There are plenty of factors to consider when it comes to buying pottery kilns — from size and features to price and brand name. And with the dozens of manufacturers and sellers flooding the market, this task of paring down your choices just gets crazier and crazier.
We’ve scoured the internet and have gathered a list of the best places to buy a pottery kiln. Included are some tips and guidelines to help you choose the best product for your skill level, too.
Scroll on to learn about where and how to buy a pottery kiln!
Where to Buy a Pottery Kiln
Buying a kiln is a huge investment for any level potter. So it only makes sense that you’d want to make the best decision possible, especially if this is your first one.
You can order your kiln from an online seller or a physical store. Smaller kilns can be shipped via UPS or other providers, but for larger models, your kiln will have to be shipped via a freight carrier.
Online Store
Shopping online gives you access to a lot more variety as opposed to shopping from a local store. You can see hundreds of models from different manufacturers on a single page without needing to even get up from your chair.
Here are some shops that we recommend:
Blick
Blick is an excellent place to source high-quality art supplies and equipment. Not only do they offer products at highly competitive prices, but they also carry a wider variety of brands and manufacturers, so customers will never run out of options.
They have everything from paints, pencils, canvases, and papers, to other more complex equipment like easels, drafting desks, pottery clays, and wheels, and yes pottery kilns.
They carry models such as the Paragon Dragon, Fuseworks Craft Kiln, Skutt Kilnmaster, and Amaco Excel. Besides that, they have other kilns which you can check out on their website.
Amazon
While they aren’t exactly the best store to buy pottery equipment from, they host a pretty good amount of brands that can help answer your pottery kiln dilemma. Two of those brands are Amaco Brent and Skutt.
Amaco has been making kilns and other pottery equipment since 1931, making them one of the oldest suppliers in the country. Their products come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are perfect for schools, studios, and even home use.
The Amaco Excel 22″ Deep Fire Kiln is a great model to consider if you’re looking for your first kiln. They are incredibly easy to access because of their short stature and they can fire up to cone 10.
Meanwhile, Skutt Kilns has been in the pottery business for over 60 years. They were the first to introduce multi-sided hobby kilns to the pottery industry; their lightweight designs revolutionized the way people used pottery kilns.
They’re basically the reason why we can bring pottery kilns into our homes now!
If you’re looking for a great-value starter kiln, we highly recommend the Skutt HotStart Pro Studio Kiln. It has a customizable “ramp and hold” feature that allows you to program up to five (5) custom settings — each with up to eight (8) segments.
Soul Ceramics
This online retailer carries a wide variety of pottery equipment and tools, offering them to clients at very competitive prices. The great thing about them is that, unlike Amazon, their sole focus is to provide the highest quality of pottery materials to clients.
Although they’re based in New York City, they offer products and services nationwide, delivering via reputable freight shipping operators like USPS First Class Priority Mail, FedEx, and UPS.
Soul Ceramics carries kiln brands such as Olympic, Evenheat, Paragon, and many more.
If you’re a beginner, we highly recommend that you try out the Olympic Kiln Champ. It fires up to 1700° F and doesn’t require as much power as other electric kilns.
Physical Store
The great thing about shopping for pottery kilns at a physical store is that you get to ask the owner and/or staff about things related to the product you’re buying. It can be tough to know what to look for when buying a pottery kiln. Having an authority figure — like a shop owner or trained staff — to assist you with your decision can take the edge off the whole situation.
Here are some stores that we recommend.
Sheffield Pottery
If you were to look up “complete ceramic supply store,” Sheffield Pottery is sure to pop up on your search feed. And that’s because they offer a wide range of pottery supplies and equipment, including pottery clay, sculpting tools, studio furniture, glazes, pottery wheels, and pottery kilns.
While Sheffield Pottery manufactures their own kiln products, they are also an authorized retailer of a variety of other brands such as Paragon Kilns, Olympic Kilns, Amaco Kilns, Skutt Kilns, Fredrickson Kilns, Alpine Kilns, Evenheat, and many others.
If you need directions to their store, here’s a map that can help. They’re open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (EST).
Clay Planet
Clay Planet has been around since the 1970s and supplies pottery equipment and materials to hundreds of potters across Northern California. They have products for nearly every level potter and serve customers from teachers and students to artists and home hobbyists.
When you visit Clay Planet, you’ll find a wide variety of tools and products, such as clay products, glazes, pottery wheels, and kilns! They also offer workshops and tutorials for beginners who are looking for some guidance.
Clay Planet is an authorized retailer of the following kiln brands: Skutt Kilns, ConeArt Kilns, Cress Kilns, Paragon Kilns, Evenheat Kilns, L&L Kilns, Olympic Kilns, Laguna Kilns, and many more.
For directions to Clay Plant, you can find a map here. Their office hours are 9 AM to 5 PM (Monday to Friday), and 10 AM to 3 PM (Saturday).
How to Buy a Pottery Kiln
Buying a kiln is not as simple as choosing one off the rack and getting it shipped to your home. There are a few things you need to consider, and that’s what we’ll be talking about in this section.
Ask yourself these questions before proceeding to check out:
What kind of clay will you be firing?
Different clay bodies require different firing temperatures. Therefore, you must make sure the kiln you buy will be compatible with the type/s of clay you usually work with.
How many and how big/small are the clay pieces you make?
The size of your projects will also play a significant role in you choosing the right pottery kiln. You don’t want to end up with a kiln that’s a size too small for your pottery.
Two factors to consider:
- The dimensions of the pieces you’ll be making
- The number of pieces that you will fire at one time
Do you have space for your kiln at home?
As firing kilns tend to get really — well — hot, it’s important to give it at least 2 feet of breathing room on each side for safety. Measure the length, width, and height of the space where you plan to store your pottery kiln.
Additionally, make sure your pottery kiln has its own circuit breaker, as well as access to a compatible receptacle (outlet). Bigger kilns tend to eat up more energy than the little ones, so just try to match up your kiln’s voltage and amperage requirements with your designated space.
The Bottom Line
Kilns aren’t like your typical small pottery supply purchases. This equipment can cost thousands of dollars, which is why it’s important that you buy from a reliable source who can help you pick out the best model for your skill level.
All the stores we’ve mentioned above are certified manufacturers and suppliers of pottery kilns in the country. If you’re going to buy a pottery kiln from anyone, we highly suggest buying from them.
Good luck!