So I am in the process of making my 14 year olds birthday cake...I have the Wilton ultimate folding cake leveler. Yeah, it doesn't level squat. So now I'm leveling by knife.
I am extremely nervous when it comes to cost. So here it goes, has anyone used the Agbay cake leveler? There's the junior and the regular large size. Please any comments are very much welcome as it will ultimately influence me in purchasing it or not. If you use something else to level cakes please let me know. I only wish to become a better cake baker/ decorater. Thanks!
First, only you can decide the worth. I personally love it. I would have one even if I was a hobby baker. For the size, I prfer the large with the double blade.
But can you do this without an Agbay? Yes. All my life I used the toothpick/good bread knife method. It is essentially the exact same thing except you still will have to eyeball any small shaves on the top. But... a good bread knife the quality of the Agbay will set you back quite a bit too, about$100.00. The beauty of the Agbay is the quality of the cut.
I've always said, if the house was on fire and I could only take two cake decorating items, I would take my KitchenAid mixer and my AGBAY leveler. LOVE that thing. I don't have the double bladed one. I have the single blade with the extra blade I can put on in place of the main blade to cut styrofoam dummies with.
Cakes are my hobby - my passion. I do not sell anything, so there is no "justification" for my purchases. It took me three years to decide to buy an Agbay, but I have no regrets. I use it on every cake I bake. My creations are prettier and much more stable now. I did buy the full-size double blade but could certainly have made the single blade work, and I would recommend the larger one rather than the smaller version. Nothing else works like an Agbay. Think of it as an essential tool that you'll use constantly with every style and trend that comes along. It is really worth the investment.
I have the large single blade (and am considering buying the second blade!). I love love love it. The inside of my cake is now as pretty as the outside, it is so easy to use. I do about 1 cake a week and this is by far my favorite tool!
I have the large single blade and I really do love it. I think you can achieve a perfectly level cake without it if you take the time to measure and mark and cut carefully, but this does make it soooo much easier. You will use it for each and every cake that you do so that alone makes it a worthwhile purchase, at least for me anyway.
As a hobby baker I found it hard to spend the money, but I hated the Wilton one...never cut straight! 
I decided that because I don't do a lot of cakes and the ones I do are generally no larger than a 12" I would go for the Agbay junior. So my DH bought it for me for Christmas and I love, love, love it!! 
If you do decide to buy an Agbay, be very aware of how sharp it is! I knew it was sharp and still managed to knick my fingers twice with it...I've learned my lesson! 
But as DeniseNH said, If the house was on fire I'd be grabbing my kitchenaid and my agbay! 
This is the one tool that I miss more than anything! As soon as I can justify purchasing one for myself, I will have it!
Cut corners on grocery shopping and put a little away each week or something similar. It is completely worth it.
You can view it online (check out the youtube videos by the company, too) but you have to call to order it. Great company and a great product!
I have had my eye on this machine for a long long time. It wasn't until my husband watched me struggle with that (should I say it?......Wilton leveler) that he felt so bad for me and surprised me with a large Agbay and wished me a "Happy Christmas in July". Now my Wilton leveler will be in our next yard sale (cheap) lol. I totally recommend you save to get one, it will save you so much aggravation. I especially love that you can level a cake after you have stacked and filled so you know it is now level no matter what!!! 
Cindynes: I got so aggravated that for a year I made my husband level my cakes. I knew that he wouldn't see the need for the purchase unless he experienced it himself. Man, that Wilton one would occasionally cut on a slant! and it never, ever worked well. Anyway, after about a year he got together with our adult kids and they all got me one for Christmas. Woo hoo!
In the meantime, at least it wasn't me struggling to level a cake.
I've always said, if the house was on fire and I could only take two cake decorating items, I would take my KitchenAid mixer and my AGBAY leveler. LOVE that thing. I don't have the double bladed one. I have the single blade with the extra blade I can put on in place of the main blade to cut styrofoam dummies with.
Just how I feel. I spent years re-leveling cakes after using Wilton. My husband bought me the Agbay last year for my birthday. I think he was tired of the four letter words coming out of my mouth - LOL. Anyway, I love my Agbay. I will have to look into another blade for dummies.
Jeanne
I just bought one at ICES after seeing it demonstrated! I was sold. Can't wait to get it. Have struggled with every cake with my Wilton leveler or any other method.
I just watched the video on the Agbay sight. This is something I am getting for sure.
But does anyone know where to get a cake lifter the size that she has? That looks great, I've never seen one that large.
It's cookie sheet. I have a set. Got them 10 years ago in the grocery store. I would check Walmart or Target.
Can you only buy the agbay on their website?
I hate spending money. I'm ridiculously cheap and I hate shopping. I often make my life more difficult just so I don't have to get something new. That being said, after a lot of research I showed my husband the agbay website and the short video they have and he made me buy it. One reason I gave in was because in all the reviews and all the CC threads I read I never heard a single bad review or someone say it wasn't worth the money they spent. I've never seen another product of any kind with that kind of unanimous praise.
Wow! Thanks to all that responded!!!!!! I am getting one. Well the double blade large version, lol. If I'm going to spend that kind of money I'd rather get the big one with 2 blades.
To Addictive_Deserts here is the web address: http://www.agbayproducts.com/
Hope this helps!
As far as one blade or two- I personally think it depends on your math skills. I cannot do it, I just can't (use both blades at once). After watching the youtube videos several times, I finally "got" that you set one blade for the total height you want (not for the point where the top will be leveled) and the other blade at half that point so it's torted exactly in half. Got that, understand it, can't do it. When you move one blade, the other moves, too and that messes me up/confuses me to no end.
Then when my husband started talking about allowing for the width of the blades my brain went, "la, la, la, what?" So, for now at least, I just use the bottom blade. I level it first and then readjust the blade to tort it.
That second blade is lost on me, I'm afraid. Maybe someday??
When you purchase the large single one...does it come with a sceond blade or do you have to purchase it? Also does it cut 2 levels at the same time? Doesnt is "smusch" the cake?
Do you use the double blades at the same time?
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