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Speedball Artista Pottery Wheel - Good Or Not ?


Crusty

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We have limited room in our soon to be studio. I have a feeling when the clay gets here next week, we are going to get going again rather fast. we already have a lot of ideas we have been tossing around with each other..

 

I have read reviews on this smaller table top wheel and it averages 4.2 out of 5.. the older units had trouble with the belt coming off, they have fixed it with a new "V-belt" design which in time will eventually slip im sure, how long it will take I don't know.. It can center 25 lbs of clay which is more than either of us will probably ever do...

0 to 220 rpm with a finger speed adjustment, cant tap it with your foot if it don't have it lol...

 

If anyone is or has used it, please give us some input good or bad..

 

keep in mind we are just getting into pottery.. we have dabbled in it in the past but this time we are going to spend way more time in it.. we have been talking about Raku and alternative firings for almost 2 years now.. It is happening now and we are excited about it..

 

~Jim & Cindy

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I have used it for traveling to do demonstrations, but I would NOT buy it for my regular wheel.  Too limiting.  Have you used different wheels?  You really should try some so you can feel the difference more power and better foot pedal gives you, even as a newbie, it matters.

 

My students took their first wheel class with 4 different regular wheels to try. The all could tell that they wanted the better quality  Brent or Thomas Stuart over the smaller Pacifica and none of them would use the Artista.

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It's a great little wheel for what it is, but not necessarily something you want for a full time wheel. If you have room to set up that wheel, then you can probably find the space for a regular wheel. Electric wheels really don't take up that much space, and studios don't need much floor space. You won't be walking around a lot as you work! I once had a kick wheel, two tables, a large oval electric kiln, a round electric kiln, 20 big tubs of raw materials, all my clay, slop buckets, shelving, everything, etc. in an 8x15 studio. Very little floor space, but very organized and functional.

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I bought one about 9 years ago as my first wheel.  Not knowing that an "over-the-hill" retiree could learn to throw didn't want to spend too much for a wheel.  It served its purpose for about 6 months until I upgraded to a floor model wheel.  Still use it several times a year cause I do quite a few demonstrations and programs.  If I had room in my shop I would set it up for trimming. 

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Regarding less expensive floor model wheels, while I LOVE Brent wheels, the IE almost too light-weight. We bought one for a community studio and pretty much decided it would be our demo wheel. The Clay Boss is built a little heavier, and we have one in the studio, but it is always the last wheel chosen for use...except for left-handers because it is easily reversible while most of our other wheels are right-handed only. If you have the money, go for a Brent C or CXC or a Shimpo VL-Whisper.

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People choose equipment for weird reasons. Back when businesses had shared pools of computers (instead of a computer on everyone's desk), my wife got users to prefer the slowest computer in the pool by putting racing stripes on it. (She calls them "go-faster stripes".)

 

I've seen people in class choose wheels because of the height, because of where they're positioned in the room, because they always want to throw on the same wheel, and other reasons that have nothing to do with the wheel's performance. One of the least used wheels at a local studio is a Shimpo Whisper... I think people avoid it because it's different than all the others, not because they think it's inferior. So when you have one odd-duck wheel in a class, the reasons it's chosen last may have nothing to do with how well it does the job.

 

I own a pre-Speedball Clay Boss, and I've gone back and forth between it and Brent and Thomas Stuart Prodigy wheels in class, and I really don't see a difference. The TS wheels have deep splash pans that come off in one piece, and I'd really like that because the old-style Clay Boss pan is a pain... but the Brent pans are only a little better.

 

The Clay Boss maintains speed under load, runs smoothly, handles more clay than I'm currently capable of throwing, and basically does everything I expect a quality wheel to do. I don't know how well it would last under production load volume, but I certainly find it a capable wheel for the hobbyist.

 

That said, I have no idea what the quality/capability of the Artista wheel is. That's something I'd want to test-drive before buying.

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Potterbeth you might have another look at the Brent IE because they have redesigned them in the last couple of years I think and made them much more like a regular wheel that the legs come off of to make a countertop model. We bought the IE-X which has an upgraded 1/3 HP motor and claims to center a 100lbs. We have 2 whisperers and this additional one was originally intended to be worked into a countertop station. It comes with normal legs and has ended up being used as a regular wheel. 

 

As a disclaimer though we do not throw particularly large pots on it. Unlike the Artista, I would not lug it around anywhere as it is too heavy for that. With the legs off though it would make a nicer countertop unit than trying to use the Shimpo as the top is a little more compact and the design is better for that purpose. So if you (OP) were considering the Artista for that reason I would go try and find one to demo as you might like it. 

 

At around $900 it is not particularly inexpensive though but hey its a Brent ;-)    

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