Prudopex Pot Cup Mouth Opener Adjustable Flat Bottom Thickness Opening Tool

I gave this tool to my daughter who recently started creating pottery. She loves how it helps her create items.

Well made and easy to use

Works well. Makes the bottom flat and the side walls even.

I use the dirty girl bat system and this is the exact width to catch where the bat insert meets the base. It works great and not a flaw with the product, but annoying when using with the bat system. I just don’t allow it to push down on the bag and allow my hand to drag on the bat when opening. After several it’s uncomfortable but gets the job done. I have the speedball but like that this is adjustable.

Buenisima herramienta y facil de usar

For reference, I was using the speedball version of this gizmo, and do like it. The only thing I wish it had was a setting for a thicker floor bottom, because I like to trim a more pronounced floor onto some of my pots, and the speedball only has one stationary, 1/4 inch setting. Enter this adjustable gizmo. Keep in mind that it has a learning curve, just like any tool like this of its kind. It is easy to knock your clay off center if your wheel speed isn’t just so, and if the rate you pull the gizmo, isn’t steady and even. Also, you need to use plenty of water on your clay and this gizmo to ensure friction between the shaft and clay does not occur, or your clay will run off center, and the rim , inside, or both, will be jagged. There are two things I wish that could be improved upon with this gizmo, versus the speedball. 1) The shaft is adjustable, yes. But, it is hard to keep the screw tight enough to maintain the thickness I want on my pot’s bottom. I have to really tighten it as hard as I can with pliers, and usually only get one use out of it before I have to tighten it again. It’s not a total dealbreaker, but it is a pain. 2) The shaft circumference is much wider than the speedball, which is a little annoying, because it makes it difficult to open my smaller and more delicate pots. On the speedball, I don’t have to worry about this as much. The verdict? I like both the speedball and this for different reasons, as outlined in this review. To recap: Love the speedball when working on smaller, delicate pots, because of the thinner shaft. I also love it because it is stationary, and I don’t have to worry about a screw coming loose, changing the depth of the floor on my pot like this gizmo. Love the speedball when the 1/4 inch floor is needed. Love this gizmo when I do need a thicker than 1/4 inch floor on my pot’s bottom, and when opening larger amounts of clay. I don’t love thar the screw doesn’t stay tight for very long on the shaft, or the thick shaft circumference. I do find myself reaching for the speedball more often because of the screw and thick shaft problem on this gizmo. When I absolutely need a thicker bottom is really the only time I use this.

Nicely made, adjustable. Takes a little trial and error, but this improved my pottery a lot. I was able to achieve more consistent even walls and that made a lot of difference for me.

I tried it once and it did the job. I was a little clumsy at it, but I think with some practice, it will be very helpful as I cannot judge bottoms of my pots I throw.