A[SIZE=4][/SIZE]Ateco 1449 Cake Heating Core, Set of 4 I am thinking about buying a set of these, I have used heating cores before and I like them for larger cakes but has anyone used these? What do you like or not like about them?

I use them all the time.  Love them.

AHow do they differ from using a flower nail (which happens to be a lot cheaper)?

 The difference is bottom is flat and they don't rust like flower nails.  As far as the price, check around.  I actually bought a package of 4 for less than the flower nails.

I just use flower nails....use 2 if it is a huge cake.  They don't remove any cake when taking them out.   Love them!

I am sold on them.  I have a couple of cakes that I have no problems with baking larger sizes.  But, my lemon and coconut cakes have major issues. They will have a firm gummy center when I try to bake larger pans even though they look and test done. I bought four sets of them, and used four in the 12" pan and three in the 10" pan on these cakes and they were perfect.

Shop around though.  Amazon has them for $12 which is a rip off.  I bought mine at Sur La Table online for $5.  I also saw one cake site that had them on sale for $3.99, but were sold out.  

AKeep an eye on Amazon-- I got mine for around $5 on sale. ;) (Everywhere else costs an arm and a leg to ship APO, even when they advertise "free" shipping. :( )

One thing I love about the heating cores is that they are shorter than the finished cake, so I'm able to level the cake while it's still in the pan, which I can't do with the flower nails. (I'm saving up for that Agbay!). Flat on the bottom and non-rusting are the other great attributes. :)

I've had a camelcamelcamel price alert on them on Amazon for months.  They were $5 forever but then jumped to $12 for the past few months.  I'll check Sur la Table.

I love them!  Webstaurant.com has them for $3.79 a pack.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ateco-august-thomsen-1449-cake-pan-heating-cores-4-pack/1441449.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CIjyrbPxlroCFctAMgodUHIAbw

Sur la Table is out of stock.

You can talk with friends, brainstorming on the other hand, you can also check the Internet so the answer a little more authority. I think these are a good way to solve the problem. Good luck to you!
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Webstaurant's shipping is exceptionally high, even when I place large bulk orders for my bakery.

Yeah, I thought so too.  I don't use them for anything, the restaurant I work at has their purveyors.  I was just ordering these for myself, so I wasn't going to pay their crazy shipping costs.  Those little buggers are hard to find.  Most places are sold out that I've looked at.  Glad I bought several when I found them.  

I've found that their prices are some of the best I have been able to find, even with the shipping factored in. My last order I actually added one 4 pack of the heating cores to my order and have used them several times so far. They work great. :)

As far as I am concerned they are one of the best cake investments I have made.  Order 2 sets for extras, hand wash only and be sure they are completely dry before storing.  I even use one in my 6x3" pan as they help the taller cakes bake so much better.  A chart is on the back of the label to show usage and placement but sometimes I will add 1 or 2 more depending on how full my pans are-I always use 3" pans.

Sur La Table has them back in stock and has the best shipping rate