Makin's USA 35055 Makin's Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder

There seem to be a fair number of poor reviews. This has NOT been my experience at all.I've had mine for a while now and I love it. I love all the options for the different shapes to extrude.I sterilized it when I first received it and use it exclusively for cake decorating. It is easy to use and easy to change the different discs to get varied shapes.Washing it is a little less easy because I make sure I get it all the cracks and rings. Some of the sugar paste I use is very dense, yet I have had no issues extruding it. IT has been a very hardy tool for me.

I love to decorate cakes, but fibromyalgia and pain in my hands often keeps me from doing the very thing I love to do. Extruding can be very hard on your hands so finding the right extruder is key. This one is so easy to extrude because of the way it's designed, I can literally do it with one finger. It has 20 dies (I think that's how it's spelled) that allow you to create ropes, hair, strings, you name it. It does everything any other extruder does but just easier. And I love how much product it holds. Some other extruders can sometimes only hold half the product, so you have to keep refilling.I'm not sure, but I'm assuming that the above would all be true for clay as well - just be sure not to use the same extruder for clay AND cake.

I am extremely glad that I purchased this product. I work with clay on a pretty regular basis and was originally hand rolling a lot of my shapes, but this extruder made my life 10x easier. I wish there was a wider variety of sizes. Even so, 20 is a lot in the first place. I would just like some larger and smaller circle shapes more than the other odd ones it came with.Cleaning is relatively easy. The clay comes out smoothly and cleanly. Mixing with it (as in putting two colors in the extruder) is simple. Thank to the crank needing to be spun down you get complete control over the speed the clay comes out and how much of it you get. It is fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone.

This is a good extruder: it holds a good amount of clay for small projects, comes with a decent selection of shapes, and is basically easy to turn without too much effort.However, this is the second one of these (same exact model) I've bought in the past year. After 4-5 months of light-to-moderate use, the first one broke in a way that wasn't repairable (the screw broke off of the long threaded bolt, and it's this screw that holds a solid disc-shaped piece that pushes the clay through the barrel).For this price I was ok with just buying another one to replace the one that broke. I'll try to be more careful about regularly cleaning the extruder to see if that helps avoid premature breaking.That said, I am eyeing the newer and more expensive Makin's Ultimate Extruder Set (Stainless Steel Version) to see if people feel it's more durable and worth the extra money (http://www.amazon.com/Makins-Ultimate-Extruder-Stainless-Version/dp/B00ESL7ULY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396450239&sr=8-2&keywords=makins+stainless+steel+extruder). As of now, there are no reviews here or elsewhere.If anyone from Makin's reads this...I like your products, but please consider a clearer naming scheme for your extruders. It's very hard to distinguish one model from another since they seem to include the words "ultimate" and "professional".

I bought this for use with gumpaste. I received it today and I've been "playing" like a little kid on christmas morning! I've tried out all the discs and I'm super excited to use this tool in my every day life. There was a small squeak issue which I solved by "lubricating" the screw thingie (technical term, I know) with a little shortening. I didn't want to use anything else since I'm working with edible materials. The screw thingie doesn't come into contact with the gumpaste from what I see but why risk it?Very happy with my purchase. Easy to use and opens up a whole new world design-wise for me.

After 1 use, the extruder no longer works. The handle is frozen and will not turn. The cap covering the screw has fallen off and the rubber O ring is splitting. I have reached out with no response.

This item is will made.

I'm glad I bought this extruder. I have used the plunger type in past but found it to be downright painful if not impossible to use. I also bought the walnut extruder but it was kind of delicate and didn't last very long. So far, this extruder is holding up and is easy to use with any type clay. The only thing I can think of to complain about is that it squeaks. I think that can be remedied but if not, I can certainly live with a little squeak as long as the product works! And, so far, this one does.