Does work well as a hot knife but loses heat rapidly if used on anything more than thin sheets. Attempted to cut a 1/16" thick Plexiglass sheet and found no go. Not sure about the temperature claim of 1050 degrees F Used a infrared surface temp thermometer and was able to register only  400 F on the tip after 15 minutes.  However it does seem sufficient for cutting ropes or nylon cords. No doubt will work on stencils.