Wick trimmer for wood wicks

[JeremyM]

I have a Clean Cut brand wick trimmer that makes a 90 degree cut. It's really nice for trimming my wood wicks, but it's also on the expensive side. I've tried a few other brands, but they all have more of an angle to them, which makes it difficult to trim wood wicks as you trim further into the container. Can anyone recommend another brand of wick trimmer that makes a 90 degree cut like Clean Cut but perhaps a bit cheaper? It's hard to tell just by looking at the photos. 

Jeremy

[Moonstar]

Hi Jeremy  I can't offer any advise on trimmers but was wondering how the wood wicks have been working out. My biggest fear is that they'll either fizzle out or

have issues in general. May I ask you where you get the wooden wicks from + do they work best with soy. I use 464 and the majority of my containers are 3" or a tad 

larger. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Again, I apologize for going off course .

[schmee123]

I have been using nail clippers, not the most effective but it works for now. There is a gardening tool that could work as well but I can't think of the name of it right now (not much help, I know).

 

As with Moonstar, I'd be interested to know about your wood wicks as well because I've been having trouble with them.

 

I've been using the ones from the flaming candle. If I use a blended wax or a soy with additives the flame gets wild after only being lit about 30 minutes, even after sizing down on the wick and keeping it trimmed. Then I used GW 415 and had success burning it for a couple hours at a time, nice flame size and crackle. However today, the flame keeps snuffing itself out (only burned a total of 7 or 8 hours before doing this). Trying the C3 again with various wick sizes. If it doesn't work, I feel I might have to give up on them which is disappointing because I love the look of wood wicks.

[grama]

The big toe nail clippers work great!

 

[wthomas57]

I have descent luck with just regular trimmers.

But, I haven't found any wood wicks worth a darn

[NickS]

I've been thinking of getting one of these to try.  TEKTON 34052 6-Inch End Cutting Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQ7RKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Xe1RzbYQKK484

[wthomas57]

might have to get me one of those.

[Beaches]

My husband got me an end cutter tool.  It works great for all wicks, including wood.  I have tested a few wood wicks and I like the ones from Lone Star best.  I do not sell, so I don't have to worry about reliability.   I have found that no matter what, some wood wicks do not perform.  I have made several of the exact same candles, wood wick, wax, scents, jar.  Most of the time I get good results, but probably at least one of every 7 or so is a dud.  I don't give them as gifts for this reason.     

[coachtom]

The Wooden Wick Company has the patent on most if not all wood wicks on the market. I have been testing their Booster wick that they sell on their site and have had better results.  They sell a single and double ply which I have had not luck with for various reasons. Testing in a variety of waxes and blends. Not going to give up....but what a challenge.  

[wthomas57]

Yah, and I cant stand how most the wooden wicks I try split in two while burning

[JeremyM]

I tried a few brands of wood wicks but always had issues as well. Like coachtom mentioned, there is a patent now on wood wicks so you will notice all sites either selling the same wood wicks or their stock is "limited" as they get rid of their old supply. If they ask you to include a patent on your labels, you know it's the patented kind. The best place to get them is woodenwick.com. I think they are the main supplier of these wicks. It's confusing because there are so many options with different widths and thicknesses. 

 

I also use 464 soy wax, so I have been using mostly the dual wicks (two "original" wicks adhered together) or their booster wicks (an original wick with a much smaller original wick adhered together). I want to like the dual wicks because they provide a more horizontal flame, which I really like. However, I do notice they tend to burn low and are not consistent. As wthomas57 referred to as well, the two wicks curl apart while burning. It looks a bit odd.

 

I have now mostly switched to the booster wicks. It's a more vertical flame, but they work consistently. I use 8 oz mason jars and more recently 9 oz amber jars, and their 1/2" booster wicks work for all of my fragrances in those two jars. The same wick also works very well in my 6 oz gold tins. There are still some where I like the dual wick, so I test both wicks with each new fragrance I sell.

 

https://www.woodenwick.com/adhered-wicks/

 

The toughest thing about wood wicks is unlike traditional wicks, you really need to trim them. The wicks will not stay lit if they are too big, so you need to trim them before each use. I've started sending customers a little thank you note that includes directions for proper maintenance of their candle since we know no one looks at the bottom label. I have also ordered some CleanCut wick trimmers because they are the only wick trimmer I have found that can actually cut at a 90 degree angle. They are not sharp enough for trimming fresh wood wicks after you have poured a candle, but they're perfect for trimming wood wicks before each burning. 

[JeremyM]

On 9/5/2017 at 9:37 PM, NickS said:

I've been thinking of getting one of these to try.  TEKTON 34052 6-Inch End Cutting Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQ7RKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Xe1RzbYQKK484

Great idea! I might need to order a pair as well.

[NickS]

I wound up ordering this one: Stanley 89-875 MaxSteel 6-1/2-Inch End Cutting Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007XNNWC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_qA2NEBzkdOsJZ

 

It arrived this morning and I think it may work brilliantly. The cutting edge is right at 3/4" wide, and there is a 3/8" gap between the cutting edge and hinge, so that is the most you could trim from a wooden wick. You will still need to initially trim the wick to about 1/2" or so with something else and make the final trim with this. It should work very well for between burn trims.

 

It will take some practice and experience judging how much you are trimming.

[schmee123]

On 9/9/2017 at 8:45 AM, JeremyM said:

I tried a few brands of wood wicks but always had issues as well. Like coachtom mentioned, there is a patent now on wood wicks so you will notice all sites either selling the same wood wicks or their stock is "limited" as they get rid of their old supply. If they ask you to include a patent on your labels, you know it's the patented kind. The best place to get them is woodenwick.com. I think they are the main supplier of these wicks. It's confusing because there are so many options with different widths and thicknesses. 

 

 

I have been experimenting with the sample kit lately. I want so badly for them to work but I'm still worried about getting a consistent burn. Wondering if anyone has tried the tube wicks?

[coachtom]

I have had the best luck in testing the WoodenWick booster wick. They will also cut it to size(width) if needed. I just had some some custom made. No additional cost. Great customer service as well. 

[Bia]

On 9/9/2017 at 9:45 AM, JeremyM said:

I tried a few brands of wood wicks but always had issues as well. Like coachtom mentioned, there is a patent now on wood wicks so you will notice all sites either selling the same wood wicks or their stock is "limited" as they get rid of their old supply. If they ask you to include a patent on your labels, you know it's the patented kind. The best place to get them is woodenwick.com. I think they are the main supplier of these wicks. It's confusing because there are so many options with different widths and thicknesses. 

 

I also use 464 soy wax, so I have been using mostly the dual wicks (two "original" wicks adhered together) or their booster wicks (an original wick with a much smaller original wick adhered together). I want to like the dual wicks because they provide a more horizontal flame, which I really like. However, I do notice they tend to burn low and are not consistent. As wthomas57 referred to as well, the two wicks curl apart while burning. It looks a bit odd.

 

I have now mostly switched to the booster wicks. It's a more vertical flame, but they work consistently. I use 8 oz mason jars and more recently 9 oz amber jars, and their 1/2" booster wicks work for all of my fragrances in those two jars. The same wick also works very well in my 6 oz gold tins. There are still some where I like the dual wick, so I test both wicks with each new fragrance I sell.

 

https://www.woodenwick.com/adhered-wicks/

 

The toughest thing about wood wicks is unlike traditional wicks, you really need to trim them. The wicks will not stay lit if they are too big, so you need to trim them before each use. I've started sending customers a little thank you note that includes directions for proper maintenance of their candle since we know no one looks at the bottom label. I have also ordered some CleanCut wick trimmers because they are the only wick trimmer I have found that can actually cut at a 90 degree angle. They are not sharp enough for trimming fresh wood wicks after you have poured a candle, but they're perfect for trimming wood wicks before each burning. 

 

Thanks for sharing all this information! I too have been testing with two ply wicks from Flaming Candle, which they are discontinuing for the patented wicks (one ply?).   If that wick is not trimmed, boy, does that flame have dance fever!

But even when trimmed I would like the flame to be more still. It does crackle nicely. I'm going to try your rec. 

 

As for the wick trimmer, I use this one and it's 90 degrees. They have several colors. 

http://www.yankeecandle.com/product/gold-perfect-wick-trimmer/_/R-1530171

 

[Bia]

Hi Everyone,

I've been in contact with Charlotte from Wood Wicks customer service and they are super helpful! There are a few helpful videos on their youtube channel too.  You can get in touch with customer service via a request on their site and they reply promptly and really try to help.

Hope this helps ;-)