Difference between Cheap and Expensive Pots

[Pitoon]

Also, I know a whole load of crappy potters that have been doing pottery for decades. They sell their pots and works for serious dough, but one little freeze and the money and tree are down the drain.

Anyone can make a bonsai pot from clay.....however not everyone can make a good bonsai pot.

 

[atlarsenal]

I'm not personally particularly interested in the history or workmanship of a pot myself. Since bonsai is a visual art, I'm mostly just interested in pots that I think look good. And, as a beginner who's not necessarily looking to do things the "right" way, I don't really even try to do any matching between pot colour or shape and tree. My interest in bonsai is far more on the "plant" than the "tray."

If you stick with the hobby long enough and get nicer trees your interest in quality pots will probably change. I was the same way when I first started out. I thought folks were crazy for buying those expensive ass flower pots. Now I have a few decent trees and a few decent pots. With that being said I still can not see myself spending what some other folks are on pots. But I also don’t have the quality trees they do either. But then again, in a few more years as I develop some nicer trees my taste in pots will probably increase also.

 

[rockm]

Oh boy, do I have stories! I worked in antiques for almost a decade. Hand crafted chairs can and will destroy your spine and they've rarely been made with ergonomics in mind. Ikea furniture is so, so much better.

I think quality matters. I have some seriously high quality mass produced pots that could go for 'handmade'.
If the quality is high, and they look nice.. I don't really care that they're made by the millions.
Also, I know a whole load of crappy potters that have been doing pottery for decades. They sell their pots and works for serious dough, but one little freeze and the money and tree are down the drain.

For Europeans: bonsaishop.de has pretty high quality pots that come from molds. They're priced fair in my view. Edit: and they also sell handmade.

Um, you mean like the Ikea bookshelf that collapsed and broke a few of my bonsai pots? Quality does matter. Ikea wasn't made to last. How many 20 year old IKEA chairs did you resell as an antique dealer?

Yes that are good "mass produced" (define the term and I'll bet you're not talking about mass production) pots out there. There are and always have been, crummy bonsai potters. I used to talk to Dale Cochoy at the PBA show every year (God rest him). He'd go on and on about the "latest flash in the pan" potter who set up shop, and about people who couldn't tell the difference ;-)

 

[BeepBeepBonsaiSheep]

From what I can tell from the posts above, the only objective difference might be ability to withstand freezing temperatures. I mean no disrespect in this, just trying to get a solid grasp on it, but all of the other aspects mentioned (craftsmanship, labor, love, attention) are kind of intangibles rather than measurable features.

I guarantee you’ll be able to tell the difference in craftsmanship between a beginner and expert. Same with “love” vs “going through the motions” and attention to detail (this latter can be more minute)

I think you’re thinking of “love” in a romantic way. It’s more of a “pride in your work” kind of way and that shows

I did metal fab, and even something as dull as finish grinding I put my own look to and that minor detail showed how much pride I took in my work

I totally get the “I don’t want to drop a paycheck on a pot. I just want a freakin’ pot” lol

 

[Harewood Hobbyist]

I have a couple of cheapish Chinese pots that I quite like. They are dark and have a nice texture. I've handled Japanese dishes and Korean crock pots that felt the same. It seems that Asian commercial clays are nicer, richer than North American commercial clays. The cheapy Chinese stuff is pretty ok by me.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Way back in 1990 or '91, I wandered into a bonsai shop in Waukegan IL. On a shelf there was a small Bigei pot. An unglazed pot with a burnished finish. The look was very exquisite, but subdued, nice. It was when you touched it, felt the smooth burnished clay that one would fall instantly in love with the pot. I paid $225 for it that day without hesitation. The owner of the shop could not tell me who made the pot, it wasn't until a few years ago I found out it was a Bigei. I still have not put a tree in it, but it is on a shelf in my dinning room, I pick it up almost every week, just to enjoy the tactile sensation. It's a beautiful pot. It probably is not worth a lot more than what I paid,. Bigei has produced large numbers of pots, it's value will appreciate rapidly once Bigei retires or dies. Right now I doubt I could get more than $300 for it. But it is not for sale. When I take "the big dirt nap" there's 3 friends from the Arbor Arts Collective that will be dueling to the death to get it. Survivor wins.

Sometimes you have to touch, feel a pot to understand the difference between a production pot and a hand crafted work of art. Fine bonsai pots do occasionally cross the line from craftsmanship into Art.

 

[JudyB]

It’s something like the way you move thru different stages of bonsai (the tree part) and acquire a taste level that gets higher and higher the longer you do it. The appeal of nicer pots is a natural outgrowth of the same process. If you come to have good trees, you want them to be in a fitting container.