The Walnut Hollow Creative wood burning tool is another very simple iron. It is great for a beginner just getting into the hobby and offers some different tips to experiment with. This pyrography tool doesn’t have an adjustable temperature controller like its big brother the Creative Versa but that’s okay. This iron is very plug and play and that’s great for a beginner or younger artist. If you are looking for the cheapest pyrography tool that gives you the most bang for your buck this just might be it!
Product Specifications
- 120 Volts
- 25 Watts
- 6’ Power Cord
What’s Included
- Wood Burning Tool
- Tool Stand
- Universal Point
- Shading Point
- Flow Point
- Cone Point
ProsCons
CheapNo Temperature Control
SimpleBuild Quality Concerns
Walnut Hollow Creative Value Tip Selection
The Walnut Hollow Creative Woodburner comes with 4 different tips to try out. This isn’t as many as we have seen with some of the other kits but it does include some of the most popular ones. Make sure that you screw them on tightly as we had one come loose while we were working with it.
Universal Point
Some pyrography artists swear by the universal point and hardly use anything else. It can be used for all different types of lines, shading, and lettering. We found that the universal point included with this kit had a very sharp edge. If I was to use it as my everyday tool I would probably lightly sand down the tip and edge of the universal point.
Shading Point
The shading point for this pyrography iron is spade shaped and like its name is mainly used for shading. This tip did a pretty good job at shading and could be useful if you have a large area on your canvas to shade in. Otherwise it probably wouldn’t be worth waiting on the iron to cool down to swap to the shading tip just for a small section of shading.
Flow Point
The flow point is a rounded cylindrical tip that would mostly get used for shading or lettering.
Cone Point
The cone point almost reminds us of a sharpened pencil in shape. It comes down to preference on which tips you enjoy using the most but I would probably use the universal point over the cone point in most circumstances.
Biggest Concerns
Similarly to some other Walnut Hollow wood burners we have looked at there are some concerns with the build quality of this product. While we didn’t encounter any issues while we were reviewing the product we have heard numerous accounts of the tips breaking off at the threads. If you do purchase this iron we recommend being very careful when you swap out your tips and make sure that the iron is completely cooled off before doing so.
Otherwise we don’t really have many problems with this tool. It doesn’t have a temperature controller but there are more expensive models out there if that is what you are looking for. For what it is, this little wood burner is pretty great!
Bring on the Heat!
This model takes a few minutes to heat up before you begin using it. Set it on the stand and flip the switch while you wait as patiently as possible. After working with this iron for an extended period of time the handle became moderately hot. This is what we expected from an introduction tool like this that comes in at a low price point. The tip on this iron seems to stay hot pretty well. You won’t be able to make extremely long dark lines in one pass unless you are working slow. It is better to work in smaller strokes to allow the tip to reheat in between burns. If you find the tip gets too hot you can try blowing on it before you do a line or shade an area. This will act to cool the tip down slightly and give you a little bit of temperature control the old fashioned way.
One thing that we really like about this product is the fact that there is an on/off switch on the cord. This is a great safety and convenience feature that some of the other beginner tools leave out. This switch makes it quicker and easier to switch the woodburner off to change tips or to take a break. One thing that would be nice is if there was an indication LED to tell you if the iron was on or off at a quick glance. I guess we can’t have everything at such a low price and I would much rather have the toggle switch than nothing at all!
Overall Impressions of the Value Tool
If you are a first time pyrography artist or are looking to gift this to a beginner we think it is a great choice. It is a very basic tool that will allow you to see if wood burning is something you would like to invest more time and money in. Taking the words straight out of the name of this item it is a value tool. For just that reason we like what we see – this tool has a lot of value for the price point. At one of the cheapest wood burners on the market it brings a lot to the table. We much prefer this tool over some other introductory irons we have worked with and we can’t dismiss it for not having features that higher priced models have.
This Walnut Hollow Creative Woodburner Value Tool knows who its target audience is – beginners – and it tailors to them very well. If you are serious about wood burning spend a few extra bucks to get a nicer iron. If you are just getting into the hobby and are still unsure about it then a cheaper option like this might better suit your needs.