Celia - I have the SC2 (with a bead door). It's a fabulous piece of kit. Have you seen lampwork beads at all? They are like amazing miniature works of art and I'm sure you'll be smitten once you've seen them.

That's what the bead door on the kiln is for - annealing the beads when they've been made. If you're an eclectic craft maker - and it seems that you are - I suggest you tell Gerald that the kiln with a bead door is the one you want.