Rferguson61 Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 Hello, I apologize in advance if that has been discussed here before, I did search multiple keywords/phrases and didn’t find anything. My wife and are looking at buying a wheel. She has taken classes and made pottery before and it is something I have always wanted to do. We are on a budget and don’t have a bunch of money to throw at this at this time. My question is what motor wattage has to do/what consideration it should be given. We found a wheel that does not list horsepower or centering capacity simply that it’s a 300 watt motor which makes it difficult to compare to others. Any help would be appreciated however like I said we are on a tight budget so we don’t have money to buy a fancy wheel at this time. Thanks! Edit: for more information/clarity we are looking at a budget/unbranded wheel ($250) that says it has a 300 watt motor however the cheapest branded wheel we find (Shimpo Aspire) says it only has a $100 watt motor but it is more than twice the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Rferguson61 said: Edit: for more information/clarity we are looking at a budget/unbranded wheel ($250) that says it has a 300 watt motor however the cheapest branded wheel we find (Shimpo Aspire) says it only has a $100 watt motor but it is more than twice the price. DO NOT buy one of those budget wheels from Amazon, eBay, etc. They are total junk, might only work for a week, and you won't get any tech support and can't buy parts. Only buy a major brand wheel- Shimpo, Speedball, Brent, Skutt, Bailey, Pacifica, etc. You'll have to spend at least $500, but you'll get a wheel that actually works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rferguson61 Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 27 minutes ago, neilestrick said: DO NOT buy one of those budget wheels from Amazon, eBay, etc. They are total junk. I am aware they are not the best/studio quality however as I said we are on a budget. I’m not trying to be argumentative however there are many blog posts and videos from other potters who say that they are a good starting point if you don’t have the $550+ dollars, especially for beginners. I know that the best option would be to get a name brand one and at this time it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. My question above is so I can make sense of the two different products because by just looking at the stats the “junk” appears to be a way better deal (a motor that is 3x the power for 50% the price). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Those amazon china wheels are just like burning up a few hundred dollar bills-in fact you will feel better if you just save yourself the trouble and burn up the cash. We have heard so many horror stories-all we can say is buyer beware. Neil was more kind above warning you I will save the feelings and just say a fool and his money is soon parted with those wheels. If you get one year out of one is it worth the $$$ because thats not going to happen. Save your $ and get something that will actually work.The 300 watt motor is a smoke screen.Junk is junk no matter what lip stick you put on it. I'm only trying to help you nothing more from what I know to be true. No argument at all we all live and learn. Just trying to keep you from steping in that wet hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 hour ago, Rferguson61 said: My question above is so I can make sense of the two different products because by just looking at the stats the “junk” appears to be a way better deal (a motor that is 3x the power for 50% the price). Motor wattage or horsepower doesn't really matter. It's all about torque, typically listed as centering capacity. Skutt 1/3hp, Brent 1hp, and Soldner 1/4hp wheels all have about the same centering capacity. It depends on how it's set up, what type of motor they're using, and what type of controller. A bigger motor doesn't mean anything if the rest of the wheel isn't well designed with quality parts, and higher wattage doesn't necessarily mean more power. We had someone post pics of the inside if their budget wheel and it was really quite shocking how badly designed it was. It was like if you built a wheel without any real engineering or electrical knowledge. The wheel head turned and it looked like a normal wheel, but the parts were all cheap plastic, and things were literally held together with zip ties. There wasn't a decent controller, and the motor was a tiny little thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 There is a thread discussing those wheels plus a picture of the inside of one of them in this thread. https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/19461-influx-of-pottery-machines-being-sold-online/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rferguson61 Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 hour ago, Min said: There is a thread discussing those wheels plus a picture of the inside of one of them in this thread. https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/19461-influx-of-pottery-machines-being-sold-online/ Thank you for the link to the other thread and the information. Not that I’m saying this one is any different design (it’s is still made overseas and inexpensively I know). One of these are what we were considering (VEVOR Pottery Wheel 36cm Pottery Forming Machine with Foot Pedal Pottery Wheel for Adults 450W Electric Pottery Wheel for DIY Clay Art Craft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0865V3N7X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_6506JRFZKC4CS4MCN0G8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 or DOMINTY Pottery Wheel 30CM Pottery Forming Machine 350W Electric DIY Clay Tool with Foot Pedal and Detachable Basin for Ceramic Work Clay Art Craft White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BFCN1KD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XTBKXCTJ1HR27RFBK3NP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 ). Like I said I’m not trying to come to the defense of either of these products or say they are something they aren’t. However I am saying that as people on a budget we are trying to find a way to get started in the craft. And it doesn’t seem like used is a feasible option because people selling wheels are asking for $100 less than buying one new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rferguson61 Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Alright. Well between my own concerns and your helpful feedback we are going to find a way to spend a little more (twice as much) and get the Shimpo Aspire. I appreciate your advice and words of caution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Another option, since you say, "we are trying to find a way to get started in the craft", is to try handbuilding. There is a myriad of books and videos which cover making things that don't require a wheel. All you need is a flat surface to work on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 @Rferguson61 We've had reports of a few Shimpo Aspire wheels having a slight wheel head wobble, so be sure to check for that. If you're buying in person, check it out before you buy. If you buy online, inspect it right away when you receive it. Another good tabletop wheel to consider in that price range is the Speedball Artista. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Re @neilestrick's suggestion, there is a comparison of the two wheels at: Table Top Pottery Wheel – Shimpo Aspire or Speedball Artista?https://thepotterywheel.com/table-top-pottery-wheel/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rferguson61 Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 15 minutes ago, PeterH said: Re @neilestrick's suggestion, there is a comparison of the two wheels at: Table Top Pottery Wheel – Shimpo Aspire or Speedball Artista?https://thepotterywheel.com/table-top-pottery-wheel/ Thank you! I had actually just stumbled on this last night. We were considering both since they are close to the same price. The Speedball one is ~$120 more than the Shimpo for equitable models. Also our local store carries Shimpo and not Speedball so that also led us to chose the Shimpo. Thank you for the heads up about the head wobble. We will be sure to make sure the one we get doesn’t have that problem. Thank you all again for your help. I know I’ll have some more questions so I look forward to talking with you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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