Perhaps my greatest fear was that the wheel wouldn't turn on, and it didn't because I forgot to turn on the power strip!! After that self fulfilling prophesy, all was good, mostly.

First of all this wheel is 12.6 inches high just as it says in the description, so what are you going to sit on? I am working making it higher. So far I have it stable on a couple 4 x 4's but will improve on that.

Second point is that because it is so short, depending on your height (or leg length) it;s a challenge to comfortably use the pedal to control speed. I chose to just use the stick and I'm 5'5". The foot pedal was just too close since I don't like sitting a distance from the wheel.

Thirdly, the wheel has no pins for bats. You can use a pancake of clay to stick a bat on or be like me and use no bats.

Finally, the function of the wheel itself is SMOOTH. From the slowest rotation to the highest speed, I found this wheel to function really well. The pedal/stick is very responsive. For throwing pieces under 5 pounds I assume it is ideal. I haven't tested it with anything over 3 pounds yet. The actual wheel head is small and for now a bit low for me (12.6 height of machine) but I will know more after I make improvements on height. As soon as I received the wheel I threw on it and was able to create just as I did on my old wheel that had broken. Nice!

I will update this review in a month.

Even celebrity potheads who do pro level pottery like it and so will you.

A solid construction, hilariously simple and genius usage of a scooter handle throttle, btw (flip it over and peek under the skirt to see what I mean). Being an engineer building similar, but super costly and high end devices that are functionally not that different, I heartily applaud the manufacture and design despite what some may claim is 'cheap'. News flash, IT'S CHEAP.

What is also is, is SOLID and it WORKS GREAT. Motion is very stable, more than enough torque and speed. You could throw bigger pieces on it too other than that the lowest speed is too fast for a large diameter piece. I'd put 20lbs of clay on it without concern. Most pro-wheels are massively over-spec'd because they have very low speeds and that's quite abusive on induction motors. For a speed controlled motor with an impressive level of performance and repeatability and stability, this is a very inexpensive and durable solution.

Honestly if you know how to do it, replacing the controller or motor/controller with a unit that can manage much lower speeds safely would be a better investment than a small pro-wheel.

Bearings are very solid and smooth. The primary abuse for bearings in a wheel is the force you shove down with, not to the side, and the gritty material you are trying to pour into them. The seals are appropriate types and should outlast your hobby as well as the next ten people who inherit and discard the hobby from you. Again, another thing that could be upgraded in the future if needed, but the wheel blocks 99.9% of intrusion as well so the seals should last about 10 years of continuous usage just from general wear.

Washdown from the top safe, no water intrusion. Don't wash it upside down, it's not built for that. For that matter don't operate it in a pool of water, the water goes on the top, but who operates electrical equipment in the pool? Not me recently.

Should you buy it? Do you want to make pottery at least 2-3 times and possibly for the rest of your life but don't have a wheel? Even if you've got the money for a big pro wheel, start here. Totally suitable for low to medium scale production pottery work as well and easily upgraded to anyone who knows the basics of rotating equipment and/or sewing machine repair/modifications.

The wheel will throw 3 lbs of clay. The motor is really too weak for more clay weight.
The wheel does not go slow enough to complete a large bowl.
I added allen screw pins to the wheel.

This is a great starter wheel!

Smooth wheel. Easy set up. Came with more supplies than I realized. I use this when I don't have time to go to my pottery studio and it's a great supplemental wheel!