This is a straight to the point guide to the best heat gun for crafts. Our top recommendations are based on the most suitable options out there, to help you get the best results for your crafts and hobbies.
In this guide, we’ll cover, topics including why you need a heat gun, safety, what to look for when choosing one, and for anyone new to embossing, who’d just like to give it a go, we’ve also included a simple how-to guide to get you started.
Sound good?
Our top picks are summed up in the table below so if you want to skip all the other talk and see our recommended heat guns, then they’re all right here in one place for you.
| Editor’s Award | Product | Scroll |
|---|---|---|
Best Heat Gun for Crafts   | Wagner HT400 Spraytech Hot Air Tool Suitable for all kinds of crafts, the upright stand design keeps the nozzle away from the surface of your tabletop. This means there’s no risk of accidentally burning your hand on the nozzle while you are working. Dual Temperature Settings: 450°F (230°C) 680°F (360°C). Three usage positions: palm, pencil, and hands-free. Cord Length: 6-Foot. Weight: 0.7 lbs. From Amazon | Read More |
Best Embossing Heat Gun   | Chandler Tool Embossing Heat Gun Safe and reliable, this one is perfect for embossing. We think it would make an ideal gift too, you can even get a matching glue gun. Dual Temperature Settings: 392°F (200°C) 572°F (300°C). Nozzle Safety Shield. Cord Length: 6-Foot. Weight: 0.8 lbs. From Amazon | Read More |
Best Mini Heat Gun  | TACKLIFE Mini Heat Gun A great little budget option. For its compact size, it’s powerful and efficient. Temperature Setting: 662°F (350°C). Compact Design. Cord Length: 6.56 Feet Weight: 0.6 lbs. From Amazon | Read More |
Best for Hobby Repair DIY and Crafts  | Wagner Spraytech 550 Hot Air Tool Suitable for stencil wood burning, acrylic paint pouring, wax crayon melting, paint removal, sublimation and candle making, and more. 12 temperature settings ranging from 150°F to 1200°F Five Nozzles Accessories. Cord Length: 5.25 Feet. Weight: 1.984 lbs. From Amazon | Read More |
List of Contents.
- Why You Need a Heat Gun for Crafts
- What to Look for in a Heat Gun for Crafts
- The Best Heat Gun for Crafts Reviewed
- Other Worthy Mentions
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why You Need a Heat Gun for Crafts
You may be wondering if you really need a heat gun and if there’s any reason a simple hair dryer wouldn’t work instead.
The difference between the two is that a hair dryer blows a much higher volume of air at a much lower temperature.
This is especially not what you want when you are working with embossing powder – there’s more chance of the powder blowing all over the place than of it actually working.
The reason being that the embossing powder simply won’t reach the temperature required to melt it.
The same goes for curing a screen print, or other crafts that require higher temperatures to work, these include melting beeswax/soy wax, for candle making, applying HTVs, removing bubbles from epoxy resin, shrink wrapping, and removing decals, etc.
Additionally, a hair dryer isn’t designed to be switched on and off for short bursts – multiple times
What to Look for in a Heat Gun for Crafts
So safety first! This is obviously a crucial factor when choosing a heat gun, so we just want to point out that all of the heat guns we have featured here, conform to the highest safety standards.
Heat guns are relatively inexpensive craft tools. And all but one of the heat guns we have featured here costs under $25.
If you aren’t going to be using a heat gun very often, need one for travel or need to keep your craft supplies from taking over by taking up much space, the TACKLIFE Mini Heat Gun has the smallest footprint. It’s also our cheapest option.
The advantage of our other choices are that they have dual or multiple heat settings, to give you more control over the temperature you use.
Our top pick is the Wagner HT400. We have featured Wagner’s products here on Comfy Zen before (they also make exceptionally good paint sprayers for furniture).
We were particularly impressed with Wagner’s new heat gun design, not least because you are much less likely to catch your hand and burn it on the hot nozzle. The upright stand means it’s not lying horizontally on your craft desk where you could accidentally knock it with your hand.
If you need a heat gun that is also suitable for a wider range of crafts, can handle larger projects, or that you can emboss with but also use around the home for DIY projects, Wagner’s Spraytech 550 Hot Air Tool is the heat gun that we recommend.
How to Use a Heat Gun for Embossing
If you are new to embossing, here is a quick how-to guide to get you started. In this case, we’ll take you through the process of heat embossing on paper or card stock, but you can emboss a variety of other materials too, including ceramics, fabrics, glass and wood.
The process for embossing on paper is very straightforward and fun to learn, and when you feel confident you can try hand-drawing your own designs or even make your own stamps.
And you will just need a few essential tools to get started:
- Card or paper stock
- An anti-static pouch
- A stamp or embossing pens
- A VersaMark Watermark Ink Pad
- Embossing powder
- And a heat gun!
First, lightly rub your anti-static pouch over your card stock. Then using your pigment Inkpad, load your stamp. Stamp the design onto your card or paper stock.
Coat the stamped area with you embossing powder, tipping away excess powder onto a spare sheet of paper (so that you can easily funnel/pour it back into the powder pot for reuse).
Check that there are no stray particles on your card. You can use a fine paintbrush to make sure everything looks neat and tidy.
Set the embossing powder with your heat gun using circular motions. After a few seconds, you will start to see the embossed effect appear.
You can also use embossing pens to hand-draw your own design. Just remember to use the anti-static pad first. Once you have drawn out your image, the process is the same as above.
And that’s it, very simple but very effective.
We will now take a look at our top recommendations for the best heat gun for crafts.
The Best Heat Gun for Crafts Reviewed
Best Heat Gun for Crafts: Wagner Spraytech Hot Air Tool
Best Heat Gun for Crafts
Wagner HT400 Spraytech Hot Air Tool
Perfect for crafts that require heat to work, Wagner’s new lightweight, ergonomically designed, 3 user positions, heat gun gives you the flexibility to use it in the way that feels most comfortable for whatever you are working on.
Additionally, it has 2 temperature settings to give you control over the heat output.
We have to say, we love this one, it’s such a simple design and the upright design of the stand means the nozzle is not lying around on your desk surface – so you won’t accidentally touch it and burn your hand while you are working.
You can see it in action in the video below.
Conforms to UL STD 499
Certified to CSA STD C22.2 No. 60335-1 and 60335-2-45
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Best Embossing Heat Gun: Chandler Tool Embossing Heat Gun
Best Embossing Heat Gun
Chandler Tool Embossing Heat Gun
This is the perfect tool for embossing by the US company Chandler. We think would also make a great gift for like-minded craft lovers – there’s even a matching glue gun to go with it!
Lightweight and cool to the touch, it features an insulated body, dual heat settings so you can control the amount of heat it puts out, and it also comes with a nozzle safety shield.
As with all the heat guns we have featured here it conforms to all safety standards and this one comes with UL certification.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Best Mini Heat Gun: TACKLIFE Mini Heat Gun
Best Mini Heat Gun
This is the cheapest option we have featured and it’s also the most compact one too.
It doesn’t have dual heat settings like our other picks, but don’t let its smaller size lull you into thinking it’s not going to put out enough heat. This heat gun reaches a temperature of up to 662°F (350°C).
But as always safety comes first, so it does have thermal protection. This means that if, in the unlikely event that, it overheats, it has short circuit protection so it will just power off automatically.
A spoon reflector tool is also included which is very effective in concentrating and confining the heat output to just the spoon area.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Best for Hobby Repair DIY and Crafts: Wagner Spraytech 503087 Furno 550 Heat Gun
Best for Hobby Repair DIY and Crafts
Wagner Spraytech 503087 Furno 550 Heat Gun
This one is suitable for just about any craft that requires heat.
No fewer than 12 temperature settings (150°F to 1200°F) and two airflow speeds means you can, of course, emboss with it, but you can also do so much more – including acrylic paint pouring, wood burning with a metal stencil, wax crayon art, shrink wrapping, and candle making, etc.
And if you are DIY minded, you can also use it for projects around the home (such as for paint stripping or repair, etc).
The Wagner features an easy to read LED screen with push button controls so you can clearly see what temperature you have set.
The heat gun includes a concentrator nozzle, a flare nozzle, a glass protector, a curved deflector. This one even comes with a carry case to keep everything together.
For well under $40 this one is worth every penny.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Other Worthy Mentions
Marvy Uchida Embossing Heat Tool
This one feature a protected switch so you can’t accidentally turn it on.
Key Features:
- Protected on/off switch.
- UL and cUL listed.
- Heats to 680°F (360°C).
It’s super low price make this one a very popular choice.
- Temperature: 200°C/390°F
- Material: ABS Plastic, Stainless steel
- Nozzle safety Shield
Homidic 6.56FT Long Heat Gun, Mini Handheld Hot Air Gun
Another nice little budget option.
- Temperature: 200°C/390°F
- Material: ABS Plastic, Stainless steel
- Nozzle safety Shield
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use a hair dryer as a heat gun for embossing?
There are a couple of good reasons why a hair dryer isn’t suitable for embossing.
- The volume of air is too high and a hair dryer won’t reach the temperature required to melt the embossing powder.
- Additionally, hair dryers aren’t designed to be switched on and off for short bursts, repeatedly.
Is a heat gun the same as an embossing gun?
Yes, they are basically the same thing, although you should check that the heat gun you choose is suitable for crafts.
What is an embossing gun used for?
For the embossing process to work, a heat gun is required to heat the embossing powder. Embossing powder is actually made up of very fine particles of plastic. When enough heat is applied the powder will melt.
Are heat guns expensive?
You can get a good heat gun for well under $25 – $30. As craft tools go, heat guns are very affordable.
We hope this list of the best heat gun for craftss has been helpful.
If there’s anything good that you think we’ve missed, or if you have any questions about anything, just let us know down in the comments below.
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