Hard Ceramic Element Holders Make L&L Kilns More Durable

The photograph at the top is an L&L kiln after three years in operation at a busy art center. See how clean the interior of the kiln is.
The middle is a photograph of a competitor's kiln interior after three years in the SAME art center used under the same conditions as the L&L kiln above. See how the firebrick is breaking up and the elements are falling out of the firebrick groves. This is a TYPICAL - not unusual example of what happens with electric kilns.
The bottom photograph shows how a kiln without ceramic element holders can be break around the rim of the kiln.

Hard Ceramic Holders Protect Firebrick

Ceramic element holders have a smooth, hard surface which allows the elements to expand and contract freely.
No loose brick particles will fall in the kiln and ruin ware.
Your elements will last longer because elements do not get easily snagged, bunched-up, and burned-out.
It is harder for glaze, clay particles and firebrick to touch and damage elements.

The thin, dense wall of the holders reflects the infrared heat into the kiln.
Elements operate at a lower temperature relative to the internal kiln temperature.
L&L kilns require less firebrick insulation to be cut out which increases insulating ability, energy efficiency and strength of the kiln.

How hard are you going to use the kiln?
If you are a school, an institution, a factory or a serious artist who depends on your kiln for a living, then you should seriously invest in the most trouble-free kiln you can buy.
Even if you are hobbyist why not get the best kiln made?
Although the exact cost of maintenance savings is hard to calculate - it can add up to major savings in time and money.

Most electric kilns have grooves routed in the firebrick for the elements to lay in.
The elements are often pinned in for further support.
There are a number of well known problems with this.
First, the firebrick "wall" that supports the element also insulates the heat of the element from the kiln (creating energy efficiency problems and element life problems).
After one or two element changes and a few years the fragile firebrick starts to fall apart and pins become the primary element support.
It only takes one accidental bump with a kiln shelf to permanently damage a kiln around the element groove.

Pins can actually make the problem worse because as they expand and contract (at a different rate than the brick) the pins fracture the firebrick more.