As a kid, the first time I carved a pumpkin on my own was a harrowing experience. I apologized to it as I sliced out its little eyes and scooped out its tasty seeds. Every year it got easier, and every year, I found myself enjoying it more. To pumpkins, I’m probably a monster. A boogey-girl, the stuff of nightmares. They tell their children tales of the red-headed witch who will come claim them and carve up their soft fleshy gourd-bodies if they misbehave. Or, you know, maybe not.
Carving pumpkins is just a lot of fun. Even as an adult it’s a satisfying artistic exercise—and a good excuse to hang out with friends and drink seasonal pumpkin beers and watch scary movies. If you have kids, or young family members, it’s also a fun way to channel some of the pre-Halloween excitement. To that end, I put together this list of my favorite carving kits and tools for every kind of jack-‘o-lantern artist.
Be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including our trick-or-treating gear for parents.
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Photograph: Halloween Haunters
A Great Starter Kit
Professional Pumpkin Carving Kit
This toolkit is similar to the one I use (which is sold out, sadly), with a few extra tools. It includes everything you need to get started on carving pumpkins for real. Not one of those itty bitty kits you pick up at the grocery store. This one includes high-quality tools including a couple serrated saws, some pokers, and a good scooper. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking to up your pumpkin-carving game.
For Parents: This kit is pretty kid-safe. None of the tools are dangerously sharp and none of them have long exposed edges. The scooping tool is great for young kids to scoop out the seeds and goop, while the saws and pokers are good for older kids to get involved in the carving without handling anything too dangerous.
Amazon
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Photograph: Amazon
For Better Stenciling
Klein Tools Woodworking Awl
This little poker doesn’t look like much, but if you pick up one thing in addition to the stock-standard grocery store pumpkin carving kit, get one of these. Just print out any stencil and tape it to the pumpkin. You’ll use this little poker to make dotted lines around the outside of anything you’re gonna carve out (so you can remove the stencil before cutting). It’s a surefire way to trace a stencil onto a pumpkin and even softens up the pumpkin’s skin for carve time.
For Parents: This one is OK for grade school kids to use with supervision, but use your best judgment on their abilities with tools. In my experience, it’s a great way to get kids involved in carving even if they’re too young to handle the knives themselves. If you’re not comfortable using this sharp little poker, you can get similar results with a ball-point pen and it’s a little safer for younger kids.
Amazon
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Photograph: Amazon
For Scooping Pumpkin Guts
Redneck Convent Fleshing Tool
This tool is pretty advanced, but if you’re into getting that glowy, three-dimensional look, you’re going to need one of these. A scooper like this makes it easy to create depth by scraping away the skin and flesh little by little. This one is great for achieving that sculpted look that you see on professionally carved pumpkins.
For Parents: This one is also fairly safe for kids to use with supervision. Stencil out the area you want to target, and kids have a good time scraping out the flesh. It’s definitely a safer option than handing over a knife, and it’s a great way to introduce kids to sculpting.
Amazon
