Speedball Portable Artista Table Top Left-Handed Pottery Wheel, 11 inch Wheel Head, 25 lb. Centering Capacity (ARTISTAL) Review (2026)

Who this wheel fits

This is the ARTISTAL version of Speedball's Artista line, built to turn clockwise for left handed throwers rather than offering a reversible switch, which makes it a direct fit for left handed potters who have struggled adapting to right handed only wheels. At 28 pounds and sized at 25 inches long by 18 inches wide by 9 inches high, it is compact enough to sit on a table rather than needing dedicated floor space, suiting home potters, classroom setups or anyone without room for a full sized studio wheel. Right handed potters should look at the standard Artista instead, since this version is set up specifically for the opposite spin direction.

Motor, head and capacity explained

The wheel runs on a 1/3 horsepower motor at 110 volts, described as running smoothly with very little noise, paired with an 11 inch wheel head and a 25 pound centering capacity in line with the standard Artista. The wheel head sits only 3 and 5/8 inches above the tabletop, a low profile that keeps the whole setup compact and easier to reach when seated. It ships with a two part splash pan along with one 12 inch round bat and one 7 and a half inch square bat, plus an instructional DVD, so a first time potter has both the equipment and some guided instruction included in the purchase rather than buying those pieces separately.

Living with it day to day

The wheel is hand controlled out of the box but can be converted to foot pedal operation with a plug in pedal sold separately, giving potters the option to start simple and add hands free speed control later as they get more comfortable. Its lightweight, compact construction makes it easy to store between sessions, an advantage for anyone sharing a room that serves other purposes besides pottery. Speedball backs it with a 2 year warranty, shorter than the 5 year warranty on some other wheels in the line, which is worth factoring in if long term reliability support matters to your decision. Regular cleaning of the splash pan keeps clay buildup away from the motor housing.

How it compares with other tabletop wheels

Within Potterynest's tabletop pottery wheel guide this ranks behind VEVOR's larger dual turntable wheel and just behind U.S. Art Supply's reversible spin PW-101, mainly because those alternatives serve both handedness from one unit rather than dedicating a whole wheel to left handed use only. Where this Speedball model wins is authenticity of the left handed setup itself, since a true clockwise motor direction feels different under the hand than a wheel that is simply marketed as reversible, and some left handed potters prefer that dedicated build over a switchable compromise. Compared with the standard right handed Artista, capacity and motor specs are otherwise identical.

Verdict and who should pick something else

Buy this wheel if you throw left handed and want a dedicated machine built for that direction rather than a reversible workaround, matching our score of 8.6 out of 10 for fit and portability. Pick something else if you are right handed, since this wheel is set up specifically for the opposite spin direction, or if multiple people with different handedness will share the same wheel, where a reversible model like the U.S. Art Supply PW-101 serves both without needing two separate machines. Potters wanting a bigger motor for heavier stoneware should also look beyond this compact 1/3 HP tabletop class.

Frequently asked questions