After trying out the pyrography pens to decorate my carving projects, I began to really enjoy this hobby. So I decided to upgrade my toolset and buy a professional pyrography machine, which is how I got to try out 6 different sets, and try to choose the best professional wood burning kit. In this post, I wrote wood-burning tool reviews for each of the pro sets I’ve been using.
The difference between a beginner’s toolset and a professional wood burning kit is the quality of the tools, above all. Pyrography burners for newbies are often designed to be lightweight, having less power, and are not so durable.
Professional wood burners are more powerful and more demanding. At the same time, the higher quality is imperative for a higher price as well. A toolkit for crafty artists usually includes more pyrography accessories and allows a lot more burning styles and techniques.
- Tekchic Wood Burning Kit 21 Wire Tips
- Two burners with various tips are great for detailed drawing on wood. Although, the tips are a bit sensitive and the toolset is not cheap.
- $79.99
- YIHUA 939-II Pyrography Pen Wood Burning Kit Station
- Very durable professional machine with a safety switch. Worth the buy even if it doesn’t have the fancy accessories.
- $49.99
- TEKCHIC 60W Wood Burning Kit with 20 Wire Nibs Tips
- Best value. Powerful toolset with two burners, enabling a wide range of projects to be done with it.
- $125.99
- TRUArt Stage 2 Dual Pen Professional Woodburning Detailer 60W
- A fancy toolset with professional tools and full equipment for eternal use. Great quality and a big price.
- $249.95
- Professional Pyrography Tool Kit 60W
- A modest set with great power and assets. The handle has a weird shape so it is not the easiest to hold.
- Price not available
- Wood Burning Kit, WANDART 60W
- A full package deal with two pens and a full set of accessories. The handles of the pens are not comfortable and the plastic becomes slippery.
- Price not available
In this article, I will explore deeper the pros and cons of the best professional wood burning tools I’ve tried out. If you love working with machines and wood, you can also check out my reviews on the Best Power Wood Carving Tools in 2021. For classic carving with your favorite knives, I have tried out different tools such as sandpaper – in Best 6 Sandpapers for Wood review, and leather strops for taking care of the blades – in Top 6 Leather Strops Reviews. Check them out and let me know what you think.
If you are new to wood-burning, and you need simpler tools for beginners, you can choose from my list of Top 6 beginner wood burning kits. These tools are easy to use and less pricey than the toolsets I’ve reviewed in this post.
What makes a good wood burning kit for professionals?
For me, everything that matters for the beginner’s pyrography kits, matters for professional ones as well. Except, from professional kits, I expect outstanding quality, guaranteed durability, and more accessories that I can experiment with.
If we are being honest, these woodburning brands were designed primarily for artists. This is why they are sometimes overpriced and not always the greatest choice for a woodcarver who is decorating the sculpture with a burning pen.
My main criteria when choosing the best proffesional wood burning kit are the following. First of all, I value a burning pen that is easy to use, comfortable for my grip, and not too heavy to cause hand fatigue.
Secondly, I estimate how long does it take for the pen to heat up, as well as the temperature it can achieve. From a professional pyrography machine, I also expect that I can adapt the temperature myself, so I can achieve different effects on the wood surface.
Along with other aspects, I find it important how many accessories does one wood burning tool kit has. Having different wood burning nibs means I can use the pen as an etching machine, for engraving, stamping, drawing freely, and create exactly what I want with little to no limits.
Something that I didn’t evaluate much for the beginner tool kits is the durability. For me, a beginner toolset is something I purchase to try out something new, and I rarely expect it to last an eternity. However, when it comes to a profession wood burning kit, I need to know for how long am I making the investment. So, the overall quality and resilience of the wood burning pen are very important in these reviews.
And finally, I am interested in the price of the toolkit. All things considered, I try to estimate if it’s a good value despite a big price, or if the smaller price will cost me higher in the long run. These tools are designed for established artists and this is what makes them more expensive than I would like.
Tekchic Wood Burning Kit 21 Wire Tips – Two burners offer great control for artistic drawing
This is an expert machine that operates under the power of 50W, and the box offers the possibility to adjust the temperature very easily. I like it how there is a big display that informs you about the heat level, and the tip warms up very quickly.
It cools down fast as well, but there is no automatic cooling system on it. The pen itself is thin and light, allowing more control over the tip so you can simply draw with it. I still prefer to draw with a pencil or a marker beforehand, but this was something that I enjoyed trying out.
This kit actually comes with two pyrography burners and stands for both of them. It comes with 21 wire tips, but make sure to screw them in properly if you don’t want them to spark and blow upon you. They are a little sensitive in that sense but other than that they are super needed.
- Lightweight and easy to use.
- You can control the tip with great precision and adjust the heat as well.
- It comes with two burners and 21 tips.
- The pens get heated up rather quickly.
- The tips are sensitive and need to be screwed in carefully.
- It is quite expensive.
To Sum Up
This is a professional quality wood burning, especially for those who enjoy drawing on wood with a burning pen directly. It offers full control over every little detail, but it needs to be treated very carefully when you change the tips. The good thing about having two pens instead of one is that you can use two tips for a project and not need to switch the nobs every now and again (for example for etching and shadowing).
YIHUA 939-II Pyrography Pen Wood Burning Kit Station – Simple professional tool designed for safe use
This machine is not as strong, in fact, it holds the least power among others on this list. However, it can heat up nicely and the tips of the pen are very versatile. There are not a lot of wire tips included, but the thing is I could execute really cool projects with this pen regardless.
This is a very professional wood burning set and it stands out in terms of quality. It switches on and off easily, you can adjust the level of the heat, and watch the wire tips heat up in seconds. Unlike some other sets, this one can easily be used on all sorts of materials: paper, cardboard, leather, and other fabric.
The best part is that it is designed to be super-safe. Not only in terms of voltage but also the pen itself – it has a switch that you need to hold in order for the tip to be heated. As soon as you let go, everything cools down, so you cannot make an accidental mess.
- Versatile professional tool, great quality.
- It can be used for all sorts of projects and on different materials.
- Temperature changes with an easy switch, and the pen heats up quickly.
- It has a safety system, and the tips automatically cool down as soon as you let go of the pen.
- It is not very powerful and comes with only 4 different wire tips.
- Far too expensive when compared to the other toolsets.
To Sum Up
The quality of this tool is unquestionable, and it will last a lifetime. The problem can be that it is a bit pricey when you think of the lack of accessories, but I really did manage to get a lot done regardless. So, even though it doesn’t come with fancy accessories, I’m pretty amazed by what this thing can do.
TEKCHIC 60W Wood Burning Kit with 20 Wire Nibs Tips – The machine for different art projects
When seen for the first time, this sure sounds like a great deal. It has two pens, holders, and 20 different tips. Plus, it is strong and reaches high temperatures.
Let’s start with what I like about this tool. This is a professional pyrography machine that enables you to control the temperature and follow the voltage on a little display. The two pens are covered with a soft material to avoid hand fatigue which is super fancy and I love it. It arrives with a small case to store it in, which is a nice touch.
The display shows voltage and it can be confusing unless you are used to knowing which voltage you use to burn the wood instead of the temperature. When I use both pens, it gets “confused” and doesn’t always show the correct values.
- A powerful machine and a nice set of equipment for artsy projects.
- The heat can be adjusted for two pens that come with it.
- The pen handles are ergonomic and comfortable.
- The voltage display is hard to read and not always exact.
To Sum Up
The only flaw of this professional woodburning kit is the display. However, this is not a small flaw, because it affects a lot the level of control you have over the two pens you use in your project. It can take a while to get used to it if you decide to purchase this wood burner tool.
TRUArt Stage 2 Dual Pen Professional Woodburning Detailer 60W – Super professional toolset with all the perks
Now, this is what I would call a deluxe woodburning kit. The pyrographic equipment that comes with the machine with two pens is all you can ever really need form a burning toolkit.
Firstly, the machine is strong and instantly heats up the nibs. There are two holders, quality and expensive, with sponges in this package. Both pens are ergonomic and covered with a soft material so I literally worked on one of my most complex projects with it for hours.
Aside from 40 different tips, there are other additions such as pliers and tweezers, so you won’t have to buy any pyrography supply additionally. It comes in a big case, to store the whole kit, and I always appreciate that when it comes to any toolset I use.
- Full-package deal with pens, tips, and assorted files.
- A powerful tool, heats up in a blink of an eye.
- Comes with holders, sponges, and a case for safekeeping.
- Comfortable and easy to use.
- The tips cool down slowly, so I need to wait a while before I change them.
- This is a very expensive toolset.
To Sum Up
All things considered, this is a one-time buying that you do if you only want one toolset for all your burning projects. This could easily be considered the best professional wood burning kit, and it is also expensive, as it is expected to be.
Professional Pyrography Tool Kit 60W – A simple woodburning tool with a single pen
This is a one-pen kit, with a fancy holder, a powerful machine, and all kinds of tips and assets. Personally, I am not overly amazed by the performance of this tool, and I must say I was expecting more.
Even though I can control the temperature, the handle is not very easy to hold and rather uncomfortable. This makes the control over the tip very difficult, and honestly, this is my biggest problem with this tool.
So, yes, the heat of the tip is fine, and the nobs you get with it are of good quality and will get the job done. But, if the handle doesn’t suit me, everything else doesn’t make up to that.
- Strong, powerful machine.
- The tip gets heated up quickly.
- Nice set of accessories.
- The handle is not comfortable to grip and control.
- Seriously overpriced, compared to other toolsets.
To Sum Up
So, as I said in the beginning, I gave this tool a chance since it is a professional wood burning tool kit. But, despite the good performance it can achieve, the handle is a big issue for me, and this is why I would not recommend it from my personal experience.
Wood Burning Kit, WANDART 60W – A full set of tools with multiple assets
This is one of the professional wood burning tool sets with all things included, just like the TRUArt set I’ve reviewed above. However, unlike other sets, this professional pyrography kit is noticeably of poorer quality overall.
The machine, both pens, handles, the strop, and the screwer – the whole set simply felt like a cheaper version of what could be an excellent set. The pens themselves are very durable, I’ll give them that. But they are rather designed for a handyman than a creative craftsman.
The thing about the pens is that they are covered in smooth plastic that is not at all comfortable for the hand. But, comfort aside, when my palms sweat just a little, my fingers start sliding, and it doesn’t affect my control over the tips only, but it is also kinda unsafe.
- Good quality, and durable tool.
- Full set of pens and accessories.
- Powerful machine can reach high temperatures that can be adjusted and monitored.
- The pens are not comfortable to grip.
- The plastic of the pen handles becomes slippery after a while of holding it.
- The price is way too high compared to the overall quality.
To Sum Up
So, as with the previous tool, my biggest issue is the handle. As soon as I unpacked the wood burning tool, I knew it would be difficult to operate with the pens. Everything else – the temperature, the accessories, it is pretty great. But, overall, it isn’t worth as much as it costs.
Final Thoughts
- A modest set that is Professional Pyrography Tool Kit 60W is a simple and cheap solution if you need an under budget burning machine.
- Professionals who rely on wood burners on a daily basis, however, need something more durable, reliable, and with multiple purposes. This is why I recommend TRUArt Stage 2 Dual Pen.
- If you will be using this burner frequently and for a longer period of time, make no mistake of underestimating the importance of the comfort of the handle.
When it comes to choosing the professional wood burning kits that I would use for a long time, of course a lot of things matter. Firstly, it has to be a high quality wood burning tool, and have many of the wood burning accessories.
However, my priority remains the comfort, and this is why I would say that, for me, the TRUArt Stage 2 Dual Pen Professional Woodburning Detailer 60W is an absolute winner. My second choice, in terms of the quality would be the TOPELEK Wood Burning Tools machine, because it is absolutely outstanding and worth the money, in my opinion. So, in the end, it depends on what you need – do you need fancy stands, many tips and nibs, or a rather simpler tool.
When we talk about the best value, and not the best professional wood burning kit, I would say that TEKCHIC 60W Wood Burning Kit with 20 Wire Nibs Tips is a good choice with all the perks it comes with. It is still a professional pyrography machine, and it is affordable compared to the other tools.
I hope these wood burning tool reviews were useful and helped you choose the most suitable pyrography tool set for the next buy.
Jeff Richardson Editor
Passionate about wood carving since high school. Always been able to relax while carving. 7 years ago, I decided to dedicate my whole time to wood carving; this is when I started my blog. I am a fan of DIY, fitness, and crafts. Also, I love to spend time with my friends, carving something out of wood. I hope you enjoy my articles.
Related Posts
Best Power Wood Carving Tools in 2023
So far I have written about different wood carving knives and reviewed what were the best ones that I used. However, I recently discovered many benefits of using electric tools and now I am looking for the best power wood carving tools for my toolkit. Electric tools can be very…
Best Wood Carving Chisel Set
Every wood carving master knows how essential it is to choose the best wood carving chisels to add to your toolkit. If you are a beginner in wood carving, you are yet to discover the very practical use of wood carving chisels and gouges and limitless smooth surfaces you can…
No comments so far.
Be first to leave comment below.