Hello Crafties! It's been a long while since I've done any art related content and I am elated to be
bringing you this review today. It's no secret that I am a traditionally trained artist with concentrations in painting and ceramics. Or maybe it is if you're just randomly stumbling across this page today.
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Either way, the creative arts are my passion and in order to pursue those passions, I set up little stations around my house where I can engage and share them with my community. A couple years ago, I got back into ceramics and clay art and fell in love with it! With the world still somewhat in disarray at the end of 2021, I abruptly learned that I wouldn't have access to my studio space the following spring semester so, much like with painting, I set out to make my own ceramics space at home.
This lead to a deep search for affordable equipment that I could get my hands on as a low-income student. I think that's the goal of a lot of crafters who are trying to explore their craft outside of a dedicated space. In the past, I'd done a lot of research on pottery wheels and other ceramic shop equipment and at that time in my life, nearly $2k for a Brent-C wheel was just down right inaccessible for me.
There's nothing wrong with the brand and it would be my potter's wheel of choice when I get more space to build out a studio. And that was another problem I faced, space. I talk about how space has been a determining design factor with my craftroom on my main YouTube channel all the time and this case is no different. In reality, I have even less space for my artistry than I do for my fiber content.
All of these problems were remedied by the Vevor pottery wheel that I own and throw on today. In this post, I'll be detailing all the reasons that I think this discount wheel is a good investment.
Expense
When I bought my wheel, it cost me $189. A far cry from $2000. Now as we all know, there are trade offs when it comes to discounts. Over all when I got this machine in, I didn't have any strong complaints after only paying ~10% of normal costs.
The wheel itself has an11 in (28 cm) large aluminum alloy turntable (wheel head), which allows for some standard pottery practice. It also features an splash pan which is meant to stop mud and waters from splashing all over and is detachable for easy cleaning.
The Vevor wheel also has a waterproof panel of simple control buttons that help you control the wheel direction simply by touching knob on the display panel. It also has a 450W motor that is super quiet, which is a plus if you have small children or pets in the home. The foot pedal is durable enough, though made of hard plastic but the wheel can achieve a speed of 0 - 300 rpm. It can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to accommodate different dexterity.
If you've been in a professional studio, you can definitely tell the difference of horsepower in the motor. For this machine. I don't recommend trying to make items over 20-25lbs. I don't think it could handle the load.
There is also the matter of bat pins. This machine does not have premade holes for bat pins and while you could install your own, I don't recommend it.
I will say that this sets you up with the opportunity to truly learn the centering process for refining and decorating processes. The only con for me is that this makes it difficult to do production-like pottery because you have to wait for the freshly thrown piece to set up before you can move it off the wheel. But, if you're not trying to stock a shop or anything, this probably won't matter as much.
You can use bats on this machine if you know how to use the clay as a glue though #protips 😉
Space
I'm going to be very real with y'all, all my creativity is contained in a small basement. So when it came down to getting a wheel and other stuff for my set up, space was a huge determining factor. My wheel takes up a relatively tiny spot next to the basement sink and I love it for that.
The measurements given for this model are 25" x 16" x 16".
Experience
This is probably the most important section. Investing in equipment for any craft is an important
decision and I'm all about going hard or going home. However, I am also a proponent of investing in a lower grade product first. The thing with us creatives is that we tend to bounce around, experiment, and lose interest pretty frequently. There is also the flip-side, where a non-artist will jump into a craft because it looks fun or easy, and then hate it later.
If you don't have a lot of experience with
pottery in general, I'd recommend finding a studio near you and invest in some classes or workshops first. That way, you won't have a $200-$2000 machine sitting around your house collecting dust later.
That aside, if you do have experience with a wheel and the world of pottery, but you're low on funds, I would recommend this item if you're trying to be productive at home. I personally haven't experienced any issues with it and if you're starting a handmade business, you should make your money back in no-time.
Obviously, a name brand wheel will have it's strengths such as higher durability, bat pins, and more sensitive speed control but, I think the Vevor pottery wheel is a decent place to start.
