If you are at all interested in cake decorating and if you are fond of decorating with fondant and gum paste, you probably are dreaming on buying one of these:
Well, I did too and I decided to share my view on couple of things concerning this little contraption.
First of all it is discustingly overpriced! I was stunned when I found the better made metal clay gun at Michaels for only $10!
Just for the record, I got the sugar gun for $45.
Second of all, whoever got the idea for the design was definitely not a cake decorator but somebody who envies ( a lot) the golden hands cake decorators have and wants to incapacitate them permanently with this thing. Believe it or not, I've tried everything- adding water, adding shortening etc and my hands were hurting like hell when I tryied to work this thing!
The clay gun is sooooooooo much better! It's metal ( not cheap plastic as the Sugarcraft gun, that cracked after the 3rd use) and if your hands are tired you can simply press it on tabletop and it will work for you without you having to lift a finger :-) I am sorry, but I am spoiled that way. Whenever I can delegate some of the things I have to do to any kind of machinery, I do and I don't feel bad about it.
So, let's sum up here!
The clay gun:
- way easyer to use ( you don't need to mix your fondant or gum paste with any other thing to just make it "squeeze" through, like with the sugarcraft gun)
- way cheaper ( + $30 is a lot!)
- way sturdier ( cheap plastic vs metal?!)
- doesn't try to inflict permanent damage to your hands
- it's small but a little bigger than the sugarcraft gun
The Sugarcraft gun:
- requires a lot of strength to work it out ( forget about it if you have tennis elbow or carpal tunnel)
- ridiculously ( and unjeustifiedely)overpriced
- very fragile ( as I mentioned you can't compare metal to cheap plastic)
- very small! You have to screw and unscrew the top ( or bottom) just to add more and more dough if you want to get a longer rope. Simply a pain.
Overall conclusion:
I highly recommend the clay gun, compared to the sugarcruft gun!
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THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH FOR THIS HEPFUL REVIEW!!!, I WAS "THIS" CLOSE TO BUY THE "ORCHARD" SUGARCRAFT GUN... AFTER I READ YOU ARTICLE, I TOOK MY 40% OFF FROM JOANNE AND I PAID 6.00 DOLLAR FOR MY CLAY GUN AND WORK WONDERFULLY!!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU
LEDA MIRANDA
I am really happy that my review was helpful and you like your new clay gun! Believe me, you made the right choice! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou just saved me a lot of money. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you just want to make hair or grass a garlic press is an even cheaper option, thanks for the advice though as i was thinking of buying one too
ReplyDeletei am obviously doing something wrong with the metal clay gun. I have found it soooooooooooo difficult to use. I have tried water, shortening to soften up the fondant. I need so much strength to ge the fondant out its frustrating. Any ideas what im doing wrong ??
ReplyDeleteIf you have added the shortening to soften the dough ( not only on the sides of the clay gun, but in the dough itself) it should be pliable enough to push it without much pressure. If this doesn't help I would try changing the brand fondant that you are using.
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of things does this clay gun do? I've just started decorating cakes with fondant and I am looking for some easy ways of decorating, would this contraption be any use to me?
ReplyDeleteJme, it basically squeezes fondant through in different shapes and sizes. It is useful for ropes, hair etc when working with fondant.
ReplyDeleteIf fondant is something you are considering working with, I would recommend using it. However, you are mentioning that you are just starting, so this is not necessarily something you need. I would try working with fondant with your hands only for a while and then opt for this tool.
I hope this helps.
A
So glad I came across this post. I was just about to place an order for the sugar craft gun (wincing at the price praying it would be worth it) when I thought I would do a quick google on the review of it and thankfully saw this post. I have just placed an order for the metal clay gun hopefully to be delivered in the next cpl of days and couldn't believe the difference in price. I'm from the UK and the sugarcraft gun was retailing at £20 whereas I've just paid £5 for the clay gun! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI am glad my post helped!
ReplyDeleteAnnie