I'm not gonna lie and say I don't like Raku. The process is fun; I mean come on you get to play with fire! And it serves well for people who have no patience. After you bisque fire a piece you are ready to glaze and Raku. Instead of waiting a week for your piece to go through the final firing, you wait... maybe tops: an hour. But I really don't like that it is not functional. Or rather not as functional as I would want something to be. Heat, oxygen and sun can cause your Raku fired pieces to fade, so a candle holder or outdoor potted plant is out. And I had to treat everything I made with shellac to help keep further oxidation from occurring. It's also not water tight, so no vases that hold real flowers. AND here is the big one, not food safe. So it's basically something pretty to look at which to me=clutter. However art is in the eye of the beerholder and I made use of my pieces (well, most of them).
