HT Oven Advise

I just found out one negative. The price on the net, 497.25, is for the manual controlled kiln. The digital upgraded kiln is 745.75.

What is the use of a manually controlled kiln?

Andy
 
Andy,

A quick search of the net shows the equivalent depth Evenheat kiln (22") is listed at $1,045 on Texasknife while the equivalent Paragon kiln (24") lists at $1,495 on the Paragon site.

$745.75 for a kiln w/ digital controller doesn't seem that bad to me. If you know of any cheaper options other than DIY I would love to know. I am in the market as well. :)

Erin

Fiddleback said:
I just found out one negative. The price on the net, 497.25, is for the manual controlled kiln. The digital upgraded kiln is 745.75.

What is the use of a manually controlled kiln?

Andy
Click to expand...
 
I just ordered a paragon from Don Reeves at www.paragonkilns.com. I haven't been around a sugar creek but in my opinion the Paragon kiln is enough better than the evenheat to justify the extra cost. Also If you call Don and talk to him you gan get about a 15% dicount on the list price. and for you guys that do stainless and exotic alloy the paragon can be upgraded (at no charge) so that it will heat to 2400 degrees.
 
Hypocrite said:
Andy,

A quick search of the net shows the equivalent depth Evenheat kiln (22") is listed at $1,045 on Texasknife while the equivalent Paragon kiln (24") lists at $1,495 on the Paragon site.

$745.75 for a kiln w/ digital controller doesn't seem that bad to me. If you know of any cheaper options other than DIY I would love to know. I am in the market as well. :)

Erin
Click to expand...

No. Not to me either. Sucks that they've advertised it in a way thats a tad bit deceptive. But the price sounds good still. I just don't want to buy a lemon because the price is right.

Anybody out there use these?

What do you think about the Paragon makes it worth the extra $ Bill?
 
What do you think about the Paragon makes it worth the extra $ Bill?
__________________
Andy
Click to expand...

There are a few things; The controller is simple to program and accurate and it lets you add time or skip segments etc. The even heat will do this if you buy the set pro controller but it is a little difficult to program but not terrible. The construction of the paragon is sturdier than that of the even heat. The paragon has a saftey switch on the door and it is counter weighted. The even heat gets very hot on the outside of the shell so care has to be taken not to put anything flamable near them. the paragon never gets too hot to put your hand on at anytime. the paragon can be upgraded to heat to 2400 degrees at no charge when it is ordered. It also has a built in stand that is very sturdy.

Most of these things are no big deal but not having to buy an upgrade for the controller and not having to worry about having it too close to a wall or other flamables is a big deal to me.
 
I own a sugercreek! have been using it almost a year and could'nt be happier.when i baught mine the digital controller was an additional $200 exactly. i could'nt imagine an oven being any better.came completely wired and ready to plug and go.super easy to program and great customer service!
 
I need one. I know I need one. I am perfectly aware that I need one. But even at $800, I can't convince myself to give in and get one instead of using my forge for HT and annealing. (getting away from the vermiculite might be fun, though.)
 
You can buy a manual oven and add the controller ( or build one) later.
A manual oven just means that you have to watch the temperature and adjust it as needed. With some experience, it becomes second nature to set a temp and keep it there. Kep a log and write down all settings and temps. I never had a controlled burnout oven, and have been successfully casting for over 30 years. The knife ovens are the same as burnout ovens, just longer and thinner.

To put it into knife wisdom:
It is better to have a manual HT oven, than to have no HT oven at all.
Stacy
 
The evenheat comes stock with the set-pro controller that will skip/add or whatever. The Rampmaster II controller is more intuitive and holds a couple more programs - for an extra $85.

The Evenheat has also had recent upgrades including new sturdier hinges and (not sure if this is released yet but...) a new latch assy.

The outside does get hot - but a wall 2" away is never more than warm.

The oven comes stock for max 2200 degrees - and increasing that is just a programming adjustment - not an upgrade.

Safety switch on the door is an option - but you can also just use the power switch.

The door doesn't need a counterweight because it opens sideways - out of your way.

There are other things you may wish to consider such as power levels, chamber dimensions, and shipping weight to mention a few.

Have fun with your decision. :)

Rob!
 
There's really no deception here, the sugarcreek kiln has been around for a long time and a lot of makers use it without digital. I know several makers that have one, Wayne Whitley has the large on you linked to with the manual control. He doesn't heat treat any stainless or complicated alloys to the best of my knowledge and that makes things a lot more accurate for carbon steels.

As Stacy said, you can add a control to it if the ~$750 is too much. The kilns are good, no one I know has any complaints about them other than the 110V small version being "slow". Slow isn't exactly a bad thing in most cases.
 
Thanks guys. I appreciate this advise. Lots of thinking to do before, and a little more saving also...
 
Andy I have got to ask and everyone else either knows or figured it out, but what the heck is your avatar a picture of. That has really been bothering me for awhiile, so I just finally had to ask. Thanks.
 
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