William & Susan Schran User on sat 25 oct 08
On 10/25/08 2:03 PM, "Martin Rice" wrote:
> Hi, does anyone have any suggestions or information about the relative
> merits of Olympic vs Paragon kilns?
The following is with the caveat that I have not owned or fired a Paragon
kiln -
Based on having worked with, fired and repaired an Axner Super Kiln, an
Olympic kiln with a different brand name on it, I would not buy or recommend
it. I would also add that I did not find their tech support helpful.
I have examined Paragon kilns at NCECA conferences and they have several
reasons that I believe makes them a decent kiln. Then of course you've got
Arnold Howard who is quite willing to help with questions even if the
question is about other kiln brands.
Bill
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Martin Rice on sat 25 oct 08
Hi, does anyone have any suggestions or information about the relative
merits of Olympic vs Paragon kilns?
Thanks.
Martin
Signal Mountain, TN
Jeanie Silver on sun 26 oct 08
I have decided to replace my Olympic kiln after 22 years of moderately hard
use. I found it to be totally 100% reliable...having said that, it is the
only Olympic I've had experience with....I researched, combed the archives,
and eventually decided to go with a Bailey 16.5 cu. ft. oval. They have a
sale on now to the end of the month-with free freight....this made it
competitive with the Olympic, and a much heavier duty kiln to boot. I have
no experience with a Paragon...and no connection to Bailey's...
Jeanie in Pa.
John Rodgers on sun 26 oct 08
I have owned four Paragon 24" dia, kilns - two SNF's and two TNF's. The
SnF is a cone 8 kiln with an automatic switching system that works
really great. They have Dawson Kiln Sitters with timers. The SnF also
comes with a special floating lid that automatically adjusts itself to
keep the lid tight on the kiln body as the kiln dimensions change as it
heats and cools. The lid also has a spring balance system that makes
raising the lid so easy it can be done with the fingers. No more lifting
a heavy lid. this is especially desirable for the women folk among us.
The TnF kilns I have are cone 10 kilns with computer controls. These
kilns are stoutly built with 3 inch bricks. They also have that easy to
lift floating lid. The particular model I have has a single
thermocouple, although there are models which have zone thermocouples.
The electric kilns I have had over the years have been Duncan, Crusader,
Blue Diamond, and Paragon. Were I to buy new kilns tomorrow,, I would
again purchase Paragon. While the quality has always been superb, their
service and support has been stellar. Arnold Howard has been wonderful
to work with and is ready to help in every way. On top of that - Paragon
often goes the extra mile for it's customers. A little while back, I had
a computer failure. The controller board - made by Orton - went out on
one of my computerized kilns. As luck would have it, the board was out
of warranty by a few days by purchase date, but was in warranty by
purchase month. Paragon replaced that board at no cost to me without
batting an eye. They even went the extra distance of contacting a local
distributor and making arrangements for me to pick up the replacement
the next day out of the local distributors inventory. Their willingness
to provide that kind of support saved me $370 plus a week of potential
down time. Now you simply cannot beat that kind of service anywhere.
There is one thing to be aware of - whether on a Paragon or any other
kiln - the higher cone to which the kiln is rated, will result in longer
firing cycles IF you fire to the rated cone for the kiln. My SnF's were
cone 8. My TnF's are Cone 10. I had not thought of this at the time
until I did my first firing. I fire mostly to cone 6, and that first
firing was a shock. It added a full day to my firing cycle. It went from
two days to three days, all because of the extra mass in the Cone 10
kiln that has to be first heated then cooled. It is nice to have that
extra capacity, but unless you have serous need for it - don't waste
your money. Your electric bill will be higher with the cone 10 kiln.
Even though you are not firing to cone 10 - or even cone 8. I realize
that this is a point of argument. But this is my experience with my kilns.
Regards,
John Rodgers
William & Susan Schran User wrote:
> On 10/25/08 2:03 PM, "Martin Rice" wrote:
>
>
>> Hi, does anyone have any suggestions or information about the relative
>> merits of Olympic vs Paragon kilns?
>>
>
> The following is with the caveat that I have not owned or fired a Paragon
> kiln -
>
> Based on having worked with, fired and repaired an Axner Super Kiln, an
> Olympic kiln with a different brand name on it, I would not buy or recommend
> it. I would also add that I did not find their tech support helpful.
>
> I have examined Paragon kilns at NCECA conferences and they have several
> reasons that I believe makes them a decent kiln. Then of course you've got
> Arnold Howard who is quite willing to help with questions even if the
> question is about other kiln brands.
>
> Bill
>
>
> --
> William "Bill" Schran
> wschran@cox.net
> wschran@nvcc.edu
> http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
>
>
>
jonathan byler on mon 27 oct 08
Rob,
thanks for your reply. It is good to hear that you continue to
upgrade and improve your product. I have not had any experience with
the newer model kilns, but what you describe sounds like it is a
great improvement. Since I am not in the business of moving kilns
about, I don't take much notice of such features, but if you want to
expand an existing kiln, or have the ability to easily move it, the
modular rings would definitely be a strong selling point.
jon byler
3-D Building Coordinator
Art Department
Auburn University, AL 36849
On Oct 27, 2008, at 2:59 PM, Rob Haugen wrote:
> Jon,
> The plug system used by Olympic was redesigned 3 years ago.
> The new system uses a twist lock plug that is externally
> mounted. We have chosen to continue to use the plugs
> because they allow the user to expand the kiln with
> additional rings and the kiln can be easily disassembled
> without removing the electrical system.
>
> Rob Haugen
> Olympic Kilns
jonathan byler on mon 27 oct 08
I find the olympics hard to service in comparison with those from L&L
and bailey (worked on all three). I have never seen, nor used a kiln
from paragon. The olympics seem to work as well as the next guys,
however, I am leery now of any kiln that uses plugs to attach the
various sets of elements together, especially the way the olympic
does. I have had multiple catastrophic failures from corrosion on
the plugs. in the case of the olympic kiln here in our shop, the
plugs sort of act as a structural element keeping the various layers
from moving laterally. this puts a lot of stress on them, and looks
like it contributes to the failures. that said, ours has run for
many years mostly trouble free up until these plug failures, which
caused big bangs, blown fuses, and cut hands (sharp, confined
stainless steel boxes holding the electrics).
jon byler
3-D Building Coordinator
Art Department
Auburn University, AL 36849
On Oct 25, 2008, at 1:03 PM, Martin Rice wrote:
> Hi, does anyone have any suggestions or information about the relative
> merits of Olympic vs Paragon kilns?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Martin
> Signal Mountain, TN
Rob Haugen on mon 27 oct 08
Jon,
The plug system used by Olympic was redesigned 3 years ago.
The new system uses a twist lock plug that is externally
mounted. We have chosen to continue to use the plugs
because they allow the user to expand the kiln with
additional rings and the kiln can be easily disassembled
without removing the electrical system.
Rob Haugen
Olympic Kilns
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