Grampa Bardeen's Family Pumpkin Carving Set

I was trying to find a quality product that would last my family through years of pumpkin carving. This set looked like it fit the bill. We enjoyed carving pumpkins with the tools. Unfortunately, two of the thin/small saws broke off at the handle.On the good side, there are multiple saws in the set, so we have back-ups. The other tools work well and there are many more tools than can be found in a standard "grocery store set". There are multiples of many tools so a family can all carve at the same time. I was also pleased to find that it was a family owned company making a product in the USA. The set comes with multiple patterns to use and a sturdy box that will last for years.UPDATE: I contacted the company (Grampa Bardeens) about my broken saws and received an email back right away. He explained that the smaller saws were detail saws and may break if used improperly or on a very tough pumpkin. They will be replacing my two broken saws ASAP. I was super pleased with the customer service of this small family-owned company. I'm very happy and would recommend this product.

Luckily I was able to return this to Amazon for a refund. However, this is perhaps the worst carving kit I have ever bought. Last year I bought a nice wooden handle carving kit with interchangeable knives- but due to renovations, I wasn't going to dig through all my currently relocated boxes to find them. I read great reviews....so I purchased it and paid extra for next day shipping.Item arrived, and our pumpkins were ready to be carved. I give kudos to the Bardeen's on their design of this, the packaging was fantastic, decorations and patterns, the knives looked great, and there were so many and scoops. I followed the directions, and actually used a kitchen knife to cut the top of the pumpkin..., this is when problems started.Next I used the scoops, and realized their were plastic and kind of flimsy, I just didn't feel like they were great! Then the knives. I followed instructions, starting with the poker to make holes, the big knife to slowly cut.. and then the smaller knives for detail work. Within 10 minutes 3 of the knives were broken, the drill was all bent. THESE ARE PLASTIC... THEY are not secured well to the knife, the drill is all cheap plastic....I think the concept is great- but the Bardeen's really need to work on their product manufacturing... I don't know if this is made in the USA or not- but I can tell you- I have seen much better products out of China. The price was very high...so I EXPECTED a HIGH quality item, and I did not get that.Thankfully Amazon comes in to save the day, and I returned them the day after I purchased them. I will dig out the nice wooden knife set I bought on here last year for all future pumpkins. Or go to Walmart and buy some of the 2.99 carving knives they have.

I've never enjoyed carving pumpkins. The struggle - the mess - the safety issues...I bought this for my 12 year old daughter who loves carving pumpkins. I'm always worried she'll cut herself with the regular carving tools we have used through the many years and decided to see if there was an alternative. For me, it's very diffult to cut open these pumpkins let alone my daughter and even I don't feel comfortable with the cheap tools we have used.Except for this year - I LOVED THESE! And it made me fall in love with pumpkin carving. I was able to help her, she found it easier to use - and I got to get in and do some fine detailing on them.The mess - well, it's not as messy when you're having fun.The safety - when you have good tools, safety is not as compromised. The blades aren't hard steel so they do bend if you're not careful. But they are sharp and a whole lot better than those you find at Halloween stores or Target.

Sorry for the delayed response, Oct - Jan are a busy blur for my family. I took a chance and purchased this set for two reasons. The first, I liked the family history concept and wanted to support it. Secondly, because previous purchasers indicated broken pieces were replaced by Seller. Right off the bat, two pieces did break fairly easily and for those I am using this review to request replacement. It appears to be the Detail Saw and the General Saw. Other than that, the set was great. My daughter, age 17 was excited to share her pumpkin designs and plans to use it next year at college. I will update this review once I've received a response from the Seller.

I ordered the kit for a Halloween carving party. There was 8 people and there were plenty of saws to go around. Unfortunately, as others have experienced, some of the saws broke. We were still able to finish our pumpkins with the remaining saws. I contacted the company about the broken saws and received a response from Grampa Bardeen himself the very next day. He graciously sent me replacement saws with a hand written note. I will definitely be more careful using the saws next time. The key is to use them with a sewing motion -straight up and down- no angles or bending.

I buy six pumpkins every year for my family to carve. Over the years, I had found one saw out of many cheap sets that worked well and didn't break. We have been sure to keep track of that one and passed it around every year. But, this set has a good tool for everyone. Two of our group got carried away with them, using them more like a knife than a saw, and they did break, but they are thin saws that are meant to be used carefully. If they were thicker, you wouldn't get the detail in the carving. I emailed the company to see if I could pay for replacements, and they sent me replacement saws for free. I plan to have a little usage review before our next carving party. It's great to have the set so that everyone can carve at the same time without waiting for "that one that works."