Woodland Scenics® Hot Wire Foam Cutter

Worked like a charm on my Pelican gun case. At first the wire kept breaking for me while using the collars, I found that by just using the wire around the actual prongs in the grooves worked super well. Only like 3 twists per side. To get proper tension I found that squeezing the prongs a bit while twisting worked well, then letting go for proper tension (doesn't have to be stupid tight)At first I wasn't sure about the wire... I even ran to home depot and wally world to try and find some "resistance" or "nichrome" wire, with no luck. NEITHER STORE SUPPLIED THEM. I got fishing leader but ended up trying the supplied wire one final time when I got home (this time without collars) and it worked for the duration of the mag cut as well as the actual gun with only 1 retie due to trouble reaching. near the bipod. You'll probably need a second set of hands to push foam around for some cuts...the thing doesn't have a huge space between handle and wire.See attached pic for quality. Also be sure to run the unit level or you'll get sloppy cuts. I found a big table with lots of clear space to work well. This was my first time using a foam cutter and was very impressed after all the skeptical reviews. Other people may have got duds or tried going too fast or didn't take small 5 second breaks after 6-12 inches of cutting. Take your time and it will probably look even better than mine!I'll be doing my dad's case after he orders replacement foam due to the sloppy cuts the first time with a utility knife. Solid product so far.

This worked wonderfully on styrofoam, cuts like butter! Great for crafting play sets.

I know this is a fringe hobby and we don't have many options, but trust me, save $30 and keep using a hobby knife. If it's possible to make something out of cheaper, more fragile plastic, I've never seen it. I made it three test cuts before it stopped working. It only took 30 seconds to realize that the plastic around the right thumb screw was broken or missing, the nut bursting through. I'll be able to return this because it's actually broken, but thanks to my foolishness and Amazon's return policies, I get the pleasure of paying a restock fee on the return of the add-on accessories I purchased along with this.Save yourself the trouble, this is a very overpriced piece of garbage.

I purchased this item from Amazon as well as a different foam cutter from my local Hobby Lobby, and I have to say I like this one much better than the alternative. I am a hobbyist who makes wargaming terrain, and this cutter is my favorite so far. The one I purchased from hobby lobby has just a single metal rod that is heated, unfortunately it is too wide and does not heat up enough to get a really clean cut. The only thing I like about that cutter over this one is it has a toggle switch that you don't have to hold down.I am unsure of how hot this cutter gets exactly, but I think the small surface area of the wire helps it cut through foam with ease. The momentary switch as I mentioned before is a bit of a pain, but only if you use it for 'extended' periods of time. Once you press the switch, it takes about 2-4 seconds to warm up to where it can start to cut. Wait a little longer for the heat to build, and it gets even better. Once I am finished, I just get two or three paper towels, hold it on to heat it up for a few seconds, and what little styrofoam residue that is left on the wire I just quickly wipe off. Be careful to fold the paper towels over a few times, otherwise the heat can catch you off guard.Other than the switch, the handle is a little flimsy which would normally not be a problem except you attach the two metal rods into the handle with thumb screws.In summary it is not the highest quality item, but I would recommend this to a friend, and I would purchase it again myself.

works so much better than I thought it would, I am making 3D wall art with RD-50 insulation foam board for my daughters room and thought this would be a much easier less messy option than the sawzall I had been using, but was not sure if it would cut well with this particular type of foam board considering it was not intended for hobby/craft type use. But it worked so much better and even beyond my expectations! I thought the push to heat trigger would be very irritating and even imagined I would have to tape it down before I even got it, but sure to their word it heats up instantly ready to cut at a push and cools down equally as fast (Please do not test this by touching) as it is not instantaneous. I give this product 5 stars for it's quality feel does not feel like cheap plastic, also it works just as stated on it's advertising which these days getting junk from companies is just par for the course so this was a nice surprise.

Needing to cut foam for the first time I purchased this item from Amazon.com Instructions were non existent on how to attach the cutting wire to the machine. That's a huge mistake on the part of Woodland Scenics. Not everyone has done this before. I attached them and it seemed stable, plugged it in and cut some foam. I worked great for a couple of cuts, like cutting thru butter. However even though I went very slow the wire broke within 10 minutes. Maybe I had it connected properly, maybe I didn't. This is where directions would have helped. And the little wire that came with it is useless. Now I'm waiting for an order of extra wire. The concept is great and the performance was wonderful for the few minutes that it worked. The lack of decent instructions makes me wish I had purchased another brand. Also, the bubble wrap was difficult to open.