A small kiln is the practical answer for most people starting out, because it plugs into an ordinary socket and needs no electrician. The honest question is what it will hold, and the answer is usually less than a beginner imagines once shelves and props are in the chamber.
What a plug-in kiln can do
Limited to about three kilowatts, a small kiln will fire test tiles, jewellery, small bowls and mugs, and it will do so slowly. It is genuinely useful and it is a real kiln rather than a toy: the ceramics that come out of it are the same ceramics. What it cannot do is fire a large batch quickly or take a big form.
Measuring what it holds
Internal dimensions minus the shelf thickness and the prop height under each shelf. A chamber that sounds generous loses several centimetres per shelf level, and a tall piece means firing without a middle shelf and losing half the capacity. Work this out with your actual intended pieces before buying rather than after.
Firing time and cost
A low-powered kiln takes longer to reach temperature, which means a longer schedule and more hours of electricity per firing, though at a lower rate. Cost per firing is calculated from the kilowatt rating, the schedule and your tariff, and per pot it is worse than a full studio kiln simply because there are fewer pots in it.
When to size up
When you find yourself firing the small kiln repeatedly with the same work, or when a piece you want to make will not fit. The step up is not really from one kiln to another but from a socket to a dedicated circuit, which is why it is worth knowing whether that circuit is even possible where you live before buying the small one.
Questions people ask about small kiln
Is a small kiln a real kiln?
Yes. It reaches full ceramic temperatures and produces the same ceramics; it simply holds less and takes longer.
What will a plug-in kiln fire?
Test tiles, jewellery, small bowls and mugs. Capacity drops quickly once shelves and props are counted.
Is it cheaper to run?
Cheaper per firing and usually worse per pot, because there are fewer pieces in the chamber.