kiln size is something I can adapt to, no worries there, but clearly I better read the fine print regarding what sort of warranty is in play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 i can remember a member who had recently joined and was very excited about his new olympic kiln. he kept saying how good it was. when someone pointed out a few problems he should expect, he became incensed and removed himself, all his posts and photos from this website and has not been heard from since. maybe it is just a question of "i like fords, take your chevy somewhere else" or maybe there is a real difference. wait for neil to answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousey Posted April 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 That's truly unfortunate, a narrative regarding what problems I should expect is exactly what I need most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 Any kiln will get hot. The difference is in the quality of the construction and ease of repair, and you get what you pay for. Look at other kilns of the same type and see what the difference is. Do some searching on the forum here, too. I think there was a thread recently about front load kilns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 check out this thread on front loaders http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/15906-front-loading-electrics/?hl=%2Bfront+%2Bloading+%2Bkilns&do=findComment&comment=123543 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousey Posted April 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 I appreciate the help / guidance, Neil & Mark, very much. That front-loader thread is certainly thought provoking. It's worth noting that I'm shifting focus somewhat to large sculptural pieces, so the consistency issues that would concern someone doing a run of functional ware apply a bit less here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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