Heat gun Vs Hair Dryer, though both have a common mechanism, are remarkably different from one another.
Anyone may mistakenly think that he or she can use a heat gun instead of a hair dryer, and it may result in the scare and burn. Frankly speaking, you only can use one instead of another in fewer jobs.
Let’s find out their differences, in which case they can be used interchangeably, and others must-know facts before pressing the ON button of a hair dryer or a heat gun.
What Is A Heat Gun
The idea of the device is pretty much straightforward. Heat gun blows hot air. The combination of an electric heater and a fan that helps blow air makes a heat gun.
A heat gun can emit a stream of hot air from 100 degrees to 550 degrees. Some other types of heat guns can stream up to 750-degree Celsius. A hit gun with low-temperature streaming power is similar to a hair dryer.
What Is A Heat Gun Used For
Heat gun used in:
- Remove flooring, at least 350 degrees.
- Remove paint at a minimum of 750 degrees.
- Dry painting, a minimum of 250 degrees.
- Frozen locks, minimum 350 degrees
- Remove the rusted bolts at a minimum of 1150 degrees.
- Plastic flex, at least 250 degrees.
- Defrost fridge, at least 250 degrees.
- Fix Frozen water hoses, at least 1150 degrees.
What Is A Hair Dryer
This device was invented to dry damp hair. Besides drying hair, this device is now widely being used for styling hair. Hot air helps hair to stay as the user want.
This device is not much different from a heat gun. A coil and an electric fan are also the main functioning parts of a hair dryer. A heat gun and a hair dryer vary from one another in case of their usage and temperature production power.
What Is A Hair Dryer Used For
Hair dryer used in:
- Dry the vegetables after they have been washed.
- Remove dust from places that are difficult to reach.
- Remove a pinched (non-rusted) screw.
- Pull out the contact papers.
- Remove stickers and murals more quickly.
- Stretch an over-tight pair of shoes.
- Remove wrinkles from clothing if you have to.
- Thaw the vegetable meat from the freezer.
- Take the water rings off the furniture.
- Make your bed warmer under the blankets.
Heat Gun Vs Hair Dryer: What Are The Differences?
1. Heat Output
The main difference between a hair dryer and a heat gun is its heat output or power of heat production. As they are made for different purposes, their amount of heat production is different.
Heat gun
In most cases, heat guns are used in those tasks that require a high amount of temperature. That’s why heat guns are designed to produce a huge amount of heat. But with the help of modern technology, current heat guns can work at low temperatures.
A heat gun can typically produce temperatures ranging from 95 to 650 degrees. For most work, heat guns that can make temperatures of up to 1000 degrees are sufficient. The output temperature totally depends on the mode set in the heat gun.
Hair Dryer
You know drying hair doesn’t require a high amount of heat. Hair dryers are made in a way that might not ruin your hair by blowing a high amount of heat.
Most of the hair dryers output heat ranging from 30 to 100 degrees Celsius. Here is the good news that though the temperature may sound insufficient, you can use hair dryers in the workshop for many more tasks.
2. Temperature Adjustment
Heat gun
Almost all of the Modern heat guns come with temperature adjustment mode. The user can easily adjust the convenient temperature at hand while working.
Most of the heat guns have dial options. These options let a user choose the exact temperature, and to do that, there are temperature marks on the gadget.
If you want to spend some more, you will get some more advanced heat guns that come with an LCD monitor. You can check out the current temperature and get the perfect temperature adjustment.
Hair Dryer
As hair dryer doesn’t have to output much hot air, most of them come with merely two options. You can choose only between high and low-temperature modes.
Some Ultra advanced hair dryers may come with few adjustment options, but you might not be able to get the right heat output as you get in heat guns.
3. Typical Uses
Over time, we have achieved unimaginable technological success. With the help of many modern technologies, most of the heating gadgets are well temperature adjustment featured. You can do the tasks that they are dedicated to and many other types of works. As an example, the hair dryer does a lot besides drying hair.
Heat Gun
Between the two, heat guns are all-around nature. Besides having a wider and precise temperature range, it works at both high and low temperatures.
To speed up the drying process of a painting or to remove torn paintings, you can easily use a general heat gun, which will do that precisely. You can also use usual heat guns to bend materials like plastic and remove rusty bolts.
Remember, the different task requires the temperature of different range. So before buying a heat gun, be sure that the gun generates the amount of heat you need. Works like removing rusty bolts need a huge amount of temperature, more or less 650 degrees Celsius.
Hair Dryer
Except for hair drying, most of the users use a hair dryer to remove labels and stickers. You can also use a hair dryer to remove candle wax from any wooden or other surfaces.
As plastic requires very little heat, you can mold plastic glasses with the help of the appliance. More often, a hair dryer is also used by the wood carpenter. They use a hair dryer to dry the water absorbed in the woods.
4. Speed
The heat output and the task type contribute to the speed of either of these tools. As the heat gun has a way more precise construction and more heat output than the hair dryer, heat guns usually do a job faster than hair dryers.
For those tasks which need comparatively much heat, a hair dryer may not be the best option. Because to generate that amount of heat, a hair dryer may take too much time. And for that inconvenience, the user may lose the work pace. In those cases, using a heat gun will be sufficient and get the work done without causing any inconvenience.
5. Built Quality
A heat gun or hair dryer, none of them cost much. So while buying tools, you may want to spend some bucks extra to get the most durable one.
But unfortunately, being a low-cost tool, both of them often don’t have heavy-duty material, or you can’t expect them to serve for eternity.
If you need tools only for heating related works instead of drying hair, we highly suggest having a heat gun. Therefore, having a high heat output, heat guns are made way more durable than the usual hair dryers.
6. Safety Concerns
Electricity and heat are an excellent combination to make you a little conscious about the safety issue.
When it comes to the hair dryer, it is needless to say it is safer than the heat guns. Because producing less heat requires the flow of less electricity. That’s why hair dryers are more user friendly, and you will get greater control over the tool.
On the other hand, if you are not an expert, there are chances that you may burn yourself and harm other things around you if you can not correctly use a heat gun.
Since both of the tools are electric and have a heating element, it’s always better to take precautions and wear necessary glasses and protective equipment.
7. Price
Regarding quality and brands, you will get hair dryers between the ranges of 10 to 20 dollars.
Most of the low priced but effective heat guns start from 20$. You will get up to 100$ heat guns that are usually used for industrial works.
Can They Be Used Interchangeably?
It’s not appropriate to say that you can use a heat gun and a hair dryer interchangeably. Though there are some tasks in which you can use one instead of the other, you can’t use heat guns or hair dryer interchangeably for those tasks they are dedicated to.
Here is a list of tasks where you can use them interchangeably:
- Removing tags and stickers.
- Plastic frame casting for glasses.
- Removing candle waxes from any surfaces.
- Removing pencil marks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can You Use A Hair Dryer Instead Of A Heat Gun For A Vinyl Wrap?
Answer: As the hair dryer and heat gun work on similar heating principles, though to varying degrees, you can go for a hair dryer instead of a heat gun for several specific applications.
The vinyl wrap needs a low heat source to stretch and to be applied to devices, so a hair dryer is a good alternative for a heat gun in this case. However, we would highly recommend using heat guns in substantial projects.
Q: Can You Use A Hair Dryer Instead Of A Heat Gun On Epoxy Resin?
Answer: Yes, you can use a hair dryer instead of a heat gun on epoxy resin, but it is not one of the best options out there.
Firstly, the heat produced by a hair dryer might not be enough to perform the job correctly.
Secondly, dust & hair from surroundings might blow on the wet epoxy while using the dryer.
Likewise, using a hair dryer would undoubtedly be a good option when a heat gun is not available at hand.
Q: Can You Use A Hair Dryer As A Heat Gun For EVA Foam?
Answer: Though a heat gun and hair dryer follow the same heating rules, the heat gun’s airflow is hotter than the hair dryer flow. Providing the heat is a must to keep the EPV foam in the perfect shape, and the heat gun is quite efficient in this job.
Using a hair dryer as a heat gun would be a fantastic idea if you can use the highest heat settings during emergency projects. However, I prefer heat guns more for EPV foam and will advise keeping the hair dryer as an alternative.
Final Words
As the two are made for different purposes, there are chances that you can’t use them interchangeably. For instance, while you are doing something requiring a high amount of heat and doing it with your hair dryer, your hair dryer may die in the middle of the task.
You can still use a heat gun and a hair dryer interchangeably for some tasks, but be sure that you choose the right one for the utmost output. Before choosing one between them, always consider the heat, remember, the heat.
