Manual or Automatic:
Manual means you turn it up and various
temperatures, and off, based on the status of the cones. Automatic means
you program an electronic panel (or use one of several preprogrammed profiles)
and everything is done for you, including appropriate ramping and shutoff.
VERY convenient.
Zone control:
Further (new) automation can control the sections of
your kiln so you get even heating from top to bottom.
Size:
For doing pottery, it's hard to beat the most popular model, the
1027, which is 7 cu ft and goes to cone 10. Anything smaller than
this and you'll only be firing a few pieces at a time. Options on the
smaller end are the 818 which is 2.6 to 4 cu ft at cone 10, and the 1018
which is from 4.2-4.6 cu ft at cone 10. An option on the larger end
is the 1227 which is 9.9 ct ft and up, but cannot go to cone 10 except in the
Production version (PK). See large
kilns.
Many of the manual kilns can be expanded by adding wired or blank
rings to increase the firing capacity. Wired rings allow the kiln
to maintain temperature, while blank rings max the kiln out at cone 1.
If you make small items such as figurines or jewelry the
smaller kilns are
great.
Power Requirements:
Your kiln selection is limited if you rent
your house/apartment and cannot modify the power. Some possibilities
are:
