Is this Skutt Kiln a good deal?

[HankCowdog]

Someone local out here in CO is selling a Skutt KS-1027-3” KilnSitter kiln (manual, not computer controlled). I understand how the control cones handle the kiln shutoff.

Comes with kiln furniture (shelves, etc) and three 3” rings (will support up to Cone 10, in theory).

Asking $500, claims very reliable.

I know this kiln model has been discontinued and does not have a computer to control fancy temperature ramp up/ramp down.

I’d probably be doing Cone 6 (like at DMS) and maybe some low-fire terra cotta.

Is this a good deal or - as a very novice potter - would I be borrowing trouble? The local Makerspace does not have a pottery group, so I’d be on my own for the most part.

Anything I should be on the lookout for as red flags?

[dryad2b]

Looks good to me… Really, there’s not much that can go completely wrong. The pic you’ve sent looks nice. Good solid fire-brick?

AND YOU’RE GETTING THE SHELVES FOR THAT PRICE! Those by themselves are worth nearly the $500.

I think when you begin firing it, you should set timers. Of the 2 problems with a cone-sitter kiln that I’ve heard of, one didn’t get the right slant on the cone, and it melted down straight instead of leaning over and shutting off the kiln. I think that’s the one that melted the fluorescent bulbs (they must have left it for quite some time). The other problem was with someone who loaded too much bisque, and the shut-off caught on a pot and didn’t shut off. They figured that one got to Cone 12. The regular stoneware was starting to melt, and the porcelain looked burned.

We should ask @Steve1 how long ours runs. While it’s variable – depends on how new your elements are, it should be a ballpark. If the elements were about the same age, then ours would run a bit longer, because we’re running on 208V. 240V should be a smidge faster.

Even if the elements and relays are toast, I think that’s a hell of a deal. Those aren’t that expensive to replace, and not exactly rocket science, either. Plus, you can still call Skutt and ask questions.

[Steve1]

On the surface, I’d say yes. From the pictures it looks like it’s had little use, can’t see the bricks on the inside though. Now that’s for the kiln only, there are other things that must be considered. First, if it is going to be used in residential setting then do you even have a 240v 50amp outlet to run it? If the answer is “no” then you have to include the cost of having one added to your house which could cost $1000 or more depending on your existing electrical layout. Now if your electrical is all good then yeah. Other tings to consider is the maintenance, will need a ohm meter to do maintenance. Now, ours are fired frequently and are reliable, conservitively I’d say 150-200 firing between element changes.