Brent IE Pottery Wheel Rated
- Ease of Use
- Construction Quality
- Versatility
- Value for Money
- Smoothness of Rotation
Craft Schmaft Verdict
Yes, it’s expensive, but we think that the Brent Potter’s Pottery Wheel IE model is worth its price tag.
It’s insanely well made, sturdy, durable and space efficient. It spins like a dream and is easy to use. No wonder it’s considered the best pottery wheel on the market right now — for both hobbyists and professional potters.
Are you an experienced hobby potter or professional craftsperson looking for a new, long-lasting, reliable pottery wheel?
We think we may have found the one for you…
This Brent Potter’s pottery wheel, model IE, is notable for its durable build and automatically tensioning belt. Its adjustable legs allow potters to use this wheel as either a tabletop tool or a standalone pottery wheel, adding valuable flexibility of use to fit each user’s unique crafting preferences.
It truly excels where ease-of-use is concerned, and has a long lifespan if you’re careful about maintenance and cleaning. However, it only spins in one direction — left-handers, you’ll need to take a second look.
So all in all, is it the right choice of pottery wheel for you?
Here we’ll break down the good and the bad, so you can make the most informed decision.
Contents
Brent Potter’s Pottery Wheel IE: The Details
Specs
- Weight: 150 pounds
- Dimensions: 21 x 26.75 x 19.75 inches
- Wheel Head Size: 12 inches
- Centering Capacity: 75 pounds
- Warranty: 5 years
Construction
The Brent IE pottery wheel consists of a sturdy iron frame and a laminate surface poly table.
The 12 inch diameter wheel on this professional pottery wheel has a whopping 75 pound centering capacity. Now that’s a lot of clay.
Its industrial grade motor, which can run up to 240 RPM and is controlled by an aluminum foot pedal, is designed to last for five years if used up to four hours per day, five days a week. This could amount to 5,000 hours or more of throwing pots on this pottery wheel.
Its adjustable legs allow users to either set it on a tabletop or the floor, for use while sitting or standing as the user prefers. This gives you the kind of flexibility needed for a wide range of projects – and cashing in on those 5,000 hours.
Accessories
When you order this professional pottery wheel, it comes with:
- Removable bat pins
- A plastic bat
- Adjustable and removable table legs to transform the wheel from a standalone pottery wheel to a tabletop tool or reduce its size for storage purposes
- A cast aluminum foot pedal which the potter can use to electronically control the wheel’s motor
- A four-groove poly belt to move the wheel
- A leak-proof splash pan that can be easily removed for cleaning.
Potter’s Pottery Wheel By Brent: Features
A Real Workhorse – With Capacity and Strength to Spare
The aluminum wheel head of this Brent IE pottery wheel is 12 inches in diameter and has a centering capacity of 75 pounds. This means that you can work with up to 75 pounds of clay.
The wheel’s six-amp motor has one-fourth horsepower and adjustable speeds between 0 and 240 RPM, is controlled by the included cast aluminum foot pedal, and runs at a low volume.
Foot Pedal and Free Motion
One of the features we love about this wheel is that you aren’t obliged to only use the foot pedal — you can simply spin it in free motion if that suits you better.
It does take a little time to adjust to the foot pedal — learning how to use it consistently is one of the biggest learning curves in pottery, we’ve found — so it’s nice to have some flexibility on this point.
Automatic Belt Tension
The belt driving the wheel, which is a four-groove poly belt, tensions itself automatically over time and use, reducing belt play and increasing the lifespan of this pottery wheel.
High Grade Splash Pan
The splash pan surrounding the wheel, which prevents messes while using the wheel, is made of high density polypropylene so that it will not leak and easily snaps onto and off of the wheel to be cleaned and restored between projects.
Adjustable Legs
The Brent Potter’s pottery wheel’s legs can be smoothly adjusted between 13 inches and 25 inches of height.
The legs can also be removed when necessary, for travel or other situations in which the wheel must be packed away.
5 Year Warranty
When you’re spending this much moolah on a pottery wheel, you want to be sure that it’s going to last you a while.
Thankfully, this wheel is backed by a 5 year limited warranty by heritage manufacturer American Art Clay Co, who’ve been in business since 1969.
Brent Potter’s Pottery Wheel Review
The Positives
Durable and Sturdy
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Brent IE pottery wheel is how damn sturdy it is — all 150 lbs of it!
To give credit where credit is due, this pottery wheel has an exceptionally durable iron frame and the aluminium wheel is exceptionally well-made — we wouldn’t be surprised if it were able to last for decades if properly cared for.
Resistant to the Elements
Like to throw your pots outside? You can with the Brent Potter’s pottery wheel!
The electronics are sealed well in their metal casing, which allows the wheel to potentially be kept outside in adverse weather conditions without unduly damaging the wheel’s operative abilities.
Smooth and Consistent Spin
It almost goes without saying with such a well crafted pottery wheel, but the Brent IE makes for an incredible smooth rotation.
We found every project to be easier to complete to our perfectionist standards with this wheel, thanks to its incredible consistency.
It spins like a dream!
Sturdy Bat
We’re used to buying our pottery accessories separately, but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ones included with this wheel. The plastic bat in particular is highly durable.
We know it’s an expensive purchase all in all, but it’s good to know that the manufacturer hasn’t scrimped on any of the details.
Easy to Assemble and Adjust
This pottery wheel is attached easily and even simpler to tinker with.
The splash pan is effortlessly installed and removed for the purposes of cleaning and moving the wheel, and lasts as long as the rest of the wheel’s frame without spilling or leaking clay over time.
If you’re feeling handy and want to make some DIY alterations, you’ll be able to easily with the Brent wheel. Some users have found it easy to take the wheel speed beyond the default settings with a little tinkering.
Here’s a handy little video from the manufacturer on easy adjustments and repairs you can make:
Compact Considering its Capability
The wheel’s seventy-five pound centering capacity and powerful motor make it into a pottery wheel that can create much larger objects than would be expected from a wheel this small.
If you enjoy space efficiency, we think you’ll enjoy the Brent pottery wheel.
Creative Freedom
While the wheel’s speed is controlled by the motor and foot pedal, the wheel can be moved freely by hand, without using the foot pedal.
This is useful for potters who would like to move the wheel more slowly, for the purposes of adding more intricate designs to their work or carefully checking their craft for errors.
Many professional and hobbyist pottery wheels don’t allow you this creative freedom, so we’re pleased to see it here.
The Negatives
Not for Left Handers 😫
The Brent potter’s pottery wheel is only designed for use by right-handed potters, since it only rotates in one direction.
This means that this wheel is not the best pottery wheel for left-handed potters. Unfortunately, no other Brent Potter wheels offer a two-way option, so if you’re left handed, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Would it be so hard to get a wheel that spins in both directions?!
Expensive
There’s no getting around it: the Brent IE Pottery Wheel is expensive. Really expensive.
But, on the flip side, it’s a very high quality, professional potter’s wheel — you really get what you pay for here.
Plus, it should last a long time and allow you to grow your pottery skills, regardless of what experience level you are right now.
Overall Verdict
The Potter’s pottery wheel by Brent is an incredible quality wheel that’s certainly one of the best we’ve used — both in terms of ease of use and machine quality.
Because of its high price, it will likely only appeal to experienced and professional potters, but we’d also recommend it for beginners with large budgets — it’s very easy to use and will improve your skills like no other pottery wheel we’ve seen on the market today.
It’s fantastic for people who throw pots as a long-time hobby and those who make a living off of crafting. The adjustable and removable legs in addition to the smaller, sturdy structure render this pottery wheel amenable to travel, while it’s capable of producing large scale projects despite its compact size.
Where to Buy the Brent IE Pottery Wheel
The Brent Model IE is one of the more popular pottery wheels on the market, even considering its comparably high price.
As such, you can find it in a great many craft and ceramics stores, including the following:
- Amaco (From $1,195)
- Big Ceramic Store ($979)
- Sheffield Pottery ($972)
And, of course, it’s available on Amazon.
Have you tried the Brent IE pottery wheel yet?
