NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Hobby Pottery Wheel Kit - 8" Variable Speed Pottery Wheel for Adults & Teens with Innovative Arm Tool, 3 Lb Air Dry Clay & Art Supplies, Crafts for Adults, Craft Kits for Teenagers

This product is very professional equipment for a beginner. However the step by step instructions made the pottery wheel very easy setup and vital information as to actually start making something. I am very happy with the product and will be buying additional supplies soon.

This is great! Sturdy, works perfect, would define recommend to anyone! Great for beginners! My son and I use it!

So far so good, my grandkids love it, it seems to be very sturdy and well made.

I purchased this wheel as an adult with only a few months of pottery experience. While I don’t have extensive knowledge to compare it to other wheels, it has worked well for my needs so far. It’s great for creating small to mid-sized plates and bowls. I don't use the arm attachment since my fingers work well to create depth. The included tools (including a sponge) are low quality, better suited for children’s projects or air-dry clays, and not comparable to authentic pottery tools (giving 4-star ratings instead of 5 for that reason). The wheel comfortably handles up to 700-800g (1.5-1.7 lbs) of clay; more than that becomes difficult to center and manage. Overall, it’s been a solid choice for my beginner-level projects.

Messy but fun

I have been wanting to learn pottery making, and this kit seemed like it would be good to try it out before investing in a ton of expensive equipment. For the price, it is okay. I just wish the rpm on this wheel would be faster, but it does seem sturdy enough. I do wish the pamphlet on this gave more instruction, as well a a small project to do to get you started. One major beef I have is the air dry clay that comes with this kit is horrible to work with. It is hard, and not very maleable, even after wedging. I was able to eventually throw it on the wheel, center, and wedge it, and it took a long time to even do that. The first photo shows a piece that I made with the clay it came with. It cracked horribly, and was a pain to work with. I did purchase some DAS clay, as I have heard it is easier to work with, and while that was a little bit easier, it took me a couple of hours to make a tiny cup free of any cracks in the clay. See photos. I bought some ceramic clay to try, and it is sooooo much better to work with, and I love it. Overall, I would recommend this, but NOT with air dry clay. It will be okay for a truly green beginner, but you will find yourself outgrowing this wheel pretty fast, and I wish now I would have saved the money I spent on this for a wheel that has more features, and is designed to throw a heavier amount of clay.

Unfortunately I had to return it, just about broke my heart because I'm an old artist that has worked with clay many years ago and thought this would be fun to try again, however, through the years my hands have a lot of arthritis, and it is very painful--I can only imagine how much fun it would be, when I looked in the box could see so many pieces to use and work with. If your hands are strong, go for it, you will love it.

It is a nice pottery wheel for beginners.