Which Kiln

Mike Martinez

Well-Known Member
Which kiln would you choose for HT between Paragon ( their facility is 10 minutes from my house) and Even Heat Kilns ( price seems more reasonable)? Though EH kilns are somewhat less expensive, it isn't enough to persuade me in any direction so here I am looking for your opinions once more. If you have a preference either way, please state why you'd choose either. Thank you in advance, guys.

Regards,
Mike
 
Paragon has been the leader in heat treating oven for a lot of years. That being said, I suspect my next oven will be from Sugar Creek Kilns. I've spoken with them a few times, and have been very impressed with their customer service....their prices are better than paragon or Evenheat.

I have an older evenheat in the shop, and have never been overly impressed with it. I also own a Canadian version of a 16" paragon......and had a difficult time dealing with Paragon to get some parts for it.
 
Paragon has been the leader in heat treating oven for a lot of years. That being said, I suspect my next oven will be from Sugar Creek Kilns. I've spoken with them a few times, and have been very impressed with their customer service....their prices are better than paragon or Evenheat.

I have an older evenheat in the shop, and have never been overly impressed with it. I also own a Canadian version of a 16" paragon......and had a difficult time dealing with Paragon to get some parts for it.

Let me know what parts you need. I'm going to take a tour of their shop tomorrow or the following day since its only a few miles from me. :)

Ed, I am in your debt. Thank you for the mentioning a third option. I am going to give them a go since the price is so reasonable.
 
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Thanks for the kind offer! I eventually got the parts I needed. What happened with Paragon was that as soon as I mentioned the oven was not actually a Paragon, but a Canadian version of the same thing, they got kind of defensive with me, and the whole tenor of the conversation changed. I got the impression that since the oven I had wasn't specifically a Paragon, they didn't want to help me. I was persistent though, and after the third phone call I spoke with someone who was happy to help. At the time all I was wanting was a couple of new heating elements, which is easy once they have all the information from the oven data plate. I later ordered a couple of other controller related parts, but had the good sense to never mention that the oven wasn't a Paragon....and I had the specific part numbers I needed. That time went MUCH smoother! :)
 
Glad to know that it worked out for you, Ed. I'm going to check theirs out first hand but due to cost, Sugar Creek seems like the better option right now, thank you again for pointing them out. (My wife thanks your too. As she was taken aback by the prices of the other two.)
 
Disclaimer: I sell all three brands and know the owners of all three companies.


Each has a place in their industry and each will support their product well and I have seen that personally.
There is a price range between each brand but there is also a difference in build design, sizes and materials. if you on a tight budget clearly look at the Sugar Creek. If you are high end production or in a commercial environment, look at the Pargon, in between look at the Evenheat. You won't go wrong with any of them but their is a reason for their pricing too.
 
May I please butt in to your post?
I do only folder blades and a VERY low production(hobby).
The small manual control Sugar Creek kiln looks good for me since I don't want to invest too much for a hobby.
However the small Evenheat kiln has a Setpro fitted to it.
Question - Will I be able to do a decent job with the Sugar Creek manual control? Otherwise I'll wait and get the Evenheat.

Thanks
 
Lots of guys do just fine with the manual control. They have to calibrate the oven by learning where the dial needs to be to achieve a certain temp. (Kind of like your kitchen oven knob.) They stay near by and check it as often as they need to. I personally don't have the ability to do that. I want to set the controls and know the temp is taken care of by the controller and walk away. If you have the funds, get one with a controller. You won't regret that but you might regret getting one with out a controller if you find it takes more time or attention than you thought it would. The Sugar Creek manual oven is a fantastic bargain and should not be overlooked.
 
Thank You.
One more - Does the EH manual have a thermometer so as to read the actual temp in the oven?

I'm retired I have time, but I want the temp to be correct as well.
 
Thank You.
One more - Does the EH manual have a thermometer so as to read the actual temp in the oven?

I'm retired I have time, but I want the temp to be correct as well.

yes, there is a thermal couple inside the oven to read and regulate the temp. The temp is displayed via a digital read out on the controller.
 
Thank You.
One more - Does the EH manual have a thermometer so as to read the actual temp in the oven?

I'm retired I have time, but I want the temp to be correct as well.

I don't think EvenHeat has a manual model - just a choice between setpro or RM controllers. To the question about manual temperature control kilns, I can speak to it because I have used both manual and digital control. The manual one I had worked fine, but for accurate temperature control, it was not possible to to simply dial in a temperature. What you dialed in was a power level, and you really had to stand there and keep adjusting it for any kind of accuracy. There was a thermocouple and pyrometer, so you had a good idea of the temperature at all times. At the time, that was OK for me because I had the time to stand around watching it for two hours. I don't have that time anymore. With mine, if you didn't check it at least every 10 minutes, you'd risk temp fluctuation of more that 25 degrees - compromising the integrity of the HT.

It might be a good option for you - at least for now - and if you want a controller later you might be able to add it or sell your manual machine and get a digital.
 
If you are doing simple steel like 1084 for you folder blades the manual will probably be fine, but if you are doing stainless with long soaks, it seems like it would be pain to baby sit if for long periods of time.
 
Yes, a pain to baby sit indeed! I have the time but I'm also a touch lazy. It will be the Evenheat with the controler I think. Will wait a little longer.
Thank you all.
 
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