The Best Tools For Carving Your Pumpkins This Fall

Throwing a pumpkin carving party with your family or friends is the perfect activity a few days before Halloween. The night consists of playing a Halloween movie, such as "Halloweentown," and eating spooky snacks, like ghost-themed cupcakes, donuts dressed up as bats, or drinking witch's brew punch. When preparing for the party, Sugar and Charm suggest sending out invites ahead of time, making a list of the drinks and snacks you'll have, and, most importantly, buying the pumpkin carving tools. Whether unsure when is the perfect time to put out your pumpkins, it's best to be prepared for the carving contest. A variety of packets are sold online and in stores, and while their prices range, their quality is essential.

Good quality tools will make it easier to cut into the pumpkin and focus on minor details. Whether you buy single-hand tools or a variety pack with different appliances, you'll be able to perfect your design. In addition, some packages come with a book full of ideas for you to pick one to transform your pumpkin. For example, you might carve a traditional jack-o-lantern smile, a ghoul, or a witch. We know how exciting it can be to start etching but also stressful if it doesn't turn out the way we want it to, so we gathered the best tools to carve your pumpkins.

Even though most pumpkin carving devices are made small due to the fruit's thick skin that is hard to cut with a regular knife, it can take a long time to cut through the entire pumpkin. Except Amazon has a handy electric tool, the Pumpkin Masters' Power Saw, that comes with batteries, two blades, and two different patterns on sale for $19.40, the original price of $24.05. Instead of sawing through the pumpkin until your hand gives out, the power saw does the work for you while you press the button.

Perhaps you like to keep your pumpkin with a creepy cat design or enjoy one that's more detailed with multiple characters. You'll easily glide the power saw through the intricate lines and corners of the stencil. Customers claim that they had trouble cutting into the skin of the pumpkin at first, but once they had most of the spots carved, they could clean up the edges efficiently with the saw (via Amazon). Since the blade is small and fragile, don't try to rush the process, or else it can break. Most pumpkin saws aren't as sturdy as regular-sized ones, so they're prone to bend easily. After a few trials and getting the feel of how the power saw works, you'll be able to carve through any pumpkins.

When throwing a pumpkin carving party, it can be expensive to buy multiple tools for all your guests. However, you can always ask your callers to bring their devices if you don't want to provide your own. If you decide to purchase, Target has a 10pc Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party Kit for only $10 on their website, along with many Halloween decorations. If you haven't started yet, that may be available for pick up in your area. The kit comes with two tracers, two detailers, two scoops, a carver, two pokers, and a book of stencils, per Target. Two sets of kits will give you 20 pieces which could be enough for a small party.

You might have to buy a couple more single-hand carvers since the kit only comes with one. However, if a few people are still deciding which stencil they'll be using, it will allow others to use the carver, so you'll get away with one or two if you buy a couple of sets. In addition, buying more than one toolset will save you from buying extras in the future.

If you're new to pumpkin carving, the Messermeister 3-Piece Pumpkin Carving Set is excellent for beginners. It comes with three products, an etching tool, scraper, and sawtooth carver, for $24.95 per Amazon, which is all you need for the activity. The supplies are stainless steel with soft grip handles. Since the pumpkin skin is hard to cut through with the saw, the etching apparatus makes it easy to carve into it.

The kit received a 4.6 rating; customers claimed they love the toolset and that it's worth the investment (via Amazon). Most tools don't last more than one Halloween, but consumers said this set was sturdy and good quality. A handful of reviews showed that customers were excited they didn't have to repurchase pumpkin carving tools. While the only downfall of the kit is that left-handed people can't use the scraper since the blade is on the left side, the other two tools were perfect for them. You'll be the talk of the pumpkin carving party; everyone will ask you for all the details over the kit.