HM BOWL / Kinu (Ivory) [Outlet]

1. 20% off the standard price, in limited numbers
2. The wooden base is standard grade, exactly as on a regular piece
3. Only the porcelain is affected - nothing that gets in the way of use
4. 14 cm high for a natural drinking posture, holding a generous 500 ml
5. The bowl lifts out to wash. Microwave and dishwasher safe

A few marks. Still entirely good
for everyday use.

Every &CAT bowl is handmade Mino ware from Japan. Because each one passes through a potter's hands, no two are identical in how the glaze pools or how the firing lands. That is the character of a one-off piece, and &CAT sets an inspection standard - pieces falling inside it ship as standard stock.
Outlet pieces are the ones that fall slightly outside it. Glaze lifted at the rim, black specks, a difference in sheen, a small mark on the underside - enough that "character" starts to feel like the wrong word, and by our own rules they wouldn't be sold. But the difference is only in how they look. Strength, hygiene and the experience of using them are exactly the same as a standard piece.
It seemed a waste to lose them, so a small number of these are offered as outlet pieces at a special price for the summer sale. If you've been thinking about a bowl for your cat's everyday, this is a good moment.

The wooden base is exactly the same as a standard piece.

Only the porcelain is affected. The base is solid walnut from Akita prefecture, hand-finished by craftspeople in Hida-Takayama, and selected to precisely the same standard as a regular piece. The warmth of the wood that gives HM BOWL its presence is unchanged, and so is how it looks set down in a room.

What "outlet" means here, in practice.

The reason differs from piece to piece. Some have only one of the following; some have several. Here are the four most common.

1. Glaze lifted at the rim, or small irregularities

Some pieces have a small area at the rim where the glaze has lifted, or slight unevenness. This is where a cat's mouth goes, but these are not sharp chips, so there is no problem with use.

2. Black specks

Minerals in the clay or the glaze can come through as small black points during firing. It happens with Mino ware and with clay-bodied ceramics generally, and standard pieces show it too - on outlet pieces there are simply more of them, or they sit somewhere more noticeable. It isn't dirt, and there is no issue with your cat's mouth touching it.

3. Pieces that came out glossy

Kinu (ivory) is meant to finish with a soft matte surface. Depending on conditions in the kiln, some pieces come out with a sheen to them instead. Because the texture differs from the intended finish, these go to the outlet - but the color itself is unchanged, and so is the way it works in use.

4. Marks on the underside

Some pieces carry a small mark on the base, left during manufacture. It sits where nothing shows once the bowl is set down, and there is no issue with leaking or with strength.

About HM BOWL

The 14 cm height holds the water where a cat can drink with its posture intact. The shallow, wide bowl - 14.5 cm across and 4.5 cm deep - keeps whiskers off the rim, and at around 500 ml there is enough margin for a day at home alone. It also takes around 200 g of dry food, so it works as a food bowl.
Full details are on the standard product page.
→ View HM BOWL

Please read before ordering

- Only the porcelain is affected. Every wooden base is standard grade, exactly as on a regular piece.
- The reason and the condition differ from piece to piece: one of the above, or several.
- You cannot choose which piece you receive.
- The images above are examples of condition. What ships will be comparable.
- There is no issue with use - strength, hygiene or leaking.
- Outlet pieces are non-returnable and non-exchangeable.
- Limited quantities. Once they are gone, they are gone.