The only things I ever bought from Wilton that I did not like was the tilting turntable (do not waste your money)
This is so strange to me, because I just commented to my husband this week that I don't know what I'd do without my Wilton tilting turntable!!! I had a huge round cake on there, decorating the sides. The non-skid surface keeps the cake from sliding off, and I have no idea how I'd have piped a music score all around the sides of a cake (see my photo) if I couldn't have tipped it somehow and had to do it on a flat counter.
I have a variety of Wilton and other brand tools/pans/supplies. I will say that along with some of you, I love the Magic Line square and sheet pans. I can not stand Fat Daddio pans at all.
Just an observation...I've seen Duff use Wilton tools a few times on his show. One thing in particular was the Fondant Ribbon Cutter/Embosser Set. And I know I have seen some Wilton tools used by the participants of the cake challenges. I found it interesting.
Gayle
SE MI
I don't mean to offend anyone, Im just giving my opinion of what Ive seen, and that is what it seems like to me.
Round pans, tips, piping bags, the gumpaste flower kit (basic cutters, tools, foam pads and instruction book).
Waste money: The icing comb with the interchangable teeth (they slip right out), square pans. When I bake two layers, one in wilton squares and one in fat daddios, the wilton ones take at least 10 minutes longer, and thats with a flower nail(wilton) in the center. I think if I get paisley or petal shaped pans i'll skip right to fat daddios.
I have to agree with sjholderman, the icing comb was a complete waste of money. Most every pan and tool I have is Wilton and I'm quite pleased. Most of their products are great, but save money and don't by the comb or the fondant if you want something edible.
I think it depends on a person's desire. I noticed Ace of Cakes show using Wilton, but I wonder how much Wilton paid for that too.
Some stuff is no different than anything else-disposable bags, tips, cake release etc. but what a difference when it comes to turntables, pans and extracts.
Overall, use what works for you! If a wilton product is causing you trouble (all the boxes break in 5 seconds), dont give up. See if you can find a different brand.
Just my opinion, and I miss my Minneapolis Cake store 
, only wilton around here now. I have to order everything online now.
I think Indydebi has summed it up quite nicely because that's EXACTLY the case for myself. As I'm growing in skill I have found far higher quality products out there. I forgot to mention earlier that I still use the Wilton products I've bought in the beginning...spatulas, piping bags, turntables. I think I have one or two of everything on the ONE aisle Michael's has for cake decorating.
There is a must have that I haven't gotten my paws on yet and that is the Wilton Castle set. I always think...hey, I can make the whole castle edible if I put my mind to it...then regret not buying it.
I think Wilton, as any other company, has some good. some great and some that should have never made it on the market! 
I have several Wilton products that I like. I also know they are alot more affordable! I prefer their tips! I like their spatulas and lots of their new stuff! I just bought their new cookie cutters (really excited about them!) and the icing bag holder .....that I haven't tried yet. Wilton products are alot easier to get ahold of. I think if you want Wilton, go for it!
I have lots of Wilton stuff and I'll have to admit, at first I didn't know there was anything else besides Wilton. I only have a Michaels near by and with the coupons, I've collected lots of stuff.
I agree that as a person progresses and learns that there's a whole other cake world out there, you may need to move on. I have the 2" round and square pan set. They do the job for me as a hobby baker, but I do plan on getting Magic Line pans eventually.
Wilton tips are nickel plated brass.
There is NO WAY the Ateco tips I have are stainless steel. Stainless steel does not rust in 3 hours of being kept in a bowl of slightly greasy water. My Ateco tips do. They're being replaced gradually with Wilton tips.
I have Wilton tips that are almost 20 years old and in excellent condition.
Now, not that I do any intricate piping or string work, mind you. But I understand that once you get down to the teeny round tips, Wilton ones are useless for that, right? Because of the seam?
Er....
*checks*
....what seam? My Wilton tips have no seams, and that includes my #2 round.
Candice, I haven't been doing this very long--about a year--and I am definitely an amateur and home baker, and yet I STILL think that Wilton is not the top of the line as products go. To me, they're the Kias and Hyundais of the cake decorating world--affordable and they get the job done for your average Joan, but you'll never see them on the NASCAR circuit.
Yes, I do think that, particularly with their edible substances, Wilton often sacrificies quality of product for ease of use. There is actually a very good reason for this: because Wilton's entire reason for existing is to teach cake decorating, not to make high-quality cakes. It's all aimed at beginning cake decorators. There's nothing wrong with that, because everybody has to be a beginner before they get to be a master, so un-bunch your knickers, girl!
There's also a lot of people who don't like products that are touted as the be-all and end-all of decorating goods, either. I don't like Satin Ice, for instance. It rolls nice and smooth, but it smells funny and tastes funny, in my opinion--though, I do admit, not as bad as the Wilton fondant does. Personally, I like marshmallow fondant, and am eager to try--when I can afford to--Michelle Foster's recipe.
~~
On another note entirely, I've confirmed that the Wilton Decorator Preferred pans are heavy-duty aluminum, not stainless steel. They're much higher quality than the basic Wilton pans, though.
like , i have said, in other threads.. that have come up with the same title.. over the last 3 years... if NICHOLAS LODGE.. can use some of them and sell them in HIS schools.. and teach with them at the wilton school... HELLO! so can i. HE uses other products too.. but so do i and so do we all on here.. no need to bash WILTON.. and i am not screaming.. so don,t no one post back to me saying i am.. i see it all the time on here on all threads. to get your point across. some people get ugly with you, if you print in capitals.. some don,t get scolded at all . i think that is funny!!
See, Icer that's the kind of post that DOES turn these perfectly mild conversations ugly. Someone will come along, happen to catch the conversation where it has left, at your post which is very excitedly written and with the caps, yes it DOES infer shouting,.....they'll read what you wrote, and think someone was bashing Wilton and get all excited themselves.
Edited to add:
And I know this because I am guilty of jumping in and not reading the entire post either, when I should have read it all the way through to get a feel for the tone of the thread in general. Just my two cents.
I can bash Wilton if I want. (said like a seven-year old.....
Honestly, lots of what Wilton makes is pure-D crap. They do, however, make some decent stuff.
Just because a certain person/TV-show endorses a certain product does not necessarily mean they really do stand by that product. They're most likely being sponsored by that company.
I sell some Wilton stuff in my store..... mainly because the price is right for me to purchase and sell it, and because some of the stuff is fine for beginners. I also sell stuff from Squire's, PME, JEM, FMM, etc. It just depends.
I started with Wilton like everyone else and use what I bought. I started decorating a year ago today, actually (it was a father's day cake). I have bought a few Magic Line pans, but I am actually really happy with my regular wilton round ones. No complaints. I do prefer Ateco tips, however, because they seem a bit sturdier and i'm not afraid of bending them. I also use their gel colors and haven't had any problems yet.
Of course, like Indy said, I've started buying other brands of cutters, mats, etc. Plus some things Wilton just doesn't make, like dragees.
Oh, my worst Wilton experience. Their version of lusture dust. It's coarse and not even remotely shiny. Gross!
Now, not that I do any intricate piping or string work, mind you. But I understand that once you get down to the teeny round tips, Wilton ones are useless for that, right? Because of the seam?
Er....
*checks*
....what seam? My Wilton tips have no seams, and that includes my #2 round.
Interesting... I never thought about it before because they all work regardless of seam or no seam for its intended purpose.
*checks*!!! Me too!
Of 160 tips:
64=WILTON (KOREA) No visible seam. (still shiny except 4!)
80=Ateco (KOREA) Visible overlapped seam. (all dull)
3=Ateco (KOREA) No visible seam. (still shiny, wonder why?)
9=MARPOLL (JAPAN) No visible seam. (still shiny!)
4=unmarked brand, visible overlapped seam. (all dull, probably Ateco)
All comparable quality, but Wilton must be doing something right because the seams are polished away and they still shine!
I'm just starting now to replace some of my wilton stuff with more professional tools. Some of the things that I've bought from Wilton have made me want to hunt down the CEO and shove a fistfull of Wilton Fondant in his mouth lol. But alot of the stuff I've got from them I would never know what to do without.
Jamie I know that my tips work great for delicate things. In fact about a half hour ago I just did some fine piping with the #1 tip and it worked great (as it always have) no seams visble to me.
Like Indy, and others, have stated it's a beginner level tool set. As you move on in caking and pastry work you find you require different tools or different quality tools, and you move away from Wilton. Nothing bad, good, or indifferent about it.
I love their tips, the pan release spray, the square mat with the lines on it...it's great for bows, the rolling pins, the paste colors, the books, the candy melts, the workability of their fondant and gumpaste(the smell more than the taste(but the taste too) keeps me from buying it except in total desparation, their professional line of pans although aren't as rigid as ML, work really well....
The variety and availability of all of thier items is by far the best
I totally agree that it depends on how long/much/professional your goals are. I'm a new baker/decorator (only started in Feb b/c I needed a new hobby and had always been interested) and most all of my things are wilton because its hard to find anything else around me. I'm just now starting to bake for friends but I'm anxiously awaiting one of them to have a wedding where I can go to a big cake store or order things online!
To me its like almost any other hobby/career. Musicians can buy a cheap instrument that's a "beginner" be able to play the same things but choose to buy a "professional" one because it has different tone. A DIY person may have a saw that was $75 but someone like my dad can go and spend $300 on the same type of thing becuase its his preference for what he does. Not that the other ones don't work or don't have the same product but some items have more bells and whistles or even have different things in general.
Just my 2 cents!
I've been decorating for a few years now - and just today organized my tools (kitchen cleaning day). Almost all of my tools are still wilton, and I just bought (with coupon) a new wilton turntable - the professional, non tilting, cast steel one.
Overall, I don't hate Wilton products, but like most of you, I find that it could be better quality. My burgandy paste color had the lid crack around the screw part, and it fell through the top tray of my box, and dripped over everything. Would it have happened with Americolor? No. But, it's what I have, so I'm going to make it work.
wow thanks for all the input everyone! my dog chewed through my laptop cord recently so i have been computerless, which is why i haven't checked this. but i do agree when most said that it was good for what it was intended for: beginner use and i'm definitely a beginner. i have started ordering higher quality supplies, like luster dusts and colors, because i know that those particualr wilton items can't be used forever.
it also seems that a lot of people are very happy with the wilton classes. i have yet to take any, but after hearing so many good things about them i've started seriously considering it. i've also just moved to a new state and have no way of meeting new people (school's not in session yet, and it's pretty impossible to find a job now) and i have been pretty depressed about this. these classes seem like a good way to learn a bunch of new skills and meet new people. i think i'll give it a go!
so, again, thank you everyone!
Well, that goes aainst everything I've heard from the stringwork gals....the little seams in the Wilton ones make the icing curl out of line. But...whatever, maybe they don't do it anymore.
Is that why it curls? I always wondered what I was doing wrong. My small Wilton round tips have seems on the inside...very faint...you really have to search for them, but there it was.
Well Adree you know you can count with hundreds of CCers as friends (me included) and you will never be alone, we are here for you day or night no matter what! On the other hand yes, take the wilton classes, it's a great way to learn the basics of cake decorating, and after that all you need is CC to learn new tricks! Good luck. 
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