hello FH peoples I'm after you wise thoughts... I'm looking at buying a second hand kiln probably a beadcube. They do seem to hold their price well,so would save some money.. But Is it the case that the money i save will be spent on looking after the kiln as its not new?....should I hold back save and buy a new one... I'm all confussed and trying to sell the idea to my husband... Thankyou xx
If you can get an old one that's controlling fine I'd go for that, we've dragged our beadcube from field to field and constantly mistreat it without a hitch!
They are easily maintainable, with a quick call to Kilncare solving most problems quickly. We even got an email recently telling us that the warranty had been extended and that included our baby that was coming out of, if not already out of, the original one - super.
The only problem I can see is getting your hands on one............
Ruth x
Yep finding a 2nd hand beadcube is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I bought my mini kiln 2nd hand, it's in perfect condition and didn't look like it had ever been used (though apparently it had)
I think if you find someone here selling a kiln then you would be pretty safe.
I think most kilns are well looked after (they are expensive afterall!) especially if it's a dedicated glass kiln. You can get some bargins if you find an old pottery kiln, but you might end up having to replace the controller as they can be sometimes quite basic, and not do the careful ramp hold cycles you need. I did recently get an old cermaics kiln with a good controller built in, but it did need a bit of work to get it up and running as it has been quite badly abused :-\
If you have your heart set on a beadcube (and it does look like a cracking little kiln) you might as well get a new one, as I am struggling to remember when I last saw a second hand one come up for sale - no one seems to want to let them go, they are such good kilns!
Yep i agree with Scarlet and Ruth, good luck finding one second hand! I think i have only ever seen one come up for sale, and it didn't hang around long! If it was me (which hopefully it will be when i get a new job!) i'd just go and buy a new one, as you say they hold their money well so if you ever do want to upgrade to something bigger you will be able to sell it for good money!
Cross posted with Glenn, i agree with him too ;)
This is true, i haven't actually seen one..lol.. I have seen a couple of paragons with digital controlls on ebay recently.. They all look a bit well loved..hehe.. But i think its more surface damage... It cant be that easy to brake a kiln... Can it?