Scratch the surface with the Pumpkin Surface Carver

As the 13-day countdown to Halloween begins, The Hardware Aisle brings you a seriously cool pumpkin carving tool. Perfect Pumpkin Inc.'s Pumpkin Surface Carver is simple (but genius), and takes the guesswork out of creating professional-looking DIY pumpkin carvings.

The Pumpkin Surface Carver—think along the lines of an apple peeler, but with a shaped blade—is intended for use with the company's own patented carving method, which eliminates the prep step of gutting and allows you to carve a pumpkin as nature intended it: whole.

How, you ask, does one light a jack-o'-lantern without hacking it open? The final step of the Perfect Pumpkin, Inc.'s process is to apply a coat of acrylic glow-in-the-dark paint (included), which seals carved surfaces and adds weeks to display time. For young carvers, this is genius; all the risks of straight, sharp blades and open flame are POOF! gone. BUT, if you're a diehard supporter of the tealight, I don't see why you can't take a break from chipping away at bits of orange (it can take hours), and take advantage of the uniform shaving of this tool for gutted gourds, too.

Pick up the kit (v-shaped tool, u-shaped tool, glow-in-the-dark paint, and 12 patterns) for under $6 at PumpkinSurfaceCarver.com, or find a retailer. Then, create your masterpiece and enter it in the This Old House Pumpkin-Carving Contest. Need some inspiration and tips before you get started? Check out The Best Pumpkin Carvers on the Web and 5 Steps to Jack-o'-Lantern Success.