Which kiln should I buy?

[vinny]

Hello everybody, my name is Vinny, I would love to have some advises regarding glass fusing kilns.
I'm debating between getting the Skutt hot start pro or the Firebox 14-
I think the second one will give me more flexibility regarding my projects because of the size and the shape of it,
But I've read that some people think the Hot start was easier and nicer to use than the firebox?
Also there is the Hobby fuser from Kilncare but that one would really stretch the budget.
I would appreciate so much if you could share your experiences with those kilns and also maybe if you know another kiln that is good and in the same price range.
I've been doing fused glass for a year or so on a course and I really do want to take it further now, I'm so excited and also quite a bit intimidated with the purchase of such a big thing...
Thanks for your help!

[skuttle]

Hi Vinny,

I can't really compare the different kilns, as I've only ever used one of them, but I can certainly recommend the Hotstart kiln as that's the one I have, and I love it!

As the Firebox is square, I think, it may be slightly more versatile spacewise I suppose, but the largest pieces I've made were about 30cm by 10cm, and I managed to fit those in my Hotstart, anything much bigger than that though, and you'd perhaps need something larger. (Which is why I've just bought myself a cheap second hand pottery kiln & a glass firing controller to go with it - bigger, but my Hotstart's by far my favourite). Oh, and if you're wanting to slump vases, you might need to take the height into account - you could only really do small ones in the Hotstart.

The Hotstart's programmer is VERY easy to use, and the kiln only costs me about 25-30p per firing to run (I think the website says 50p, but I've found it's less than that), so it's very efficient. I've been using it almost daily for the last 18 months, and I've had no problems at all with it, so it's reliable too.

I don't know if that's much help really (!), but just wanted to say that I'm very happy with my Hotstart -definitely one of the best purchases I've ever made!

[annnoble]

Skutt Hotstart!!!!

I love mine so easy to use and even heat.

[vinny]

Thank you very much for the infos it looks like the Hotstart should be favorite although I can't get out of my mind the squareness of the Firebox 14 would be better...
It's interesting the idea of getting a ceramic kiln with a glass controler, oh dear ,I feel I'm going round in circles at the moment, but I suppose it's part of the process, thanks for your advices though!

[vinny]

Hi everyone,
I'm still debating about kilns, has anybody got a Firebox 14 from Skutt, and what are your thoughts regarding it?
Thanks a lot for any advices and happy friday to everybody!