Walnut Hollow Creative Versa Tool with Variable Temperature Control for Woodburning, 11 Points (Tips), Original Version, Basic Pack

This is extremely affordable and really fun to use. I have never had any experience with pyrography, and it is pretty intuitive to use. There are a lot of different tips, and I'm still trying to figure out what tips are used for what application. But hey, it's better than not having enough tips! Some important lessons I learned: - stay away from soft woods - stay away from grainy woods (plane off the top layer if you have to use a grainy wood) - I'm experimenting with different types of woods but I have found that cherry works really well - the flat round tip is for transferring images. You can print off a picture on a piece of paper, lay it face down on a piece of wood, and just slowly apply pressure using the flat, round tip. The image will be transferred to the wood, but know that it will be a mirror image of the original. Do NOT do this if you are planning on using the wood for serving or preparing food (e.g. a cutting board)- I have no idea what chemicals are in the ink, and burning the ink onto the wood will probably be toxic. Graphite paper is a good alternative that is safer for food applications (graphite is just carbon, when you burn carbon you get carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide...just make sure you are in a well-ventilated area) - every part that is metal will be hot, bear this in mind when burning designs onto wood...the round disk that is used for propping up the pen has ruined quite a few of my designs! - the long, rounded tip is really useful for cursive writing - the flat part of the bent tip is used for adding color to the wood; if you apply pressure using the flat part onto the wood, you'll burn the wood lightly and give it a brown color. - don't touch the metal part to test if it's hot enough! I can tell you first hand that this is a BAD idea...this pen heats up so quickly! - always unplug the pen when you are done

First off this is my first woodburning tool and I have to say I love it so far. Though keep in mind that I have had no prior experience with wood burning and just thought it might be fun to try and learn etc. I figured it could add some different elements to my hobby. With that said my opinion is coming from someone who had no experience with wood burning but had an interest in it. Here is my opinion of the tool and why I gave it five stars. Good: 1. It is inexpensive 2. It has adjustable temperatures 3. It had interchangeable tips 4. It works Bad: 1. I am not a big fan of the stand, recommend that you tape it down when you work 2. It feels like the temperature control is to close to the tool itself (does not make the tool unuable or anything; i just believe it should be a little further. 3. I wish it was a little thinner just for better control 4. I wish the tip and the base were a little further apart Bottom line though for the price i have already found it to be worth every penny. I have attached a picture of my first wood burning. Its not great or perfect but hey for the first time ever I think I did alright. So hopefully that will inspire some of you to look into wood burning; I have never used one before and to top it off I am not very artistic when it comes to drawing. That said if your interested in wood burning and are a beginner I would recommend it. For the price it cannot be beat in my opinion (though I have nothing else to compare it to). I have not used this for soldering or anything other than wood burning. I will say this though if your interested in wood burning I would make sure you get one with an adjustable temperature, and I say that because different woods burn differently. I have used it on fir, pine, maple, and oak all at the same temperatures just to test it out on different woods. For example on fir it will burn it a dark black and cut into the wood pretty fast. I think the temp control just adds more control to the user which is very useful if your new.

For the most part I bought this for pyrography (or woodburning) which is a method of writing and drawing into wood with high temperatures. But there are a bunch of other woodburners out there, why did I buy this one? Well, this one comes with adjustable tips (And boy, do I love my adjustable tips!) for other jobs such as soldering, hot-knife cutting, image transfers and stamping, as well as some lead-free solder, which I appreciate since I was shopping for solder at the time, too. What did I expect it to do? Well, it was pretty cheap, it was meant to be, I think, a tool for beginners and that's exactly what I was looking for. I read some past reviews that complained about the tips breaking off and the temperature control not working and I was definitely hesitant to buy it for those reasons. 'Beginner's tool' should not be synonymous with 'shoddy tool'. It's been a couple of months since I bought it and after a long waiting period (I had to buy a step-down voltage converter since this is a tool from the US and I live in the UK) I got around to using it and I've used it a fair bit since. To address the complaints mentioned before: Thus far I haven't had a tip break on me and, although it does take a few minutes to heat up, the temperature control has been working perfectly (Or at least, it's been working - It's a yellow-orange-red scale so I'm not sure what the specific temperatures are supposed to be, but it's definitely hotter at red than it is at yellow). The tool stand it comes with is a bit minimalist, but it does the job and it comes with everything it's advertised to have, as well as a little guide for using the different tips, which is a nice little bonus. The case is also really good quality, nice clear and fairly tough plastic. One thing I'm confused by is the little plastic squares that come with it, what are they for? Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase, it does my woodburning stuff and other things that I haven't found my own use for yet (But I like having the option there, boredom won't go away on it's own), it's fun and easy to use, great tool for a beginner, and I'm hoping it'll take me past that, too. I think it could be improved by adding some sort of indicator to tell whether it's on or not, nothing too fancy, just a little LED would do fine, but, again, I'm happy with it.

I bought this for my ex and she liked it, still works after a decade👍

I am very happy with the Versa Tool. I have not had any problems with the tips stripping like some have complained about. I am not sure what they are doing to make them strip but if you wait until the burner has completely cooled I don't see why you would have a problem. Maybe they tightened the tip to much? As for the complaint about waiting for ever to warm up when you are using it, I haven't had a real problem. Under heavy use I have to pause a moment to let the burner gain some heat back but I have not had to wait long at all. I think this is a great tool for beginners. If you have been doing pyrography for a long time or you are a professional and sell you work maybe you would want to invest in a high tech burner. Other wise this little burner is great for beginners and intermediates. The price is right! I am very glad I purchased the Versa Tool. Oh and one more complaint some one had that I would like to address. Some complained about the unit getting to hot to hold with out gloves. I don't have that problem with mine at all! The rubber grip protects my fingers well! If you buy one of these tools with out the rubber grip I could see a bit of a problem but otherwise I don't know why they are having an issue. Unless they are not holding the burner properly? Just to mention I am not one of those people who were given a free product in exchange for a positive review! I did research on the burners my self and bought this with my own monies! And this is my own true opinion!

As a brand new pyrography artist, I am happy with the ease of use of this tool. I still have a lot to learn, but this kit comes with a great variety of tips as well as some pointers on the best use for them and what heat settings you should use. My first project (pictured) is a box that my brother made for our grandma (she recently passed, and she wanted us to make a box for her ashes). It is still in progress: I'm going to make the lines thicker on the tree, and darken/smooth the larger text. I mostly used the calligraphy tip, with the exception of the fine pointed tip for the hearts. Because the wood is so light, I used chalk instead of transfer paper to transfer the words and images onto the box (also pictured). One thing I'm not too thrilled about is how much the handle still heats up. Granted, I've been using it on one of the highest heat settings for oak, but still... The majority of it is fine, but where my finger rests against the heat guard, it heats up enough to irritate my finger. It's not hot enough to blister, but it's definitely tender and sore. It's possible I am holding the tool incorrectly, but that's how I have the most control over it, especially considering how the dial on the cord makes the tool difficult to maneuver if you aren't holding onto it in the other hand. I was skeptical in buying this tool because of the poor reviews about the dial being where it is, and that's another reason for less stars. It would also be a lot nicer if the cord was longer. I could use an extension cord, but it'd be nice to not have to. My advice (again, coming from a novice): practice first!!! Get a feel for the tool and the material you are burning before starting. Oak has been challenging because of the grain. But that was a specific request for this project. I'd say, great tool for beginners, but I'd much rather invest in a more expensive tool that is easier to handle and more comfortable in the hand.

I was looking trying to find a wood burning tool to use just for writing with and didn't want anything too fancy or expensive and came across this one and the reviews seemed good and not too expensive either. The temperature control is nice and handy and it heats up in a few minutes. I had an issue too with my tip coming out and I was afraid if it was completely unthreaded but I just waited a few minutes for it to cool down and put it back and it works fine. This was after using it for over an hour. It also comes with several different ends for different techniques, and a nice carrying case for everything too almost like a mini tackle box. Only tip I didn't like was the transfer tool since I felt it didn't work well but the board I used was rough so it may have been why. I've used it for several hours and so far it works just as it did on day one. I use the rounded tip the most since I feel you get the best control with it and works the best. It is easy to use and it only took a few minutes to get the hang of it. The price is cheap but the quality of use is great ! From all the different ones I looked at this had the best reviews, lowest price, and seemed to come with more extra ends.

Works great for: - WOOD - LEATHER (burning) - PLASTIC (welding = repairing stuff + cutting) -SOLDERING - IRONING tiny sections of PAPER or FABRIC -SEWING applications (Ironing: embroidery onto fusible backing,... Melting nylon/polyester thread or fabric to fuse together. Millnery applications: making flowers for hats etc.) Update October 2020: Still going strong and kicking! This is now in my TOP 10 ESSENTIAL TOOLS along with other basics like a hammer, screwdriver, iron, vacuum cleaner,...I have used this little tool SO MUCH. Example: I use it for Plastic Welding: Fixed my $230 Cuisinart 14 Cup pro food processor. 1 little plastic piece broke, and it would’ve cost me $65 to replace the bowl. 10 minutes with this thing and $0, fixed like new. -I’ve fixed countless friends’ things this way. 10/10 recommend. Has saved me hundreds in repairs alone. Absolutely worth it. Will be replacing if it ever kicks the bucket. TIPS: - CLEANING the TIPS: Plastic welding/ soldering to repair broken plastic: get yourself a cotton cloth to wipe the tip on while you’re using it. (Has to be cotton. any synthetic blend fabric will melt onto your iron.) Then use high grit sandpaper (400, 600, or really 200+) to wipe the tip off on and scrape any gunk off. Makes your tips clean and like new. - SECURE THE BASE/ holder so you don't burn yourself: Use outdoor painter's tape to keep the hot tool securely in place on your table so it doesn’t slide away and so you won't burn yourself. The tape will peel right off when you're done. OrSecure to table by putting a piece of rubber shelf lining under the metal holder/base. - Secure the TEMPERATURE you want: with a little piece of painter’s, packing, or masking tape to secure the tool in the exact heating position you want. The dial can easily move, so if you bump it on anything, you might crank the heat up or down unintentionally. Sticking a little piece of tape: 1/2 on the tool, 1/2 on the heating wheel/knob, makes it stay exactly where you want it. Then when you're done it peels right off clean. - The Tape I use to hold the base in place and to hold the temperature dial in place: ScotchBlue 2097-48EC Painter Tape for Exterior Surfaces, 1.88-Inch by 45-Yard . It's my new favorite tape for all projects because it tears off in a straight line and sticks to everything while also cleanly peeling off of very type of surface. - Totally worth buying the extra tips: SE WP28 28-Piece Wood Burning Pen Tips . You may think you won't use some of these tips, and you're right, but you can grind them down with a dremel and make more pointed tips, since the plain pointed tips do wear out.