What Tool Do You Wish You Had Never Bought?

Decorating By Baking Sis Updated 17 Jan 2017 , 12:20pm by gscout73

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Baking Sis Posted 22 May 2013 , 2:27am
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Each time I get in a hobby/craft store, I head to the cake decorating department in search of new tools.  There are so many items there and I never know what to buy.  I want to experiment and learn new things (my family loves my surprises!); I would rather not purchase tools that are not going to be assets to work with...looking for guidance from all of you that have bought & wished you hadn't.  Thanks!!

53 replies
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Annabakescakes Posted 22 May 2013 , 2:43am
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That is a great question! The first thing that popped into mind was this http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=BA23EDC2-802D-F658-0457DE1C665B1CA4&fid=D765FA80-1E0B-C910-EA0046AD375C41A8 It is useless, because it only cuts one side, you push harder and it bends and still it cuts one side! Useless!

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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:06am
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A

Original message sent by Annabakescakes

That is a great question! The first thing that popped into mind was this [URL=http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=BA23EDC2-802D-F658-0457DE1C665B1CA4&fid=D765FA80-1E0B-C910-EA0046AD375C41A8]http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=BA23EDC2-802D-F658-0457DE1C665B1CA4&fid=D765FA80-1E0B-C910-EA0046AD375C41A8[/URL] It is useless, because it only cuts one side, you push harder and it bends and still it cuts one side! Useless!

Wilton has a new one of these out I bought it for the classes I took I should say classes I retook being I took them 15 years ago....anyways I used it a few times in class and didn't have any problems.

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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:12am
post #4 of 54

AI would say the class kits they make you buy to take each class. ....don't know if ill ever use that stuff again.

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Norasmom Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:13am
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Hmmm....

fondant (I now make my own, much cheaper and tastes better.), cake leveler (I use a serrated knife, works better) , set of  3" square cake pans (sold them at a loss on ebay...they took forever to bake and square cakes aren't my thing) , petal dusts (I never use them, just luster dusts!), and a jem flower cutter set.  I am working on not buying impulse items or things I don't need but look like I need them..

 

Basically you will buy a bunch of things and use most of them, but you will soon have a list of "why did I buy that" stuff...which is why CC needs to have a marketplace!

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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:18am
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AHeres the new cutter

www.google.com/search?q=new+wilton+embosser+ribbon+cutter&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=TTicUcOBO6rMywHD04D4Ag&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=360&bih=567#biv=i%7C16%3Bd%7CqM4jcpGgrZ22gM%3A

It is $30.00 but I used a coupon to buy it. The new cutter comes in packaging that you can't really see the cutter until you lift a flap open on the box , my instructor had to show it to me because I totally missed it.

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Baking Sis Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:19am
post #7 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes 

That is a great question! The first thing that popped into mind was this http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=BA23EDC2-802D-F658-0457DE1C665B1CA4&fid=D765FA80-1E0B-C910-EA0046AD375C41A8 It is useless, because it only cuts one side, you push harder and it bends and still it cuts one side! Useless!

Thanks for this info~ I looked at it and it states it is 'easy-to-use'!!  Scratch that off my list of wants!

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jenmat Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:21am
post #8 of 54

One word :

CRICUT.....

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SPCOhio Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:22am
post #9 of 54

AWilton's Roll and Cut Mat. It's supposed to make rolling fondant easy but it was nothing but a pain in the posterior. It moved. It curled up on the corners. It never lied flat. It was a pain to store because rolling it only worsened its inherent deficiencies. I wadded it up and shoved it quite forcefully in the garbage and never looked back.

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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:28am
post #10 of 54

A

Original message sent by jenmat

One word : CRICUT.....

I've heard nothing but bad about this so ill never buy one.

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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:34am
post #11 of 54

Am.youtube.com/watch?v=HQY9lzC1ivc&feature=plpp

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Annabakescakes Posted 22 May 2013 , 3:50am
post #12 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by kazita 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes 

That is a great question! The first thing that popped into mind was this http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=BA23EDC2-802D-F658-0457DE1C665B1CA4&fid=D765FA80-1E0B-C910-EA0046AD375C41A8 It is useless, because it only cuts one side, you push harder and it bends and still it cuts one side! Useless!

Wilton has a new one of these out I bought it for the classes I took I should say classes I retook being I took them 15 years ago....anyways I used it a few times in class and didn't have any problems.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by kazita 

Heres the new cutter

www.google.com/search?q=new+wilton+embosser+ribbon+cutter&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=TTicUcOBO6rMywHD04D4Ag&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=360&bih=567#biv=i%7C16%3Bd%7CqM4jcpGgrZ22gM%3A

It is $30.00 but I used a coupon to buy it. The new cutter comes in packaging that you can't really see the cutter until you lift a flap open on the box , my instructor had to show it to me because I totally missed it.
But I still have the original one, I wish I hadn't bought. Why would I give them more money for the new one?
 
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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:08am
post #13 of 54

A

Original message sent by Annabakescakes

I think they improved it pretty good. I can see where the old one would give trouble....Im just saying that I didn't have any problems using the new one.

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jennicake Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:25am
post #14 of 54

Cricut Cake machine!  I thought I was winning when I picked it up for $200.  What a waste of money.

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Baking Sis Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:40am
post #15 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennicake 

Cricut Cake machine!  I thought I was winning when I picked it up for $200.  What a waste of money.

Can I ask what a Cricut Cake machine does exactly?   And of course I have to ask....what didn't it do?

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milkmaid42 Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:42am
post #16 of 54

Sorry Wilton, but pretty much anything Wilton makes. Starting out many years ago that pretty much was all that was available. I now buy most of my supplies on line and grouse at the exorbitant shipping and handling costs.

 

Jan

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kaylatrahan Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:47am
post #17 of 54

AI love my cricut! Absolutely hate the Wilton ribbon cutter

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cakefat Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:48am
post #18 of 54

The wilton (?) cake leveler...that's a big waste of $. I, too, use a knife and it works much better.

 

the FMM rose petal cutter...doesn't cut clean- and the plastic warps.  I use individual metal rose petal cutters now and they're much better now. 

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kazita Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:54am
post #19 of 54

AThis is what a cricut cake machine is suppose to do....I don't own one but it seems like a lot to know about the machine to get it to cut out what you want. I do own a regular paper cricut for scrapbooking and its a lot of work and takes a lot of space up but it does have some pretty things it can cut out .

m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=FqRpEeLBqUE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DFqRpEeLBqUE

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 22 May 2013 , 5:27am
post #20 of 54

Cricut for me as well, but I got the mini on sale for $90, and resold it on craigslist for $60, so I wasn't too heart broken, haha.

 

Other than that, not much, I tend to buy new things as I need them, instead of buying a bunch of things I think I might need, at least the expensive stuff.

I have a ton of molds and cutters that almost never get used, but I still like to have them on hand.

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vgcea Posted 22 May 2013 , 6:11am
post #21 of 54

AYeah, that Wilton ribbon cutter is a disgrace. And what's with the 9000 parts?

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AnnieCahill Posted 22 May 2013 , 11:02am
post #22 of 54

I bought the ribbon cutter (purple and white one) a while back.  I don't know why in the world they would make the "blades" plastic!  The only way I can get it to work is to baby it like I have to do with the damn Tappits.  Roll it very thin and let it dry.  I have never known Wilton to make a quality product, but that's because they are targeting a different market.  In the end, you're probably better off buying a metal pastry strip cutter.

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manddi Posted 22 May 2013 , 11:54am
post #23 of 54

AAny tips that are not ateco(or better) are a waste. Wilton's tips are fine for a bc border but if you try to do delicate ri piping with a small tip, the icing curls around the edge and leads to a headache. When buying tips, look at the inside of it; if there isn't a seam it should be good. Look at the inside of wilton tips and you'll see a big seam.

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cakealicious7 Posted 22 May 2013 , 12:08pm
post #24 of 54

AThankyou manddi for that tip, that has helped me a lot xx

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manddi Posted 22 May 2013 , 12:11pm
post #25 of 54

A

Original message sent by cakealicious7

Thankyou manddi for that tip, that has helped me a lot xx

Good! I'm glad I could help! :)

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leah_s Posted 22 May 2013 , 12:31pm
post #26 of 54

AI only get to pick one thing? Biggest waste of money - Cricut. Second biggest waste of money - Cake Pop Roller. Third biggest waste of money - pretty much anything made by Wilton.

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Norasmom Posted 22 May 2013 , 12:42pm
post #27 of 54

I think Wilton products are designed for beginning cake decorators.  I like some of my Wilton products and I am going to say they have exceptional customer service. They replaced my turntable without a problem when it stopped working.

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Baking Sis Posted 22 May 2013 , 1:07pm
post #28 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by manddi 

Any tips that are not ateco(or better) are a waste. Wilton's tips are fine for a bc border but if you try to do delicate ri piping with a small tip, the icing curls around the edge and leads to a headache. When buying tips, look at the inside of it; if there isn't a seam it should be good. Look at the inside of wilton tips and you'll see a big seam.

I had no idea about the tips with seams!  Thank you!  I will have to be on the lookout since I have only Wilton purchased so far.

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j92383 Posted 22 May 2013 , 1:22pm
post #29 of 54

Let's see.. the Wilton ribbon cutter, turn table, the cake leveler, flower cutter set, pretty much every Wilton gadget or tool that was supposed to make my life easier but only served to raise my blood pressure. 

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Annabakescakes Posted 22 May 2013 , 4:36pm
post #30 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by leah_s 

I only get to pick one thing? Biggest waste of money - Cricut. Second biggest waste of money - Cake Pop Roller. Third biggest waste of money - pretty much anything made by Wilton.

Are you one of the "gloppy ball of complete mush that has been kneaded into play-dough" cake pop maker, or "just enough binder to hold it together and don't make mush" cake pop maker? I am still fascinated by an easy way to make them, but I will not "knead" my cake into slime...

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