WonderBat Square Bats with Adapter for Pottery Wheels, Set of 6

This is a fantastic system. I didn't have the money to buy multiple bats, so this was my solution. I read many reviews and a few talked about the inner squares not fitting properly. After many times of using I have not seen this at all. Sometimes they are difficult to get out, but I use a wooden tool and use it to gently pry the inner square loose one hole at a time. I have not noticed any warping, but I also follow the instructions and dry the pieces upright so they dry evenly. I am going to get a second system for my other wheel (ceramics teacher; public high school)

This product is awesome. A few people in my wheelthrowing class own these, and swear by them; they suggested buying it on Amazon for the excellent price offered here. The product is great quality; the bat fits perfectly on various sizes of wheel heads, and the little inserts are just awesome! I am cranking out pots with this thing! One note; the wood expands slightly when wet, so some of my studio mates have suggested lightly sanding the edges of the inserts so they are easier to pop out; that said, I haven't done that yet and haven't had an issue. Sometimes the fit is a little snug, but better slightly tighter than too loose, in my opinion ... Cannot recommend this product enough!

Beginning potter here. I throw anywhere from three to fifteen pots daily and the WonderBat has made the process much easier. The bats fit on a standard wheel head and the inserts fit well and are fairly easy to remove. The biggest advantage of these bats is no wiring off. Just like with plaster, once the clay is leather hard, they just lift off with no effort. Awesome. The wood may swell a bit after some use, but it is easy enough to sand down if the insert fit is too tight. So far, I've been using them daily for a couple of weeks with no problems. I just ordered a second set because I like them so much!

I'm thrilled with this system. I've been using the WonderBat Round Adapter (8" & 10" Bats) for Pottery Wheels with the 8" bats, since early this year. Because this 1st WonderBat system has performed so well, I decided to buy this adapter and six additional inserts. Saves so much space and pots lift off when they're dry. I can't imagine throwing without them.

So the reviews are 100% right, they do shrink and expand which is why this product needs to be taken care of (and the company acknowledges and suggests sanding them down so they fit correctly): by drying them off immediately, don't allow it to lay flat when drying, getting your pot off the inlays as soon as the clay is dry enough. I painted a waterproof chemical on some of them to see if it would help, it did help some compared to the other ones I did not do this process on. I'll be honest, the price is too high on these, I feel like the plastic ones are better. The wood on this is almost like MDF board (for me this was disappointing) its awesome system. The material needs to be re-evaluated the clay and water definitely cause issues. I also hate the 4 big holes, when throwing on the wheel (they are there so you can get the inlay out after throwing) my hand falls directly into them,( I tried to stuff clay in them and I makes it so my pots get off centered.

I received these last week, have used them a few times and I am very impressed by the ease of swapping out the plates inside the bat. The bat was easy enough to push onto the wheel head for the first time and although I was initially worried about removing each plate to swap, I found that one of my throwing tools with a wooden handle fits perfectly into the hole and I am able to pop them out pretty easily. Because the wheel bat pins are under the bat and not on the throwing side, I don't worry about my fist hitting the pin while throwing. Having six plates is so nice. I don't need to rush to wire off my work, risking distortion. They claim you can keep it on the plate and not wire off at all, but I haven't waited that long yet. The only complaint I have is that I want to order six more plates right now but they are out. I have already become too lazy to go back to my other bats. It's also far more economical than the other types of bats and as long as they keep selling them I will buy more.

These bats work great once you understand how to use them properly. I had to ask a friend for help, because after the first use, they didn't fit back in. You have to completely clean all clay off both the bat holder and inserts every time and let them completely dry. If you intended to use these for production throwing, rethink the system you are buying, or buy a ton of inserts. These are a composite wood based system, so they will expand and contract with moisture. If they are allowed to completely dry in between uses, the system will work the way it is intended to. If not, you will have huge issues. Attention...dry them as much as you can with a dry towel after they are completely cleaned. It removes the excess moisture and speeds up dry time. I don't throw every day, so after learning how to use the system properly, they work flawless.

Throwing a dozen mugs, small bowls, etc. is no longer a chore. I use 12 inserts to make smaller work easy. No more trying to lift a pot and deforming it. (Even if you try to shape it again, the clay has a memory during firing.) As to not being able to remove the wet inserts from the adapter, here’s a great tip: use a house paint can opener to gently pry up the corners. Works like a charm and does not hurt the bat!