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Kate TullyUpdated: Feb. 01, 2024
Get the most out of your Halloween pumpkins with these pumpkin carving kits designed to meet your cutting and sculpting needs.
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How To Choose a Pumpkin Carving Kit
No Halloween is complete without a jack-o’-lantern. Whether you’re carving pumpkins with family or sculpting masterpiece pumpkins solo, you’ll need a top-notch carving kit to help you get the job done.
As you’re hunting for a pumpkin carving kit, keep in mind how intense you want your pumpkin to be. To get more intricate pumpkin designs, choose a kit with multiple tools and knives. If you’re looking to carve a more standard jack-o’-lantern, go for a simpler kit with fewer tools.
Read the reviews on any site you purchase from. Some big-name pumpkin carving companies release new kits each year, so one that was fabulous last year may have been topped by their new offering. Make sure you’re buying a kit designed with safety in mind, including sturdy tools and easy-to-follow directions.
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Best Pumpkin Carving Kit for Preschoolers
Carving pumpkins with your little ones is incredibly fun, but you’ll want to make sure it’s safe, too. This pumpkin carving kit for kids is perfect for preschoolers to use with adult supervision. It comes with a large scraping spoon (complete with a cute jack-o’-lantern cutout) and four additional easy-to-grasp carving tools. There are also 10 easy carvingstencils in this kit, which you can use to help your child trace a spooky or friendly design.
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Best Pumpkin Carving Kit for Older Kids
As your kids get older, they may want to get more creative with their pumpkin carving. This 21-piece set comes with all the standard carving tools, plus 14 additional detail-oriented tools that allow your child to get as elaborate as they’d like.
Your kid can flex their creative muscles by adding dimension and character to their pumpkin this year. Just don’t be jealous when their pumpkin turns out better than yours!
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Best Safe Pumpkin Carving Kit
Did you know you can carve a pumpkin without sharp tools? If you’ve got younger or clumsy children who shouldn’t be working with carving tools, consider using pumpkin punchers.
These stainless steel tools look like cookie cutters, but they’re made specifically for pumpkins. Have your kids pick out the stencils they want to use, then help them hammer them into the pumpkin with a rubber mallet (not included). No cutting tool needed!
Note: These pumpkin punchers work best on small-to-medium-size pumpkins.
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Best Value Pumpkin Carving Kit
You can get a high-quality pumpkin carving kit for less than $5, thanks to Target. This set comes with four tools and eight patterns, making it a great pumpkin carving kit for beginners. The quality of the cutting tools may not be up to par with more expensive sets, so have a knife (and an adult) handy if your little ones need help.
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Best Splurge Pumpkin Carving Kit
If pumpkin carving is an important part of your family’s Halloween tradition, it may be time to invest in high-end carving tools you can use year after year. This wooden carving set from Etsy isn’t cheap, but it features 19 carving tools that are perfect for precision pumpkin carving, including hook knives, detail knives and even a knife sharpener.
Bonus: These tools can also be used to carve wood and soap if you want to expand your carving skills after Halloween.
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Best Pumpkin Carving Kits for Precise Cutting
Looking to really up your pumpkin carving game? Get a kit made for detail-oriented carvers, like this professional carving kit that comes with 10 wooden tools. The standard carving tools come with jagged edges and hooked designs, allowing you to complete your initial cuts with the utmost precision. The six detail tools come with double heads so you can add as much depth as you’d like.
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Best Minimalist Pumpkin Carving Kit
Sometimes you’re just looking for the basics, and this three-piece pumpkin carving kit delivers. This set comes with a scraper, a double-edged saw and a fine-tooth saw. The double-edged saw will help you remove the top, the scraper will remove the guts and the fine-tooth saw will make those fancy designs on the face of your pumpkin.
No precision tools needed here. These work efficiently so you can move on to other fun Halloween activities. Save the scraped-out pumpkin seeds to grow pumpkins next year.
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Best Power Tool for Pumpkin Carving
Does your family want to mix up your pumpkin-carving approach this year? Forget the conventional carving tools and carve your pumpkin with power tools!
You can use a Dremel rotary tool to carve and sand down specific parts of your pumpkin for near-perfect results. Most power tools come with interchangeable heads, but be sure to pick up a set specifically for carving so you can create that intricate, spooky design.
Originally Published: October 09, 2020
Kate Tully
I am an avid baker, knitter and writer. My passions include Star Wars, stress baking and—of course—chocolate. When I'm not chasing my partner around the house asking him to try my latest recipe, I'm relaxing with my cats or knitting (another) sweater.
