Cress Electric Kiln (Used)

[Whovian83]

Hi I’m buying a used electric kiln

Model e1418

Is Cress a good brand 

I don’t want to waste money on a brand that’s not good?

this will be my first kiln

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

There’s not really any awful brands in North America, so that isn’t an automatic disqualifier. Buying a used kiln is more about the condition it’s in, how difficult parts are acquire if necessary, and if you can get tech support for it. Cress is definitely in business still, and although I personally don’t have a Cress distributor nearby, I still got good customer service over the phone when I needed it, despite being in another country.

In terms of not wanting to waste money on a used kiln, you want to have a look at the bricks and elements to make sure they’re in good condition. Elements shouldn’t be lying down, the brick should be clean looking, with few or minimal cracks/chips. No burnt wiring, that kind of thing. Unless you’re buying it from someone knowledgeable, they probably won’t be able to tell you the number of firings on it, but that would be nice info if you can get it. But even if you bought the kiln for a few hundred dollars and had to  replace the elements and relays, you’d have a brand new kiln for less than brand new prices. It just depends on how into diy you are.

I looked on their website and couldn’t find an e1418, although they have both an e1414 and e2418.  The difference just seems to be size. The 1414 is a test or jewelry kiln, and wouldn’t be suitable for making anything much larger. The 2418 is a nice small starter kiln. You can download manuals and specs if you need.