Two words: Portable. Wheel.
Walking into the house after work tonight, I was greeted by a box that contained my new Shimpo Aspire. She can go from zero to 230 rpms and weighs all of 25 lbs., the same as a bag of clay, which means I can chuck it in the trunk of my car and take it on the road. Or, next spring and summer, I can set it up outside and throw pots on the back deck. Tomorrow, the Dirty Girl bats I ordered for this particular wheel head (which, at 10 inches, is smaller than my two Skutt wheel heads) are scheduled to arrive. I’ll give her a spin over the weekend and see how she performs.
Right out of the box, I plugged her in, and she sounded a little “warpy.” The Shimpo comes with a 5-year warranty, though I’m not sure yet what, exactly, that means. The two plastic bats that came with it are obviously off center, so I may find out soon how the warranty works. I ordered mine with a foot pedal, which is massive, especially for my size 4 feet. So, yeah, I’ve got a shrimpy l’il Shimpo with a big foot.
Details soon, but don’t expect me to write a product review – there are far too many as it is on the Interweb.
“We heap up around us things that we do not need as the crow makes piles of glittering pebbles.” Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Crackin' Crow Pottery 