Front load kiln or Top load kiln?

Because kilns do not have only one type then which one work the best? So let's take a look at the pros and cons of the top loading kiln and the front loading kiln before deciding which one to buy.

The similarity of these two kilns is they have the same bottom-up stacked shelving system. However loading from the front will allow the users to estimate the height of the workpiece and the height of the shelves more conveniently. At the same time, it requires a professional skill to estimate the distance of the workpiece that is placed on the same shelf because it cannot be seen from above. Unlike the top-loading kiln in which workpieces can easier be seen because when placing workpieces from the open top cover you can look down from the top to see all the workpieces on the shelves. In addition, if looking at the health of the users, using a front loading kiln will hurt your back less than a top loading one because they do not need to bend over to arrange the workpieces in the kiln.

The disadvantages of the top loading kilns are the doors and lids that tend to wear out due to gravity and the weight of the kiln lid. Therefore, there is a possibility that over time the brick fragments will settle on the top layer of the workpieces which may damage them but this can be prevented by placing a worksheet on the top shelf as a protective layer. However, in term of the price the front loading kiln is more expensive because the amount of materials used to assemble the kiln is more than for the top loading kiln and as a result it weighs more as well.

After learning the pros and cons of the different types of kilns, it now depends on the satisfaction of users to choose the type that they like, the one they are comfortable with in order to decide which one to buy.