ART NEWS
Unstick Yourself From the Wall With These Cordless Glue Guns
Get gluing! A must-have for all kinds of crafting and DIY projects, a hot glue gun is a great addition to any tool kit. While hot glue guns with cords limit your mobility and can get tangled, a cordless model gives you maximum flexibility as you work. Invented in the late 1940s, the glue gun was developed after Boston native George Schultz watched shoemakers burn themselves while scooping hot glue out of a pot. His first model, a simple and bulky affair, was called the Polygun. Shultz would hardly recognize today’s sleek and capable versions. To choose a model that’s right for you, browse our roundup of the best cordless options below.
1. Ryobi P305 Glue Gun
This cordless hot glue gun checks all the boxes: It melts glue in little time, feels comfortable in the hand, and has an ultralong run time, with its 4-amp-hour battery able to operate for up to three and a half continuous hours without having to be recharged. It also has safety features, such as an LED indicator light that lets you know when the device is switched on. For ease of use and extra control over the glue stream, the trigger is large enough to support two fingers, and the rubber grip ensures a secure hold. The tool comes with three glue sticks.
Buy:
Ryobi P305 Glue Gun
$28.90
2. Outul Hot Melt Glue Gun
If your projects mostly involve gluing in tight spaces or on small surfaces, consider getting a glue gun that uses mini glue sticks. This one is about the size of a typical glue gun, but it features a tighter chamber and narrower opening so you can squeeze with greater confidence that you’ll hit your target. It heats up in about three minutes and features an anti-drip heating chamber and sealing ring for mess-free use. Conveniently, you can charge it with a basic USB cable; but since its 2.6-amp-hour battery is relatively low powered, it will run for just one and a half hours on a full charge.
Buy:
Outul Hot Melt Glue Gun
$25.99
3. T Tovia Hot Glue Pen
This handy device isn’t shaped like a glue gun, but it essentially works just like one. It features a penlike metal body that holds dried pellets of glue, melts them down, and gradually feeds them through a nozzle that resembles a nib. This design allows you to keep your hand extra close to the target area, making the device more controllable than a traditional glue gun, The glue comes out waxy and soft and dries quickly, and the nozzle dispenses fine, even lines. It’s powered by a 2.2-amp-hour rechargeable battery that keeps going for up to two hours on a full charge.
Buy:
T Tovia Hot Glue Pen
$23.99
4. Notions 0288 Cool Tool
This cordless glue gun prioritizes safety. It features a secure on/off power switch, and as its name suggests, it heats to a lower temperature than most glue guns—hot enough to get glue gooey, but not so hot that it will cause accidental skin burns. Using mini glue sticks, it’s ideal for securing lightweight or delicate craft materials (think paper, fabric, and other common scrapbooking supplies). This gun does take longer than high-temp guns to heat up, but it can operate for more than two hours on a full charge.
Buy:
Notions 0288 Cool Tool
$24.65
5. Surebonder PRO2-60KIT Glue Gun
Yes, this is an expensive glue gun, but it will meet the needs of your most demanding jobs. With 60 watts of heating power, it reaches a high melting point in minutes and is compatible with glue sticks as small as 0.43 inches in diameter to 0.5 inch in diameter. Since it operates with 50 percent more power than a standard glue gun, this tool can put out more than a pound of glue per hour and cover large areas of nonporous materials. Using a 4.0-amp-hour battery, it runs up to three and a half hours per full charge. It comes with its own charging station, and the long, easy-squeeze trigger and handle design makes for a comfortable hold.
Buy:
Surebonder PRO2-60KIT Glue Gun
$119.62
