Tell Me About The Small Wilton Leveler.
Decorating By MrsNancyB1 Updated 28 Sep 2009 , 5:18pm by craftermom
Do you like it? Do you hate it?
I have one that I haven't used, and I've never used it because I thought I baked pretty level cakes myself without the need to cut them. However, the extremely critical eye in me noticed a slight unevenness in my most recent cake.
I've heard great things about the Agbay, but I just can't justify its cost at the moment.
So what do you think of the Wilton leveler?
Sorry - but I think its ONLY use is as a filler in your trashcan!!
for simple small cakes it's just fine --
similar in action to the dental floss/fishing string method (those held taught and used to cut through cake -- or wrapped around cake and then pulled on both ends so they cut cake towards the center)
for big cakes or frozen cakes -- not good.
Wilton has 2 that I know of. The small one with the wire is pretty useless. The larger one with the knife type cutter is a little better, but I find that the blade tends to carve upwards and I never got a straight cut. Now I just do it with a knife.
To me, the small one is useless. The wire is so thin and the "feet" are so small and rounded that it doesn't cut straight. It also can't do large cakes. I haven't used mine in years. I love the large one though. I use it for my little 5" squares as well as my 16" squares. It has large, flat feet that keep the blade level and a nice wide, serrated blade.
I use it both to cut small cakes and for a guide with my 'bread' knife. You need to score the cake with the bread knife before using the leveller, which is a pain, and I also find that you need to rotate it to finish the cut (turn it so you're back tracking over the cut, so the wire will end up where it has already cut (does that makes sense?)). If you don't, you get a chuck of cake coming off as you pull it out. (Or score the opposite side before you start, so there is already a cut made.) Everything has it's quirks, I guess.
Sometimes I'll just use it as a guide when I'm slicing a very small cake. I place it against the cake at the height I need, then place the bread knife against the top of the wire and use that as a level guide to cut. Don't press down on the wire, or you'll be lower than you want, and maybe not level.
As for the big one (with the saw blade), don't waste your money. Starts out fine, but once it's inside the cake, the feet start to lift off the table, and/or the blade bends upwards inside the cake, so it's not level at all. There's no way to maintain the pressure of the blade in the middle of a large cake. I can't afford the Agbay right now, but will in the future, should this 'cake thing' take off for me.
I have both Wilton levelers and like them. I use the small one all the time...it's the one that I automatically reach for. Part of that is because my kitchen is small and it's hard to fit the big one on my counter. When I use both of them, I keep the cake on a thin flexible mat and I turn the cake so that the leveler is going through sideways, after the initial cut.
I bought the small leveler about 10 years ago and it lasted for 8 years...then the wire snapped and I bought another. It was still about three dollars, just like it was ten years ago.
Hey, you can have mine, then you can find out for yourself. 
The small one is ok but the large one is going in the trash. It wouldn't cut straight so I gave up and did a much better job with my bread knife.
i like the small wire leveler. when using it for small 4" to 8" cakes. anything larger than that its hard to move back and forth so you end up pulling and ripping the cake. but i do like it..
the handle also tends to bend and the wire becomes loose and doesnt ever seem to work right again. i always have 3 or 4 on hand tho. i dont make large cakes so i have no need for the ginormous levelers
I have both of Wilton's. I use the smallest most often and have never had a problem with it. I actually have two and when I was working on a wedding cake this weekend I use both. One set to torte the cake and the other set to trim the tops to make them all even (oven isn't level). Worked great.
I got the smaller one first, tried to use it one time, said a few choice words and it (as a PP said) became a filler in my trash can.
I bought the larger one and I love it!! I don't have any problems with it, it's all in how you use it. I typically am using it to cut my cakes to fill, since when they come out of the oven I put a cake circle on them and a can of veggies. That usually takes care of any dome that might have been in the middle.
I can't justify the price of an Agbay and don't need to since the large Wilton lever works just fine.
i have the larger one with the serrated cutting edge like a knife, and i really get on well with it, AS LONG AS USED ON WARM CAKE ONLY!!!! I learnt this thru trial and error, i split and level my cakes straight out the oven when hot and i find it very effective and easy 
To be blunt - It sucks. The large one isn't much better. Go with an Agbay. They are pricey but worth the cost.
I love it! When I torte my 8" cakes in my class, all the students are amazed at how clean of a cut it creates. Most of them run right out and buy it.
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