Jose

Happy building and thanks for the book recs. I'm planning out my small cat arch kiln build as well. Not owning the land makes it hard to build mid/large kiln. Best wishes w/ the work; would definitely love to help you but I'm in the Southwest!

Hey everyone, first and foremost, thank you. Thank you for your input, and thank you for your time! @Pyewackette again, thank you for your thorough feedback. I don't think you're fickle... it's just wanting something better. Wow, I really did learn a lot from this thread, and it sounds like Skutts and Soldners are great machines. Shimpos seem great as well. I genuinely haven't heard anything negative about them. And yes, what you CAN FORCE a wheel to do vs what it's designed to do in normal operations are different things. Pyewackette, I agree with what you said about the VL-Lite; People have to know what its potential and limitations are, and be comfortable with them. I think i have an idea about who their target audience was for that wheel. Yes, the Whisper along many other wheels, is an upgrade no doubt about it, but after genuinely considering my needs and limitations, the VL-Lite might really be it. First of all, I'll be limited by the size of my kiln! I don't own the land, so I can't build one with a large chamber. The stack can't be more than 7 feet, meaning the chamber will be 2 feet or so? Also, if i managed to build a larger kiln and needed bigger wares, I'd just use my kickwheel (Korean). Weird, but I prefer coil-throwing large pots. For future forum members who might be looking at how much can be thrown on the VL-Lite; I'm in contact w/ a potter who claims to regularly center and throw 18lbs on it. However, he has been throwing for 6 yrs and more importantly, he learned and developed on a kickwheel. He claims this made him a sensitive/non-aggressive thrower b/c... well It's pretty obvious... kickwheels spin slower and lose momentum with pressure. I researched this and sure enough it's generally true. I myself learned and developed on a Lockerbie in HS. Since then, I've noticed that many potters who learned on an electric wheel center at high speeds and use lots of pressure b/c the machine can handle it. (Can anyone second this? From observation or personal experience?) Anyways, all this to say, yeah, it sounds like the VL-Lite can handle 15 lbs, and anything above that will require good hands and experience. Biggest lesson i've learned from all this is, with regard to the Shimpo VL-Lite, know it's purpose & limitations; and more importantly, know your needs. Really, think about your current and future needs and stay within your means. Hope this helps anyone looking at the VL-Lite or other wheels for that matter. Everyone, thank you. It's a big purchase, so thank you all again for helping me process. I'm curious to hear from y'all about soft & hard/aggressive throwers. Which one are you? Also, I'd love to hear about plaster bat and molds? I'll research plaster bats, but would love to hear about them. Blessings to you and your loved ones. Thank you.

Happy_pots, thank you for your feedback. Wow lowering length of warranty to 3 yrs... Yeah, that's a pass. I've gotten good feedback on both Shimpo. The only negative I've heard about the VL Lite is its weight capacity. I haven't heard about the whisper being a thing. What are people raving about? Honestly, for the price point, I've heard nothing but good things about the Whisper. My wife just tells me to get the best wheel, but the practical/moderate/... umm... frugal me says, buy the one that meets the need. If the VL Lite can handle 20 lbs I'd be happy. Thank you for your time and input.

Hi everyone, i've been researching buying a wheel and I've searched & read the forum on buying a wheel. I have a background in ceramics, but haven't been active in over a decade. My options are Shimpo VL Lite, Speedball ClayBoss, & Pacifica GT400... all within the $1k entry level budget. I am leaning towards the Shimpo b/c I was never able to throw more than 25 lbs in college and that was challenging; I mean, that's a lot of clay... to me at least. I'm building my own wood kiln, and it will not be very large. The chamber might be 18"x18"x24" tall or 8 cubic feet at most! This means the wares are not going to be very large, which is another reason why I' leaning towards the Shimpo. If a larger piece was needed, I would throw/build in sections. I'm researching kiln design/build and will document this journey. Anyone has experience with the Shimpo VL Lite? Any slowdown issues? I know centering max is 25lbs, but how much can it handle if a pot is thrown in sections... can it even handle that? If anyone has experience (positive or negative) with any of these wheels pls, I'd appreciate any feedback. What about customer service and warranties... any experience here? I just noticed that I can get a ClayBoss for $100 more... is the boss an upgrade? Full disclosure: I'm on sabbatical and have nothing to do except focus on pottery. I could push my budget to around $1500, opening up more options, but I just do this for enjoyment and learning. I don't intend on selling my work and want to get what's right for my needs. Blessing to you and your loved ones. Thank you.