I use the small one all the time, and I have never had any problems with it. Works great for me!
I'm surprised that this leveler works for some. Maybe because I used it on carrot cake and the nuts and carrots prevented it from cutting through cleanly. In any event, I'm sold on the Egbay and just ordered it for myself as my Mother's Day present. Thanks everyone for your input!
I have the small Wilton leveler and love it. I tried the Alton Brown method on a sheet cake and it was totally destroyed. The saw blade was just too flexible to make a level cut and my cake looked like a ski slope! My hubby didn't mind so much since he gets to eat my mistakes, but that was a pretty huge cake to have to start over! For as much as I LOVE Alton, that one was a disappointment. I have yet to try on a smaller cake like he showed - I'm a little scared of it now.
I use the large Wilton leveler on all my cakes and never experience any problems, and show the use of it and recommed it in my Wilton classes I teach. As previously stated, you must go slow and steady with it and keep the feet firmly on the surface. I am not a big fan of the smaller one just because I love using the bigger one so much.
I love my small Wilton leveler, have not had a cake order big enough to require the larger one. But have not had any real issues with the small one. I find if the cake has a high crumb factor, it will tear easier, so you have to go slow & easy and keep the feet tight to the surface, you should have very little tearing. I usually use a steak knife to get the cut started, just cut a notch even with the wire & continue on with the leveler. If I get going to fast this is usually when it tears. The denser the cake, the better it slices.
I just used it on two chocolate sheet cakes and a 6,9,12in butter wedding cake. Each cake had 4 - 1in layers. Worked beatifully. Just went slowly all the way around the cakes on a large surface until I worked my way through. I loved it so much that I will forever torte my cakes. I am suprised at the mixed reviews.
Maybe it works different with a more coarse cake?
My main issue is storing it. I did not want it to bend - so I had my husband put a few screws in the back of one of my cabinets so I could hang it and keep it straight.
So far so good.
Lee
I hate the small wilton, that dang wire is useless, but I must say for a soft cake it gets it level. The large one was bought and used over the weekend, my tiers were eaten to the blade eats down and up and it hard to keep level... even using the sawing motion! I just watched Alton Brown on FN use pickets wood and a hack saw blade and it is firmer so I think with DH a carpenter I might give it a hoot next time!!!
Another one who thinks the Wilton leveler is a piece of junk. I may someday invest in an Agbay, I hear so many good thngs about it. But think I want to get a stress free support system first. I once worked for a woman who had a Wilton leveler and I was never able to get a straight cut with it, I did much better with a long bladed serrated edge bread knife.
Oh my GOODNESS!! I thought I was the only one who HATED that stupid thing. I was so disappointed with it when I got it, til I have not used it again. It's being stored somewhere (DEEP) in my cabinet. I see it every so often and roll my eyes 
Ditto! My leveler is also somewhere in a cabinet or under the sink. I use a serated knife instead. I should've saved my $3 for decorator tips.
I don't use the Wilton cake leveler. When I practiced torting, I used mom's large serrated knife and didn't have any problems. When I start making larger size cakes, I think my aunt said she always used dental floss or and electric knife, so I'll give them a shot.
Where can I find the Agbay? I have the small Wilton and it does pretty well, but I haven't had any dense cakes, just from box mixes. I agree with a pp that I start the edge with a knife at the wire level and that helps get everything going. As long as I go slow I do okay
I tried leveling cakes by hand for 20 years ... bought the large leveler a couple of years ago and I am never turning back.
I trim any doming while the cake is still in the pan, using hte pan sides as a guide. After the cake is out of the pan and cooled, if I have to do any add'l trimming, I just make sure the feet are flat, use a short sawing motion, and I keep an eye on the blade to make sure it doesn't twist up or down.
If you're throwing yours away, send it to me. I'll happily take it off your hands.
I made a wedding cake last weekend and used my new, expensive Wilton cake leveler. What a piece of junk! It was ripping my cake and the feet kept falling off while cutting through the cake. If I still had my receipt, I would take it back to the store I bought it and get my money back. Luckily I was able to salvage the cake layers and get the darned cake to the wedding in time.
I saw the video on the Agbay Deluxe.....oh so nice wanted to scream it was so cool!
I've never had a problem with my small leveler. I use it slow and steady (wins the race right?!?). I don't have the large one but I imagine it's the same idea. Those Agbay ones sure are impressive but WHEW with prices from $150-$250 they are only in my cake dreams (for now at least!)
I'm pretty new to all this but I am surprised to hear so many people have problems with their large Wilton levelers. I have both and I can't stand the small one. It always tears my cakes, but I have had nothing but good luck with the large one. No damaged cakes. I just make sure to clean off a large area, keep the feet flat on the surface and saw back and forth slowly. Maybe it's cuz my levelers in new and with time they wear out???
I have the lil one and it works ok. For bigger cakes my hubby came up with an awesome solution. He took two wooden dowels , notched each one 1" up and then tied fishing line in the notches. I stretch out the finhing line until it's straight and then saw through the cake, keeping the dowels flat on the table.
I take the unleveled cake and cut a 1" layer with my homemade leveler, then take the top off and cut another 1" layer from it. Perfectly torted and level cake, I cut another 2 layers from the next cake and then stack all 4 layers+filling.
I have both the small and large one and I have only had problems with the large one on the first cake I used it with. And it was my fault. I was just going way to fast and not doing the sawing motion. I did my first wedding cake this weekend and used the large leveler and had no problems with it.
Once upon a time I had both of the Wilton levelers. Both are complete crap. Now I have the Agbay Deluxe. One pass and the cake is leveled and torted. Totally worth every penny. Once you own the Agbay, you will truly understand what pieces of crap the Wilton levelers really are.
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