If you’re into deep burning pyrography, this is the unit for you! I’d built my own wood vaporizer from a car charger based on some information I found on the internet. I worked great until it fried… This of course left me in a pinch to find a replacement… and fast.
I ended up getting a Razortip SS-D10 unit from my local Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop. The main reasons for this purchase are that it is local and the brand has a good reputation. This unit has very fine temperature adjustment and seems to be well made, but it really lacks the wattage for deep burning that I needed. I tried and hoped, but to no avail. It just wouldn’t get hot enough for my needs and had to go back. I’m sure the Razortip is great for light burning and shading, but the SS-D10 just didn’t cut the mustard for me. Even just signing my name took more time than expected.
Enter the Burnmaster. This is what I wanted at the onset of searching for a new wood burner because it offers the highest wattage output of any other consumer unit. Also, when you compare it to others, it’s cheaper than some and right in line with the majority of the competition.
With that, lets talk price for a minute. The Razortip SS-D10 ran me $160 and was in stock at my local store. The Burnmaster Hawk is a single port unit for $143.95, but wasn’t in stock in my area. The Burnmaster Eagle is a dual port unit for $173.95, and also wasn’t in stock in my area. Both of the Burnmaster units have the highest wattage output of any consumer wood burner on the market of 130 watts! The only difference between the two units is the number of ports. For the few extra dollars, I opted for the Burnmaster Eagle from www.woodcarverssupply.com.
Why didn’t I just make another wood vaporizer from a car charger? Well, a good charger runs at least 50 bucks. Add in the dimmer to control the output wattage and the time to modify the unit, it just didn’t make a lot of economic sense to do that again. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my car charger wood burner Frankenstein machine, but well… It died on me when I needed it most. Sniffle…
So what do I think about the Burnmaster Eagle? Well, in a word… It’s amazing! I purchased the Burnmaster Eagle kit, which retails at $259.95 and comes with a seriously nice bag, two pens, adapters, and 10 different tips. I opted for the kit since I’m demoing more these days and thought that the extras would be good to have. The Burnmaster pens are top notch. They will accept custom made tips with ease and stay cool even during long work sessions. Each of the burning tips are well made with heavy solid copper cross sections at the attachment side. They interface with the pens well and perform as expected. Speaking of the pens, they are the only units that accept all hot wire style tips sold in North America. Regardless of whether you purchase the kit or not, each unit comes with 1 or 2 cables and adapters (depending on # of ports on your unit) to use with any pen on the market. Another feature only found on Burnmaster is reset overload protection. If a pen, tip or patch cord malfunction the overload trips and protects the main unit. In addition, the Burnmaster units carry a 3 year warranty, and if you don’t love your Burnmaster they’ll refund your money!
Alright, enough about the features and such…How well does the thing work?
In addition to the heat adjustment knob, these wood burners have an adjustment screw so that you can bias the heat range to be hotter or “cooler” across the 1-10 temperature range. They come preset from the factory at 3 which is in the middle of the “bias” adjustment. Use of the unit is fairly straight forward. First, plug it in… ok, ok… simply slide the port selection switch to port 1 or port 2 and adjust the temperature knob for the desired heat. Depending on the task at hand, you can either have the tip cherry red and bring flames off the wood or just warm enough to shade the work piece.
When I first received my unit, I was ready to start burning a basket weave pattern on a bowl. Even with a large coil of 20 gauge wire, this unit delivered enough heat to make this job a breeze! Also, the pen I’m using in the photos below is one that I made for my previous wood burner.
I will say, that I very much enjoy having the dual port unit so that I can leave the pen I use for signing always plugged in and ready to go with just the flip of a switch. The $30 difference for this functionality was well worth it to me.
Usually, there is something that I’m rather nit picky about when it comes to tools, but this unit does everything I want it to. There isn’t a single thing I’d change about the Burnmaster Eagle. If you decide to give it a try, I’m sure you’ll be happy, too.
Mike
www.woodshopmike.com
Twitter: @woodshopmike
Facebook: Wood Shop Mike
Thank you, WSMike! Awesome review; I really appreciate the details. In comparison I am a novice. But I have a passion for woodworking and burning. Years ago I burned an unfinished dresser – a massive Atypical Mule Deer in water surrounded by cattails on top, a grizzly bear on the largest drawer, and a couple small young animals on the small drawers. I did all of it with the soldering iron you buy in a craft shop. Needless to say I had to stop working often because the pen burned me. It was quite frustrating.
Due to some research, including your wonderful review, my better half just ordered me the Dual Burnmaster. I am so excited!! I can’t wait for it to arrive and start testing it out!
Thanks again, take care, Dawn.
Wow, that sounds like quite the project! I’d love to see a photo, and congrats on the new unit! You’ll love it.
My machine turn off after 5 minutes of use. I push the reset button but continue with the problem. What can I do to resolve the problem
Hi Rocio,
It’s difficult to say what the issue would be without having the unit in front of me. However, I’d check a couple things first. The Burnmaster products come in two voltages, one is 110V and the other is 230V. I assume you’re supplying the unit with the proper voltage? So, just to have that painfully simple check out of the way, there is a micro heat adjustment located between 2 & 4 on the temperature knob. Have you adjusted this? If so I’d turn it back to the approximate factory setting. If you haven’t adjusted that knob, I’d try turning it counter clock wise to lower the heat range. I do not know how far left or right you can turn that knob as I’ve not needed to adjust mine, but I’d make adjustments in 1/4 or 1/2 turn increments and see if that helps. Also, note the original location of the micro heat adjustment.
Is this a new unit or one you’ve had for a while that’s just now giving you trouble? If it’s new, you may just want to look at contacting Master Carver’s customer support. If it’s a unit you’ve had for a while, it could be possible that the fuse in your unit is going bad and just needs to be replaced.
Master Carver has an online technical support form you can fill out or you can try calling them at 1-888-877-8261.
Hope this helps.
I just found your review & it’s great. I have looked at a lot of sites that sell Burnmaster but can’t find out where it is manufactured. A friend said it was made in China but one website said it was made in the USA. When I called Woodcarvers Supply (supposedly the company that owns it) the person I spoke with said it’s made by Mastercarver which is a USA company but when I asked specifically if it was made in the USA he said he didn’t know. I find it hard to believe that they don’t know where it’s made. We don’t have any local stores for me to look at it so I can’t determine
Hey so I want one of these, I am used to using these stupid cheap pens, that don’ t get hot enough, I have a heavy hand, and I like to burn stuff!!. I do mostly art currently working on a found coffee table mostly just wording but I quickly found these regular pens just aren’t what I am used to. The tips on this one look a little weird, can you tell me about em?
Hi Wendi,
The tips on this pen and most other wood burners in this price range use nicrome wire. They will become a bit malleable when heated up but you don’t have to apply much pressure to use the pen because the writting tip will easily burn the wood.
You can make your own tips out of nicrome wire (which is sold in many places across the web) by simply cutting a section of wire and shaping it to your desired profile.
Any thing else you’d like to know?
Have a good one!
Thank you, I think I am going to just get it and see how it works. I seems to have the power I need. When I finish this dang table I will send pics…
Sounds great! Good luck, I’ve really enjoyed using this wood burner.
Hi Mike,
I appreciate the review. I’ve had my unit for about a year now and up until last week have been really happy with it (although if you have any suggestions for a tip that can do a lot of fill-work I’m all ears). Last week I was finishing up some detail for a clock I’m making and *huh* where’d all the heat go? Suddenly the unit wasn’t getting current to the pen and instead made a lite buzzing sound and there is vibration coming from the transformer. Turned it on and off a few times, messed with the dialer, hit the reset button, and combinations of the three. Cannot get it to come back to life. Sent off an email to customer service, hopefully they will get back to me. Just wondering if you’ve had any similar problems. I tried searching around for replacement transformer units, but it looks like after taking off the cover to the unit that its all one big part, so I don’t know if getting a new transformer is worth it. It looks like tips go for 9 bucks a piece, so maybe a lot of the retail price is in the tips and not so much the unit itself? Have you seen replacement units sold “a la carte” anywhere?
Hi Ben,
I’ve not had any issues with mine in the few years I’ve owned it. In all likelihood your transformer went bad. If it were me, I’d find a replacement transformer and just replace it, but I’m comfortable the soldering and electrical. You can purchase just the unit here from Wood Carvers Supply. I will say that their customer support is pretty awesome though. I’d like to know our feedback with them if you don’t mind.
As far as a tip to do fill work, I believe those are typically referred to as “spoons”. You can make them from 18-16 gauge nicrom wire. Just shape the wire as you want and then stick it into the terminals on your pen. Let the wire get red hot and flatten out the wire to your desired shape. You can find Nicrom wire from lots of vendors on ebay or amazon.
Hope that helps, good luck!
Hi I am reading all your q&a’s and I believe you answered my question about my pen not staying hot and blowing the fuse and I see the hole to adjust the temp but what tool do I use to turn it up ? I appreciate any help you can give me Thanks Lisa
Hi Lisa, you use a small screw driver. If I recall, there is one that came with the unit.
Hi Mike thanks for getting back to me but I tried that before I asked you and that doesn’t fit I thought maybe you knew of some other tool I could try but I will look around to see if I can find something as I am lost without my burner, waiting in a call back from the mastercarver himself hopefully it’s not to much longer..thanks for all your great advice on your page I love seeing what your up to next
I have a Detail Master unit that I have owned for maybe 12 years and wonder if the Burnmaster pen units will work with it. I don’t do a lot of pyrography but enjoy adding it to other projects. Thanks
Bill
Hi Bill, if the Detail Master pens have an rca plug then then Burnmaster pens will work.
Thanks, I’ll have to see what pen designs I have and maybe get a couple of new ones.
I’d buy the eagle full kit but I live in Italy and I don’t see it!
UFFA!
bye