Win Your Block’s Best Pumpkin Award This Halloween With These Carving Tools & Patterns for 2020

If you love arts and crafts and want the chance to show people how creative you can be, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween are likely your favorite holidays. Having an excuse to create eye-catching centerpieces, tree-topping ornaments or spooky decorations is great fun and a nice way to spend time with children, friends and family, too. One of the best annual holiday tasks is without a doubt making jack-o’-lanterns with pumpkin carving kits.

Every year brings a blank canvas, letting you create the most eye-catching or scariest design you can think of. Whether you choose a ghost, monster or Halloween scene for your pumpkin, there’s always plenty of fun to be had seeing who can create the best jack-o’-lantern!

When it comes to carving pumpkins, having the right tools and inspiration gives a huge leg up. While a kitchen knife and dessert spoon perform a perfectly adequate job for the average jack-o’-lantern, if you’re looking to raise your pumpkin carving game or entertain friends and family with a pumpkin carving competition, it’s time to upgrade your tools.

We’ve put together a list of 11 pumpkin carving kits, books and tools to help you achieve the best possible jack-o’-lantern. From three-dimensional faces and creepy ghosts to graveyard scenes and Darth Vader’s mask, these kits and templates will teach you how to carve a pumpkin for every preference and skill level.

Grab one of these handy pumpkin carving kits, raise your carving game and make sure it’s your house that stands out this Halloween with amazing jack-o’-lanterns.

1. Antner Professional Pumpkin Carving Tool Kit

BEST OVERALL PUMPKIN CARVING KIT

This eight-piece Antner Professional Pumpkin Carving Tool Kit includes every kind of pumpkin carving tool you could want. From a pumpkin scraper and a scimitar saw to an oblique knife and a moon curved knife, this complete kit is worthy of professional-standard creations. The eight different tools mean there’s enough for every member of the family to have one during at-home pumpkin carving parties. Plus, the set comes with its very own case, giving you an easy way to store your tools and help prevent their disappearance between holidays.

2. Easy Pumpkin Carving

BEST LEARNING PUMPKIN CARVING KIT

Whether you’ve been carving for years or you have decided this is the year to up your pumpkin carving kit game, the Easy Pumpkin Carving: Spooktacular Patterns, Tips & Ideas provides sound advice on making the most of your pumpkin carving skills. The 14 different patterns in the book include a bat, sugar skull, black cat and a witch on a broomstick. In addition, the book also gives advice on carving techniques and other tips on how to become the street’s number one pumpkin carver.

3. Pumpkin Masters Pumpkin Carving Kit

BEST PUMPKIN CARVING KIT FOR KIDS

The Pumpkin Masters Pumpkin Carving Kit comes with everything you need to produce an eye-catching pumpkin this Halloween (except the pumpkin). Inside, you’ll find a book with 12 different patterns to try as well as three different saws, a scraper scoop and a handy poker. This is a great way to inspire your friends or kids into creating something special and make your pumpkin carving kit party a little bit more exciting.

4. Premium 3 Piece Pumpkin Carving Kit

BEST THREE-PIECE PUMPKIN CARVING KIT

You don’t necessarily need tons of tools to carve the scariest pumpkin on the block. This pumpkin carving kit comes with just three tools to effectively get the job done. This will be the last carving kit you’ll ever have to buy because the tools are crafted from stainless steel and durable plastic for lifelong use. The kit’s built for both the master carver and kids alike, because these tools are optimized for perfectionists but also to be almost accident-free. Though, we still recommend you watch any kid trying to do this on their own and don’t suggest anyone under 10 years old plays around with it.

5. MeiGuiSha Pumpkin Carving Tools Kit

BEST PROFESSIONAL PUMPKIN CARVING KIT

The MeiGuiSha Professional Wooden Pumpkin Carving Tools Kit is a professional standard carving kit which also comes in a handy, rolling case for easy storage and transport. The kit boasts 10 different carving tools, including knives, a saw, pokers and a scoop. This kit would make a great gift for friends who love to get artsy at this time of year.

6. Halloween Haunters Ultimate 14 Piece Professional Pumpkin Carving Tool Kit

PUMPKIN CARVING KIT WITH MOST PIECES

While we do love the professional pumpkin carving kit prior, we also have a soft spot for this one from Halloween Haunters. If 10 pieces aren’t enough for your pumpkin carving kit needs, add four more to make magic happen. Built with stainless steel and both wood and plastic ergonomic handles, this pumpkin carving kit is easy to use and not to mention, quite safe. For pros who know what they’re doing, having this many tools will be a field day, but for people who don’t necessarily know what they’re doing, this could be quite overwhelming. For beginners (and children) we definitely suggest going with something a little more simple.

7. Realistic Pumpkin Carving

BEST ARTISTIC PUMPKIN CARVING KIT

If pumpkin carving is more than just a half an hour activity you do every October, and you’re genuinely looking to impress visitors or get some recognition on social media, this Realistic Pumpkin Carving: 24 Spooky, Scary, and Spine-Chilling Designs is the book you need. Inside, you’ll find out how to create creepy, three-dimensional faces on your pumpkins to genuinely give people the willies. The book includes two step-by-step projects to get you started and an additional 24 patterns once you’re ready to go it alone.

8. Hyde & EEK! Boutique Deluxe Halloween Pumpkin Carving Kit

BEST FOUR-PIECE PUMPKIN CARVING KIT

Looking for a pumpkin carving kit on the more affordable side with minimal tools? We got you. This set includes a detailer, gut scooper as well as one medium and one large carver to get your jack-o’-lantern looking creepy as hell. Each tool is separated into a storage unit that allows for easy safekeeping. Simply throw them in the shed or pantry and use them again and again for years on end. The kit is meant for people ages eight and up and obviously, the young ones will need some supervision.

9. Dakota Products Pumpkin Gutter & Carving Tool

BEST PUMPKIN GUTTER

If all you’re looking for in a carving tool is the ability to quickly gut your pumpkin, you might not necessarily need an entire pumpkin carving kit. Instead, the Dakota Products Pumpkin Gutter & Carving Tool is for you. The simple yet effective tool is sturdy and durable enough to rip through your pumpkin’s insides and drag the seeds and flesh out without a problem. The rounded head makes clearing insides easy without fear of breaking through the wall, and the tool is also dishwasher safe, making clean up after carving a little easier.

10. Falling in Art Craft Linoleum Block Cutters

BEST PUMPKIN CARVING KIT FOR ETCHING

The Falling in Art Craft Linoleum Block Cutters is a classy way to etch your pumpkin. This technique involves scraping away the top layer of “skin” on the pumpkin rather than cutting all the way through. These high-quality tools feature beechwood handles and a range of interchangeable blades. Options include a classic knife along with several different U-shaped cutters, which are all made from hardened carbon steel for easy cutting and durability.

11. BLACK+DECKER Max Lithium Drill with Accessories

BEST POWER-ASSISTED OPTION

Bored of having to use up all your elbow grease cutting, gutting and carving your pumpkin? Say goodbye to using physical effort thanks to this BLACK+DECKER Max Lithium Drill with Accessories. This battery-powered drill makes cutting through your pumpkin a cinch and includes a variety of drill bits to aid your pumpkin-crafting work. And while it’s not the most precise tool available on our list, if you’re creating pumpkins on a large scale, using a power drill is definitely going to save you a good number of man-hours.

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