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Hot glue gun for crafts

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are about to stick a card, a wreath or a school model, and the mini kit was sold as a craft tool, so it feels gentle. A hot glue gun for crafts in this 7 mm set is still a hot tool unless the listing prints a low temperature, and almost none of them do. The [hot glue gun 7 mm comparison](/hub/fillers-adhesives-and-sprays/hot-glue-gun-7mm) lines the seven guns up. This page is about materials and about who should hold the gun. We used the amazon.co.uk listings from 19 October 2026, plus Bostik’s UK cool-melt notes and the Dremel manual. We did not measure nozzles. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to stick a card, a wreath or a school model, and the mini kit was sold as a craft tool, so it feels gentle.

Our top picks

TILSWALL Tilswall W101 hot glue gun

Best overall

TILSWALL Tilswall W101 hot glue gun
8.3/10about £9.99
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MAXDONE MAXDONE NL-310 mini hot glue gun

Rank 2

MAXDONE MAXDONE NL-310 mini hot glue gun
9.0/10about £7.39
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RUNSAI RUNSAI RS601 mini hot glue gun

Best value

RUNSAI RUNSAI RS601 mini hot glue gun
7.9/10about £7.59
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On this page
  1. 1.Card, paper and small decorations
  2. 2.Fabric, and the scrap test
  3. 3.Foam, balloons and glitter sticks
  4. 4.Children and a classroom bench

Card, paper and small decorations

Card, paper and small decorations are the job a 7 mm gun is for. A narrow bead lets a paper flower sit without a thick ridge if you press it down before the glue skins. Leitz Rapid’s UK guide treats that precision as the reason to choose a 7 mm gun. A 20 W kit such as the DEKO is enough for a short run of cards if the stand is in the box. You reload sooner than with W101’s 75 sticks. Small is not cool-melt. Only W101 (165°C) and the cordless W106s (170°C plus or minus 10°C) state a temperature. Bostik’s hot band is about 175–200°C and its cool-melt band is about 125–135°C. If the page prints no figure, the temperature is n/a.

Fabric, and the scrap test

Fabric is on the materials lines for MAXDONE, RUNSAI, DEKO and Assark. One DEKO review describes a firm hold on a candle-holder, which is one owner’s result. Synthetics can glaze or shrink where cotton only shows a small mark. Test a hidden corner at full heat and stop if the fibres shine or pull. A gun that states a lower temperature is the better tool, and it may not take these 7 mm sticks. Park the gun on a stand between ribbon loops. What to do if glue hits skin is on the how to use a hot glue gun page.
TILSWALL Tilswall W101 hot glue gun

Testsieger

TILSWALL Tilswall W101 hot glue gun
8.3/10about £9.99
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Foam, balloons and glitter sticks

Foam on a materials line is not a temperature. Assark lists foam and RUNSAI lists styrofoam, and neither states a nozzle temperature. Bostik’s UK cool-melt page talks about polystyrene, ribbon and flowers at about 125–135°C. A hot nozzle can collapse polystyrene and burst a balloon. For a foam wreath or anything inflated, use a gun that prints a low temperature. Dremel keeps glitter sticks for 105°C on the 930 and says drip control fails if they are overheated. A mini at 165°C, 170°C, or with no figure, is the wrong place to find out. Rapid’s EG130 runs at 130°C on oval sticks about 9 mm across. Diameter is on the 7 mm versus 11 mm glue gun page.

Children and a classroom bench

A child can be in the room. A child should not operate a gun at 165°C, about 170°C, or an unstated temperature. NSEAD treats cool-melt as the better fit for younger pupils and says hot and cool sticks must be stored apart. CLEAPSS MRAT 003 was not readable without membership, so this page does not invent its rules. At home you lay the bead and the child presses the paper. Do not peel glue off skin. A line about a mini size that children can hold is a size claim, not a safety approval. Plug, voltage and watts are on the 7 mm glue gun buying guide. Structural repairs are outside hot glue.

Common questions

Can I use a 7 mm glue gun for card and paper?
Yes. A fine bead is what these guns are for, and a dot under a paper piece avoids a ridge that shows through. Press the piece down straight away, before the glue skins. The guns in this set are hot, or their temperature is not stated. Keep fingers off the nozzle.
Will it scorch fabric?
It can, especially on synthetics, even when the listing names fabric as compatible. Test a scrap at full heat and look for shine or shrinkage. Cotton is more forgiving than a polyester ribbon. None of these seven kits prints Bostik’s cool-melt band of about 125–135°C.
Can I glue polystyrene or balloons?
Not with an unlabelled mini, and not with the two guns here that print 165°C and about 170°C. Those figures are in the hot band. Foam on Assark’s list and styrofoam on RUNSAI’s list are claims without a nozzle temperature. If a scrap melts or pops, stop.
Are glitter sticks a good idea in a fixed-heat mini gun?
Only if the stick maker says that temperature. Dremel keeps colour and glitter sticks for a low setting, 105°C on the 930, and warns that drip control fails if they are overheated. A Tilswall at 165°C or 170°C ± 10°C is already above that. Use plain sticks unless the refill names your gun’s temperature.
Can a child use it for a school project?
An adult should operate the gun. The child can press paper into a bead you have already laid. NSEAD points schools towards cool-melt for younger pupils and towards keeping hot and cool sticks apart. If glue hits skin, cool it under running water and do not peel.
Is a cool-melt gun still a 7 mm gun?
Not necessarily. Cool-melt is a temperature, about 125–135°C on Bostik’s UK page, and the stick shape is separate. Rapid’s EG130 is a 130°C gun that takes oval sticks about 9 mm across, not round 7 mm. Keep hot and cool sticks in separate labelled boxes.

Related pages

Best 7mm glue gun

Hot glue gun 7mm

7mm glue gun buying guide: plug, voltage and watts

How to use a hot glue gun without burning yourself

7mm vs 11mm glue gun: which diameter should you buy

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Safety First: glue guns (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005, Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. British Red Cross: burns (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Dremel glue gun manual (910/930/940) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Bostik UK cool-melt glue gun (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. NSEAD: adhesives and fixatives (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Leitz Rapid: choosing the right glue gun (retrieved 19 October 2026)