Thread: Anybody have this hot knife ?

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I saw this in a Harbor Freight catalog today. Don't remember seeing it before. Was wondering if anyone here has one and could give some feedback.


This heavy duty hot knife has five temperature levels and a built-in rheostat. Cuts foam, EIFS, ICF, nylon rope, webbing, synthetic fabric & plastic.


For sculpting candles, foam or other craft materials
Works great for cutting upholstery foam
Knife heats through quickly to give you a quick precision cut every time
Use flat side of the hot knife for smoothing and shaping
Dual use cutting blade for line and groove cutting
Adjustable cutting depth from 3-3/4" to 5-7/16"
Easy push button activation
Auto off feature
Includes a depth adjusting sled

Overall dimensions: 13-1/2" L x 2-1/2" W x 4" H
ITEM 66182-0VGA
$14.99


- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Yes, I bought it and it does not work. Will not heat up.

I bought something similar that didn't work at all. I'm not sure what kind of foam you cut it with but it must be REAL thin stuff.

Originally Posted by savagehaunter

Yes, I bought it and it does not work. Will not heat up.

Originally Posted by dionicia

I bought something similar that didn't work at all. I'm not sure what kind of foam you cut it with but it must be REAL thin stuff.

Bummer, it looks so cool, and the Hotwire Foam Factory stuff is so expensive.

I got the HF one and it works great. You have to make sure you set the temperature dial high enough and also hold the trigger in until the blade heats up (less than a minute for me). I have cut styrofoam sheets and chunks easily and also upholstery foam. It's nice to freehand cut shapes like circles and corners or to bevel edges like on tombstones. By adjusting the guide, I can also cut epitaphs with just the tip. I have cut styrofoam over 4 inches thick.

Try thes tools there is a full set here by Foam Factory (HOT WIRE TOOLS)
Hotwire*Foam*Factory

I bought the sculpting tool from Hot Wire foam Factory, and it works O.K., but it's somewhat hard to control. It's great for roughing out shapes, but it's hard to get a clean, straight cut with it. I would love to try this out.

Originally Posted by Dr. Dark

I bought the sculpting tool from Hot Wire foam Factory, and it works O.K., but it's somewhat hard to control. It's great for roughing out shapes, but it's hard to get a clean, straight cut with it. I would love to try this out.

It cuts cleanly and the blade is long enough for 4" material cutting. At up to 130 watts it gets plenty hot enough to do the job. I haven't experimented with the lower heat settings yet. There are a lot of 20% off coupons for HF in magazines these days so I grabbed one at the local store for $12. I figured for $12 I could throw it away if it didn't work.

Have you looked at the Tippi hot wire tool? I have one and it works VERY well. I use it to cut many of my tombstones and used it for my Magic Mirror facade.
Magic Mirror build

Magic Mirror Prop Help?