Ok. Where do I start? I have bought, and used, several woodburner tools....and they were all impossible to use; didn't heat up enough to actually burn the wood, it took forever to get a project done, and some of them have the little "on/off" switch/dial on the cord, and my hand/arm kept bumping it and turning the heat down (or off), then I'd have to wait for it to heat up again.Last summer, I wanted to make a game board that I couldn't find in stores, and I didn't want to pay $150 for a custom made one. Knowing I could make one cheaper, I asked my niece (who can make anything!) if we could make it ourselves, and her reply was, "We can make anything!" My kinda girl! We made 2 of them in her workshop, and after we got home, over the year, we've played it with everyone, and now everyone we know wants one.....so I launched into finding out how to make one without all of her big workshop tools.I started this huge project: one for each of my sisters, my Dad, my daughter, and one to take to Grand Cayman when we go with friends every year. Immediately, I hit a snag trying to use one of those cheap wood burning tools, I just couldn't do it. It would have taken years to get them all done. I was so frustrated. So my husband told me to buy one that REALLY worked. We drove around town for several hours looking for one that we could see in person (don't bother, nobody has them), and I came home defeated. I originally hesitated to buy one online because the "what if I have to return it??" question is always hanging out there.So I told my husband to go online and find one for me. He spent a good deal of time looking around online, but our go-to is ALWAYS Amazon. He bought this one, and then told me about it. I should have known he would go for the most expensive product on the market, and so I was a little worried.....I mean, the price.... but we can always justify the price: **if it works it's worth it**, if it doesn't work I can return it, we will use it again for other projects (or my Dad or girlfriend will borrow it for projects), But probably THE MOST important factor - everything is a learning experience - and it's cheaper for me to learn to use a new tool than to take a class, so for me, it's an educational process.BUT THIS!! Oh this...... I LOVE this tool. I have had so much fun using this tool. When I first got it, I hooked it up, read the manual (don't laugh), hooked it all up and plugged it in. It is instant on....virtually no warm up time, the handle is comfortable, the grip is a good size. The wand and cord DO get hot, but not enough for me to have to put it down. The heat is adjustable, just a slight turn of the knob makes a big difference in the amount of heat. The cord stays out of my way (big plus). It literally took me Minutes to do a whole board. Not days, not hours, but minutes.Love the many tips. I did end up purchasing a ball point tip for writing.I have had a handful of times that the unit stopped working. One time was because the screws on the tip mount were loose - tightened them down and it worked fine after that. The other 2 or 3 times, it shut off, and I hit the "reset" button on the back of the unit, and it worked fine. I don't know why it auto-shut off, but I can't say that it has been a problem.If I have a critique it would be this: The wand itself is a bit large for my hand, I wish it were a little smaller. The rubber grip on the wand moves up the wand during use, and I have to keep pushing it back down, I wish it were "built into" the wand, so it doesn't move. But these aren't enough for me to really complain about, and certainly wouldn't keep me from buying it again.I don't usually go for the most expensive product, but in this case, you definitely get what you pay for. Don't waste your time or money on anything else. Just take the plunge and get this one. One and done.