Sunday, May 31, 2009

Kemper Klay Gun Tool Review


On my most recent trip to my local ceramic supply store I splurged and purchased a Kemper Klay Gun Tool. It wasn't a huge expense, only $14.00 USD and the amount of time the Klay Gun tool would save me was well worth the investment. I needed a small extruder for making the vines on my ceramic garden toad houses. I was filled with excitement over my new Kemper tool and could hardly wait to try it out.

Now, before I made my purchase I googled for reviews on the Klay Gun Tool and could not find any. I have a great many Kemper tools in my studio and they have provided me with many years of hard abuse. This tool however, was a disappointment. The steel is the poorest quality, the kind that will rust if one accidently breathes upon it. The mold edgings were sharp and the 3/4 of the dies would not fit into the Klay Gun cap. Not to mention that the cap would not even thread due to the rough edging.

One benefit to using cheap metal is that it is easy to hand sand. After 2 hours of sanding the burrs and the dies of this tool I finally modified it enough to make it work as it was intended. Thus far, I am content with it's use but I seriously question whether or not it will stand up to the test of time. I feel that cross threading will be its ultimate demise.

So, depending on how much you value your time will relate directly to whether or not you want to purchase this tool. I figure this Klay Gun has cost me about $50.00 excluding the cost of sand paper and travel time. And by the way, don't bother emailing Kemper about your complaints, they make it a point not to respond. Will I purchase from Kemper in the future? Well, yes, but only the tools I know that are reliable. The bigger question is why do we allow companies to sell us sub par products that require modification in the first place? I know I spend a good amount of time fixing the new products I purchase from stores today, what about you?