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Between Two Wheels


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Here is a brief back story on me. I have got the educational background as an amateur potter and i am looking to establish a humble studio for myself. I currently have the opportunity to purchase a 8 year old but only one year used brent cxc wheel for 700 bucks. This wheel is located about 5 hours away. Everything appears to be on the up and up with this wheel.

 

I am considering a bailey pro-xl wheel. I like the warranties and the large stationary splash pan with a drain. I know i can pick this wheel up for 900 shipped.

 

I know the brent cxc is a long lasting "workhorse" of a wheel, but i also know that lots of folks have had success with their bailey wheels. I am flexible when it comes to wheel speed and I would only throw anywhere between 1 lb. to 25 lbs. at one time.

 

So my question is, should i go for the brent cxc or the bailey pro-xl? The brent would cost me close to 900 bucks in 10 hours of gas and vehicle wear. Where the bailey is new with warranty.

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Bought several Bailey's for school. Brend CXC for myself. Both were excellent. Baileys held up well.  Brent I got a deal Brom Bennetts no shipping, and it was several years ago-still going strong. So.............go for the Bailey!

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I have a Bailey too ... 11 years and still love it. The big splashpan is an extremely functional and comfortable design. As Marcia says, it's quiet. Brents are great wheels, but they can be pretty loud. 

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I've got to put in a good word for Brent. My 7 year-old EX is a good wheel. A few weeks ago the controller started malfunctioning. I took it apart to make sure it wasn't something I could fix then called Brent. Bob Randof said "I'll send you a new controller." While kicking myself, I said, "It's not under warranty anymore." He said, "I know. That's our best wheel and nothing on it should go out in 7 years." I was obviously impressed but I was even more impressed when I looked it up and found out that a new controller like the one he was sending me for free cost $425.

 

Jim

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I've got to put in a good word for Brent. My 7 year-old EX is a good wheel. A few weeks ago the controller started malfunctioning. I took it apart to make sure it wasn't something I could fix then called Brent. Bob Randof said "I'll send you a new controller." While kicking myself, I said, "It's not under warranty anymore." He said, "I know. That's our best wheel and nothing on it should go out in 7 years." I was obviously impressed but I was even more impressed when I looked it up and found out that a new controller like the one he was sending me for free cost $425.

 

Jim

Wow!  It's nice to see a company stand behind their product.  It's becoming a rarity these days.

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I tend to have different needs than most potters it seems, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt, but... I like the Brent because the pedal is a little lower and for production work, to me, a pedal that is closer to the floor means less fatigue. The Baily's pedal is pretty thick. I don't like the splash pan since it makes it difficult to make some of the production items I make. I prefer a removable splash pan since I prefer more versatility in a wheel. Though not my first choice, to me the Brent is a professional machine, a rare item in the pottery world. I will say that the Bailey is pretty quite and isn't a bad wheel. And, I think that $700 is kind of pricy for the Brent, especially with the drive.

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Not being able to remove the splash pan would eliminate the Bailey from consideration for me.

 

Jim

My Bailey has an extender bat 2" thick with long pegs that raises the wheel head above the splash pan for larger pieces. It also has extenders for the legs. I can stand at it if I want to.Those two things make it very versatile.I appreciate design versatility.

Marcia

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Not being able to remove the splash pan would eliminate the Bailey from consideration for me.

 

Jim

My Bailey an extender bat 2" thick with long pegs that raises the wheel head above the splash pan for larger pieces. It also has extenders for the legs. I can stand at it if I want to.Those two things make it very versatile.I appreciate design versatility.

Marcia

 

 

That would certainly help. I don't think I own any Bailey equipment, but I've always heard good things about them. I have also noticed that they don't hesitate to steal a good idea from other companies--sometimes making improvements on it. Their wheel looks like a Thomas Stuart wheel.

 

Jim

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I had an old Stuart wheel with a motorized flywheel. It was a smooth operator.Great wheel.

But I got a puppy that followed me everywhere even trying to jump in my lap while I was working. That is when I got my Bailey 1998.I have had an early version of the bailey slab roller 1980s, an extruder that I still have, a PUG MILL, and a wheel. I love the company. Always enjoyed talking to Steve at NCECA. They stand behind their equipment and constantly improve designs. They have great customer service.

 

Marcia

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Not being able to remove the splash pan would eliminate the Bailey from consideration for me.

 

Jim

My Bailey an extender bat 2" thick with long pegs that raises the wheel head above the splash pan for larger pieces. It also has extenders for the legs. I can stand at it if I want to.Those two things make it very versatile.I appreciate design versatility.

Marcia

 

I could stand at my Brent also, but it would be hard to throw anything standing.  I just don't have long enough arms to reach all the way down to the wheel head......lol.   Sorry I could not resist. 

 

I like my Brent. I've had it for 7 years without a problem.

Jed

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I think Bailey is a good company. However, I've used their wheels and their pugmills and from those experiences I've concluded that the engineering behind their products is geared towards a narrower definition of the device than is appropriate for what I do. It is like they got ten pottery magazines and averaged the most common complaints/expectations of the device and then engineered from there. Theirs tools don't seem to be so much build around the job being done as they are built around commonly held expectations.

 

Joel.

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I never even thought about the splash pan not coming off. It is easy to clean with a drain. The only time it gets wet is when I wash it to change clay types. I throw fairly dry. The splash pan catches a lot of trimmings without much falling to the floor. I have a bucket of recycled Frost from the 32 piece dinner set and then some. I am going to make some experimental clay bodies with it today. I guess it all depends on what you do and how you work. Equipment needs to fit the person's body as well as their work habits and shop rhythms. I like being able to wipe the splash pan clean quickly and start up with a new clay body. I use Coleman porcelain, ^6 Frost and a grolleg porcelain as well as a raku clay and a red terra cotta. I try to keep them separate.I am happy with Bailey equipment. I love the pug mill. I live around my 36" slab roller where I place my thrown pieces and put large plastic storage containers over them until I get back to them. My shop is set up for me and the way I work.When My large slabs are slowly drying on my bakers racksI have the slab roller for putting some of the wet ware.

 

Marcia

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I've got to put in a good word for Brent. My 7 year-old EX is a good wheel. A few weeks ago the controller started malfunctioning. I took it apart to make sure it wasn't something I could fix then called Brent. Bob Randof said "I'll send you a new controller." While kicking myself, I said, "It's not under warranty anymore." He said, "I know. That's our best wheel and nothing on it should go out in 7 years." I was obviously impressed but I was even more impressed when I looked it up and found out that a new controller like the one he was sending me for free cost $425.

 

Jim

Jim-

was that wheel controller one of the "digital" controllers they made around 2005-2006 where it had a "soft" push button for on/off and wheel head direction?  If so, I think that Bob has been doing his damndest to get as many of those back to brent and out of the public's hands as he can--I had this experience with him twice and he was nothing short of amazing in terms of his speed and knowledge.  I think the fact that he was willing to acknowledge (and make right!) a mistake in design really sold me on brent as a brand, as far as wheels go.

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I've got to put in a good word for Brent. My 7 year-old EX is a good wheel. A few weeks ago the controller started malfunctioning. I took it apart to make sure it wasn't something I could fix then called Brent. Bob Randof said "I'll send you a new controller." While kicking myself, I said, "It's not under warranty anymore." He said, "I know. That's our best wheel and nothing on it should go out in 7 years." I was obviously impressed but I was even more impressed when I looked it up and found out that a new controller like the one he was sending me for free cost $425.

 

Jim

Jim-

was that wheel controller one of the "digital" controllers they made around 2005-2006 where it had a "soft" push button for on/off and wheel head direction?  If so, I think that Bob has been doing his damndest to get as many of those back to brent and out of the public's hands as he can--I had this experience with him twice and he was nothing short of amazing in terms of his speed and knowledge.  I think the fact that he was willing to acknowledge (and make right!) a mistake in design really sold me on brent as a brand, as far as wheels go.

 

 

Yes, the controller buttons were flush with side of the controller which made them hard to find when clay got on the controller. After I posted about the good service, I did a search for Brent controllers and found an old post on this forum from Neil about that controller not being a good one. That and your comment above convince me that while it was still great service and Bob is very helpful, he was basically correcting a mistake by Brent. Most companies would have been happy to charge me $425 plus shipping to correct their mistake.

 

Did you have two wheels with that controller?

 

Jim

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Hi Brad,

 

Never having used a Brent wheel I don't have an opinion on them...I do have 2 of Baileys' Pro series wheels...

 

The guild, I am a member at, uses wheels with removable splash pans...Great because of the rule that the pan must be cleaned after each use..

For my studio though I find the slurry drain at the back of the pan and a small removable side door which allows me to push trimmings and dried slurry out the side into a 5 gallon bucket works well for my application.  I will leave my wheel dirty if I'm using the same clay for days at a time.  Then using a sponge I just wash out the remaining clay into the drain bucket and it's onto the next...

 

My .02 and a thumbs up for Baileys

 

Peter

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I've got to put in a good word for Brent. My 7 year-old EX is a good wheel. A few weeks ago the controller started malfunctioning. I took it apart to make sure it wasn't something I could fix then called Brent. Bob Randof said "I'll send you a new controller." While kicking myself, I said, "It's not under warranty anymore." He said, "I know. That's our best wheel and nothing on it should go out in 7 years." I was obviously impressed but I was even more impressed when I looked it up and found out that a new controller like the one he was sending me for free cost $425.

 

Jim

Jim-

was that wheel controller one of the "digital" controllers they made around 2005-2006 where it had a "soft" push button for on/off and wheel head direction?  If so, I think that Bob has been doing his damndest to get as many of those back to brent and out of the public's hands as he can--I had this experience with him twice and he was nothing short of amazing in terms of his speed and knowledge.  I think the fact that he was willing to acknowledge (and make right!) a mistake in design really sold me on brent as a brand, as far as wheels go.

 

 

Yes, the controller buttons were flush with side of the controller which made them hard to find when clay got on the controller. After I posted about the good service, I did a search for Brent controllers and found an old post on this forum from Neil about that controller not being a good one. That and your comment above convince me that while it was still great service and Bob is very helpful, he was basically correcting a mistake by Brent. Most companies would have been happy to charge me $425 plus shipping to correct their mistake.

 

Did you have two wheels with that controller?

 

Jim

 

 

Exactly. Those were bad controllers, and Brent has been replacing them no questions asked. Big mistake putting those into production.

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I've got to put in a good word for Brent. My 7 year-old EX is a good wheel. A few weeks ago the controller started malfunctioning. I took it apart to make sure it wasn't something I could fix then called Brent. Bob Randof said "I'll send you a new controller." While kicking myself, I said, "It's not under warranty anymore." He said, "I know. That's our best wheel and nothing on it should go out in 7 years." I was obviously impressed but I was even more impressed when I looked it up and found out that a new controller like the one he was sending me for free cost $425.

 

Jim

Jim-

was that wheel controller one of the "digital" controllers they made around 2005-2006 where it had a "soft" push button for on/off and wheel head direction?  If so, I think that Bob has been doing his damndest to get as many of those back to brent and out of the public's hands as he can--I had this experience with him twice and he was nothing short of amazing in terms of his speed and knowledge.  I think the fact that he was willing to acknowledge (and make right!) a mistake in design really sold me on brent as a brand, as far as wheels go.

 

 

Yes, the controller buttons were flush with side of the controller which made them hard to find when clay got on the controller. After I posted about the good service, I did a search for Brent controllers and found an old post on this forum from Neil about that controller not being a good one. That and your comment above convince me that while it was still great service and Bob is very helpful, he was basically correcting a mistake by Brent. Most companies would have been happy to charge me $425 plus shipping to correct their mistake.

 

Did you have two wheels with that controller?

 

Jim

 

 

Exactly. Those were bad controllers, and Brent has been replacing them no questions asked. Big mistake putting those into production.

 

It's kind of like an automotive recall, where they urge you to take your vehicle in, so they can fix the "Sticking accelerator" or something of the like.  It's their fault, and they rightfully take care of the cost.  The only difference here is that a bad potter's wheel part, probably isn't going to injure or kill anyone......Of course I say that knowing that Jim has some crazy story to the contrary. 

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