Paragon Single vs Double Barrel

[Themilkman]

Hi,

I'm looking at getting a paragon heat treat oven, but am torn on the 18" double barrel or single barrel size. I don't make large production runs, I forge maybe 4 knives most at a time, but to me it seems the 18" long oven with 5" opening seems disproportionate for its length. I am just afraid that with the double barrel version I'll be spending more time and money heating a larger volume that might not be necessary for a batch of 4 hunting type knives. I also see myself making occasional hammers or axes, and possibly needing to normalize Damascus billets down the road, so maybe the wider version would be worth while for that? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[A.McPherson]

Bigger is better! Plus if you ever decide that you want to make something big, you've got the option.

 

[Themilkman]

Would having the double barrel over the single be significantly more time consuming or costly to heat up? It’s double the size, so does it take twice as long?

 

[Ken H>]

Most likely it would take longer to heat up, but that also depends on wattage of oven.

 

[tito]

I have the double barrel only because I wanted to be able to use it for large pieces. I'd like to get a smaller oven just for small blades, which is most of what I have used my oven for, despite plans for other projects.