What is the best hot glue gun? First, the tool should be powerful enough so that you could easily do any type of project. The second aspect to take into account is the diameter. It will make a difference for the size of glue sticks you can buy and dictate the size of the nozzle you use. Thirdly, consider the tool's performance. This largely depends on the type of nozzle and your control over the temperature. Fourthly, when choosing between corded and cordless models, keep in mind that the former ones are more powerful while the latter ones are more portable. And finally, there are guns using high temperatures and those using low temperatures. You can also buy a dual-temperature model.
High-temperature devices are recommended for sturdier and hardier materials, whereas low-temperature ones are safer and good for gluing delicate things. We believe that the Pam HB220 220 Watt Adjustable Temperature Glue Gun meets these criteria best.
Why have we chosen it? This is a professional-grade hot glue gun with multiple applications for strong and fast adhesive work. The device heats up quickly, within 5 minutes, and comes with a powerful 220-watt heating element. The tip provides a smooth dot or line while the anti-drip nozzle helps to prevent accidental drops. Both the tip and trigger are adjustable. This makes the device comfortable to operate and suitable for any project. The temperature can be adjusted from 285 ° F to 428 ° F. While being corded, the tool is compact and portable enough, with a weight of just 4.2 pounds.
Table of Content
- 1 What Features to Consider When Buying a Hot Glue Gun?
- 2 Trusted Brands of Hot Glue Guns
- 3 Best Hot Glue Gun Reviews
- 4 How Do You Use a Hot Glue Gun?
What Features to Consider When Buying a Hot Glue Gun?
Power
The power level for your hot glue gun depends on the quality of manufacturing as well as the temperature your glue gun for the types of projects you do. There are special power adhesives that will adhere with strength to your crafts or your home improvement project.
Diameter
A glue gun can come in different sizes to match the project you are doing or to fit your hand. They can be a couple of inches long to guns that resemble a small pistol. The diameter of the glue gun will make a difference for the size of glue sticks you can buy. It will dictate the size of the nozzle you use. There are different tips you can buy that will do everything from a dot to a glob.
Performance
The best glue gun performance is the one that produces just the right amount of glue when you need it. The glue gun is consistent in its operation and easy to clean up afterward. A lot of the performance relies on the type of nozzle you have and your control over the temperature. Those are two features you should consider before you buy a glue gun.
Corded vs. Cordless Hot Glue Guns
Cordless or a glue gun with a cord is mostly a preference for the user, but there are some things to remember. If the glue gun requires batteries, you will change them frequently with use. If the glue gun charges wirelessly, as with other wireless devices, you will have mixed results for the quality of your charge.
High and Low Temperatures
The range of high and low temperatures for your glue gun depends on how you will be using it and with what materials. If you work with young children or are more often doing a project with delicate materials, than a glue gun with a lower temperature setting is something for you to look at. The gun still will melt glue at around two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit, so you don't need to worry about the glue, not melting.
A higher temperature glue gun works best on hardier materials such as wood. The higher temperatures ensure, the sturdier materials adhere more completely as they melt glue around three hundred eighty degrees Fahrenheit. They can melt the glue more quickly than the low-temperature glue guns, but they are also more dangerous.
You can purchase a dual-temperature glue gun if you do many different types of projects. They cost more than either of the low-temperature or high-temperature guns, but they are more versatile.
Trusted Brands of Hot Glue Guns
- 3M Glue Guns
- AdTech Glue Guns
- Surebonder Glue Guns
- Dewalt Glue Guns
- Stanley Hot Glue Gun
There are also the Milwaukee hot glue gun, Walgreens, and the Black and Decker glue gun.
Best Hot Glue Gun Reviews
Below, you will find a review of the best hot glue guns at a price ranging from $ 18 to $ 170. You may choose a model with an adjustable nozzle and trigger or a powerful gun that can be set for high and low temperature projects. There are tools that produce a smoother line of glue and heat up quickly.
1. Pam HB220 220 Watt Adjustable Temperature Glue Gun | Best Adjustable
The Pam HB220 is a low to high-temperature glue gun. The glue gun comes with FMFLEX 40 adhesive though the FMFLEX 180 hot melt adhesive works just as well.
It has a temperature range of two hundred eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit to four hundred twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit range. The glue gun is powerful with a two hundred twenty watt heating element that makes doing projects simple with little a continuous stream of glue.
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Performance
The performance of the glue gun has multiple positive reviews for consistent use over multiple projects. The tip provides a smooth dot or line, as you need, for home improvement projects or any arts and crafts project you might be doing. The anti-drip nozzle is a hugely popular feature because it helps to prevent messes or accidental drops on art projects.
Recommendation
Good for projects or home improvement, multiple uses are possible for this glue gun on the professional as well as personal level. It is a tool that heats up quickly with multiple applications for strong and fast adhesive work. It is not a cheap glue gun, so be prepared to pay a bit for the quality.
PAM Fastening Technology: Check the current price
2. 3M Hot Melt Applicator TC with Quadrack Converter and Palm Trigger | Best Ergonomic
The 3M is a lightweight glue gun. The gun is easy to use, and you can customize your glue gun as you want. The gun offers high and low volume control of glue and can deliver up to 3.5 pounds of glue in an hour.
The gun comes with a melt-on-demand feature that helps you to produce a steady stream of glue with the progressive feed technology built into the glue gun. The gun produces glue at two hundred sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit, offering the perfect amount of glue for small or medium projects.
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Performance
This is a good glue gun for projects that do not require fine detail. The gun is ideal for multiple types of projects where you need to do a lot of the same thing. It is also the go-to glue gun for producing large amounts of glue in a short amount of time.
Recommendation
Reviews for the glue gun are consistently positive for art projects and long-term home improvement projects. The large amount of hot glue that the gun can produce allows for the gun to be flexible and available for whatever project you need doing. The glue gun's hot melt feature gets the glue melted and keeps it warm for as long as you need it, and the all-in-one ability of the gun makes it good for multiple projects.
3M: Check the current price
3. Surebonder CL-800F 60-Watt Cordless High Temperature Glue Gun | Best Cordless
The Surebonder glue gun is a sixty-watt device. It is cordless and capable of producing high temperatures up to three hundred eighty degrees Fahrenheit. The power of the glue gun is at least fifty percent more powerful than the average glue guns.
The glue gun offers dual temperature functionality so you can set the temperature high or low depending on the project. The glue gun works best for porous and non-porous project surfaces. In nozzle of the glue gun can adjust to use four or ten-inch glue sticks as your project requires.
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Performance
The use of the CL-800F is a mixture of craft projects and home improvement projects. The results are also a mixture. While the glue gun does produce the right temperature range for whichever project you are doing, it also comes with its own set of challenges.
The glue gun can be a fight to use for the long term between possible glue leaking from long-term use to difficulty with wireless charging. The gun is a very good glue gun, but long-term use for some people can be problematic.
Recommendation
The Surebonder CL-800F glue gun is a good superglue gun. It can help you bond paper, cloth, and wood together with the heating element allowing for the use for up to four minutes at a time. The wireless charging feature works well for some buyers and does far better than battery-operated guns.
Surebonder: Check the current price
4. AdTech Pro200 Full-Size High-Output Hot Melt Glue Gun (0189) | Best Professional-Grade
The Ad tech glue gun is a professional tool. The gun is ideal for home improvement projects as well as artistic design projects. The gun heats up in three minutes, reaching temperatures up to four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit and produces 3.5 pounds of glue in an hour.
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Performance
The glue gun is consistent in its use and appears on multiple home improvement projects. The gun works very well on multiple heavy-duty surfaces for a consistent stream of glue. The glue gun is easy to control with a very fine tip that fits easily into cracks or small holes.
Recommendation
The glue gun is a cost-effective option for any home project, but it does have its flaws. The glue gun can leak if left at high temperatures and can be hot to handle. The gun will work for the heavy-duty projects you need and is large enough for all types of hands to control. The gun has a high enough power rating to match heavy-duty surfaces.
Ad-Tech: Check the current price
5. Elmer's Craft Bond Dual-Temp Cordless Hot Glue Gun | Best Dual-Temperature
The Elmer's Craft Bond Dual Temp Cordless Hot Glue Gun is a heavy-duty cordless glue gun. The glue gun is a low-temperature glue gun for use on delicate projects such as gluing foam or working on soft fabrics.
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Performance
The glue gun is perfect for delicate projects. You will not need too much waiting between heating and use with the glue sticks easy to replace melt. The glue gun is easy for all types of people to use and is a cost-effective option for people who do not use a glue gun frequently.
Recommendation
The glue gun is a cost-effective option for the new hobbyist or use in schools. The gun is simple to use and comes with safety features that reduce the likelihood of injury. The Elmer's Glue Gun is not meant for heavy use for multiple projects and will take time to heat up between uses.
Elmer's: Check the current price
6. Hot Glue Gun, Cobiz Full Size (Not Mini) 60 / 100W Glue Gun Kit | Best Fast-Heating
The Cobiz is a craft gun producing sixty or one hundred watts of power. The gun heats up quickly within three minutes to produce a high-quality glue stream. The glue gun has a rapid heating unit allowing for delicate work quickly.
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Performance
The performance of the glue gun is consistent for use in arts and crafts projects. The gun will work for more delicate work though it can become hot enough for heavy-duty projects. The glue gun works very well for average work though it will not meet the demands of home improvement projects.
Recommendation
The glue gun is a good glue gun for fine work or heavy-duty work. The shape of the glue gun does not provide you with as fine a tip as some types of projects require. There is also not on / off switch, which makes the gun more difficult to control.
Cobiz: Check the current price
7. Ryobi P305 One + 18V Lithium Ion Cordless Hot Glue Gun | Best Multipurpose
The Ryobi hot glue gun is an easy-to-use tool. It comes with an LED indicator light for active use to prevent burning with a four amp-hour battery for up to three and a half hours of continuous use. The glue gun is ergonomic in design with a rubber grip and an easy to use the trigger.
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Performance
The glue gun is a tool for work as well as crafts. The gun's ergonomic design allows for hours of work because of the soft rubber grip. The trigger makes the gun easy to control and provides hours of work without dying as you work.
Recommendation
The gun is a good mid-range glue gun capable of multiple projects and strong enough to keep working for hours. The glue gun can drain quickly when used for longer periods. The glue quickly heats back up with each new stick with little wait time. The glue gun is good for long projects when you need the glue gun to remain active.
Ryobi Corporation: Check the current price
8. Cordless Hot Glue Gun AONOKOY USB Rechargeable Portable Glue Gun Kit | Best Mini
This is a cordless hot glue gun that charges using a USB port. It takes up to five minutes to warm up and will go for over one hundred minutes of active gluing time. The glue gun comes with temperature control for the ideal amount of glue, depending on your settings.
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Performance
It is good for basic products and will provide you with the hot glue you need to get the job done. The gun is wireless and uses a USB cord for charging, which can take a lot of time if you connect it through a port through a computer.
Recommendation
The glue gun will get the job done as long as it is not a big one. It is powerful enough to melt your glue quickly and get you gluing again quickly, but the wireless feature has mixed results for charging times. It is a good place to start for the new hot glue user.
AONOKOY: Check the current price
How Do You Use a Hot Glue Gun?
A glue gun is easy to use regardless of design, as they are all similar.
- Prepare Gun for use by checking to see if it is clean
- Insert the glue stick into the back of the glue gun.
- Plugin or begin charging glue gun wirelessly. Make sure it is in position correctly on the kickstand or in a cradle.
- Set temperature setting for project temperature setting.
- Let the glue gun sit to heat up for a specified length of time (usually five minutes)
- Test glue on the trial surface (something similar to what you are working with).
- Begin gluing!