A cordless heat gun is one of those tools that lives in the bottom of the van for months and then earns its keep ten times in a fortnight. Heat-shrink on a vehicle wiring loom, soldering copper pipe in a loft with no socket within reach, lifting old vinyl flooring on a rip-out, freeing a stuck nut on an exhaust mount, drying paint flash-off in the cold months — none of these jobs are worth running 30 metres of extension cable for. None of them are worth carrying a corded heat gun across two scaffolds for either.
The catch is that not every cordless heat gun is worth the £140-plus you’re going to pay. Run-time is the limiting factor — a battery-only heat gun pulls 18 to 22 amps and a 5.0Ah pack will give you between 8 and 18 minutes of solid heat depending on the tool and the temperature. The good ones manage that without falling over and the bad ones don’t. We’ve tested the cordless heat guns UK tradespeople actually buy in 2026 — stocked at Screwfix, Toolstation, Amazon UK and the trade counter chains — and ranked them for trade use.
All prices below are approximate UK retail at the time of writing and based on the bare unit (no battery) where applicable. Buying as a kit with battery and charger included is usually 50–70% more — only worth it if you don’t already own batteries on that platform.
Our quick verdict
If you want the one-line answer: the Makita DHG181 is the best all-round cordless heat gun for UK tradespeople in 2026 if you’re already on the Makita LXT platform — variable temperature dial up to 550°C, properly fast heat-up, and the run-time on a 5.0Ah pack is the longest in this list. About £115–£135 bare at Screwfix, Toolstation and the major UK tool retailers.
If you’re on a different battery platform: Milwaukee M18 owners get the M18 BHG (£85–£105 bare), DeWalt 18V XR owners get the DCE530 (£55–£75 bare), Bosch Pro owners get the GHG 18V-50 (£140–£165 bare), and Ryobi One+ owners get the R18HG-0 (£55–£75 bare). The platform you already own beats the platform you have to buy into.
The 5 best cordless heat guns for UK tradespeople in 2026
Makita DHG181 — Best all-round
Price: Around £115–£135 bare unit; £225–£265 as kit with 2x batteries, charger and case
The Makita DHG181 is the cordless heat gun the largest share of UK trade buyers end up with for one good reason — it’s the only cordless heat gun in this list with a proper variable temperature dial that goes from 100°C all the way to 550°C in 50°C increments. Other cordless heat guns give you two or three preset temperatures; the Makita gives you eleven, which is the difference between melting heat-shrink properly without scorching the wires and cooking the lot.
Heat-up to 200°C takes about 25 seconds, to 500°C about 50 seconds. Air flow is 200 L/min — the highest in this list — which is what makes it usable for paint stripping at a push as well as the more typical jobs. Run-time on a Makita 5.0Ah BL1850B pack is 18–20 minutes at 500°C and 30+ minutes at lower temperatures, both better than the Bosch and Milwaukee. There’s an LCD on the back showing the actual air temperature, an LED work light at the front, and a hanging hook so you can park it on a step ladder hook between jobs.
Stocked at Screwfix, Toolstation, ITS, Amazon UK and the major UK Makita dealers (UK Planet Tools, Power Tool World, Anglia Tool Centre). The kit version (DHG181RT1J) bundles a 5.0Ah battery, charger and case and is the buy if you’re new to the platform; the bare unit (DHG181Z) is what everyone else gets.
Pros: True variable temperature dial in 50°C steps to 550°C, longest run-time in this list, LCD shows actual air temperature, LED work light, the standard Makita 3-year warranty extended to 5 with battery registration.
Cons: Doesn’t quite hit the 600°C+ that some corded guns manage — not the right tool for stripping multiple layers of old gloss paint, more expensive bare than the Milwaukee or DeWalt, only worth buying if you’re already on the LXT platform or planning to invest in it.
- Compatible with the current nozzles for the Makita mains machines (not included) for increased versatility
- 2 stage air volume settings and air temperature adjustment dial; air temperature 150 to 550 degrees C and air volume (mode 1 / 2) 120 / 200 litres per minute
- Trigger switch with lock-on button and lock-off lever
- Anti-restart function
- Tool-less nozzle change
Milwaukee M18 BHG — Best for site abuse
Price: Around £85–£105 bare; £180–£220 as kit
The Milwaukee M18 BHG is the heat gun on the platform a lot of UK first-fix and site teams have already standardised on. Two preset temperatures only — 270°C low and 470°C high — controlled by a slide switch under the trigger. That’s less flexible than the Makita’s variable dial but for the bread-and-butter cordless heat gun jobs (heat-shrink, plumbing, freeing seized fasteners) two presets cover 90% of work.
Air flow is 170 L/min, heat-up to high temp is about 6 seconds (the fastest in this list, although Milwaukee’s measurement is from cold to nozzle outlet temperature, not chamber temperature). Run-time on an M18 5.0Ah pack is 12–14 minutes at full temperature. The build is properly tough — the body is reinforced where most cordless heat guns crack, and there’s a steel ladder hook that’s actually useful instead of being decorative.
Comes with reflector and reduction nozzles in the box. Stocked at ITS, Toolstation, Amazon UK, FFX and the Milwaukee specialist trade counters. Not currently in Screwfix, but the bare unit (M18 BHG-0) is available next-day from any of the trade-counter retailers above.
Pros: Toughest body in this list — survives the bottom of a tool bag for a year, fastest claimed heat-up, useful steel ladder hook, M18 platform is the broadest cordless platform in UK trade right now, supplied with two nozzles.
Cons: Two preset temperatures only — no variable control, run-time at high heat is shorter than the Makita and the Bosch, no LED work light, not stocked at Screwfix.
- Proven reliable Milwaukee technology
- Lightweight construction at just 1.08 Kgs
- High performace for the home or tradesman
- Item Package Dimension: 7.8cm L x 17.2cm W x 21.6cm H
Bosch GHG 18V-50 Professional — Best for site speed
Price: Around £140–£165 bare; £270–£320 as kit
The Bosch GHG 18V-50 is the cordless heat gun the Bosch Pro 18V users buy. Two preset temperatures (300°C and 500°C) controlled by a switch on the back of the body. Heat-up to 300°C takes a claimed 6 seconds; in real use you’re working in 8–10 seconds, which is genuinely fast and noticeably quicker than the DeWalt or Ryobi from a cold start. The body is the smallest and lightest in this list (1.0kg with a 5.0Ah battery), which matters when you’re holding it overhead in a loft for 20 minutes at a stretch.
Air flow is 250 L/min — the highest in this list — and uses the same nozzle bayonet as the Bosch corded heat guns, so the reflector nozzles, glass-protection nozzles and 9mm reduction nozzles you might already own all fit. There’s a built-in LED light at the nozzle, and an over-temperature cut-out that protects the tool if the air intake gets blocked. Run-time on a Bosch ProCORE 8.0Ah is 18–20 minutes at 500°C; on a 4.0Ah it’s about 9–10 minutes.
Stocked at Screwfix (next day), Toolstation, ITS, Amazon UK and the Bosch Pro trade counter network. The Screwfix code is 217KU. As with most Bosch Pro tools the bare-unit warranty extends from 1 to 3 years if you register the tool within 30 days of purchase.
Pros: Fastest meaningful heat-up of the lot, lightest body of any cordless heat gun in this list, accepts the existing Bosch corded heat-gun nozzle range, integrated LED light, professional 3-year warranty with registration.
Cons: Two preset temperatures only, more expensive than the Milwaukee and DeWalt bare units, only worth it if you’re on the Bosch Pro 18V platform — the GBA/ProCORE batteries are not the same battery system as the Bosch DIY green range.
- Save time: Fast heating up to 300 °C within 6 seconds
- Portability and flexibility in every working environment
- Two temperature levels (300/500 °C) and LED light for easy operation
- Flexible 18V heat gun for working on the go
- Scope of supply: L-BOXX 136 (1 600 A01 2G0);Reflector nozzle, 32 x 33 mm (1 609 390 453);Reduction nozzle, 9 mm (1 609 201 797)
DeWalt DCE530 18V XR — Best for DeWalt owners
Price: Around £55–£75 bare; £160–£200 as kit
The DeWalt DCE530 is the cordless heat gun that costs the least and is the easiest to get hold of for UK trade. Two preset temperatures (290°C and 540°C), a slide switch on the underside, an LED work light and a hanging hook. The temperature range goes higher than the Bosch or Milwaukee — 540°C versus 470°C and 500°C — and that extra 50°C is the difference between lifting some of the more stubborn vinyl tile adhesive on a rip-out and not.
Air flow is 96 L/min — the lowest in this list, by some margin — which means the DCE530 is genuinely a heat-shrink and small-area paint-touch-up tool, not a paint-stripping or large-area drying tool. Run-time on a DeWalt 5.0Ah XR is about 8–10 minutes at 540°C and 14–16 minutes at 290°C. Both numbers are the shortest in this list and reflect the fact that the DCE530 is a smaller-output tool than the Makita or the Bosch.
Stocked at Screwfix (DCE530N-XJ, code 904KJ), Toolstation, ITS, Amazon UK, FFX, Power Tool World and pretty much every UK trade counter. The bare unit price is the headline — at under £70 in many places, it’s the easiest cordless heat gun to add to a DeWalt 18V XR kit you already own without thinking too hard about it.
Pros: Cheapest cordless heat gun in this list, top-end temperature reaches 540°C, stocked everywhere in the UK, integrated LED light, slots into an XR kit with no extra battery investment.
Cons: Lowest air flow in this list — slow on larger drying or paint-strip jobs, shortest run-time at high heat, no variable temperature control, the 1-year DeWalt warranty extends to 3 years only with registration on the DeWalt site within 28 days.
- DCE530 XR Heat Gun reaches a temperature of 530°C on a high setting and 290°C on a low setting
- Select a high or low temperature setting with the 2-set temperature selector, optimising temperature for specific applications
- Keep the tool switched on using the lock-on button to improve comfort for longer applications and hands-free use
- The trigger with a built in lock-off switch prevents an accidental start up during transportation and storage, reducing risk of thermal accidents
- Fully compatible with all DEWALT 18V XR batteries
Ryobi R18HG-0 18V One+ — Best on a budget
Price: Around £55–£75 bare; £125–£165 as kit with 4.0Ah battery and charger
The Ryobi R18HG-0 is the cordless heat gun the Ryobi One+ DIY-and-light-trade users buy. Two preset temperatures — 300°C and 550°C — controlled by a sliding switch on the underside. Same platform as every other Ryobi One+ tool, which means anyone with a Ryobi cordless drill kit at home already has the batteries to run this without a second thought. The body is a little chunkier than the Milwaukee and the Bosch and the build feels a step below the trade brands, but for £60 it doesn’t need to feel like the Makita.
Air flow is around 130 L/min, heat-up to 300°C takes 12–15 seconds. Run-time on a Ryobi 4.0Ah High Performance pack is around 9–11 minutes at full heat and 15–17 minutes at low. There’s no LED light, no variable temperature dial and no work light. What there is is a perfectly serviceable cordless heat gun at half the price of the next-cheapest trade-brand option.
Stocked at Screwfix, Argos, Amazon UK, B&Q and the major UK Ryobi specialist retailers. Don’t buy this if you’re a working tradesperson on Makita or DeWalt already — the One+ batteries are a different platform and you’d be carrying two charging systems for marginal cost saving. Buy this if you’re a serviceable DIY user, a property maintenance person who already owns Ryobi, or a vehicle/marine user where a heat gun is one of three battery tools you’ll ever own.
Pros: Cheapest credible cordless heat gun on the market, runs on the Ryobi One+ batteries you might already own from your drill kit, top end of 550°C is genuinely as hot as anything in this list, perfectly competent for heat-shrink, drying and small-area work.
Cons: Lower-quality housing than the trade brands — the body cracks if dropped on concrete from waist height, no LED light, no variable control, Ryobi One+ batteries are not stocked on UK main contractor sites so you can’t borrow on the job.
- Rapidly Heats to 470°c in under 10 seconds so you can quickly tackle your project
- Ideal for shrinking tubing or film, drying out damp wood, bend or weld pipes (e.G. Copper) and plastic, soften adhesives or defrost frozen pipes
- Kit includes a heat concentrating nozzle and a reflector nozzle for 360⁰ heating (wire shrinking/bending)
- Led work light to illuminate the work area
- Part of the Ryobi one+ system – over 100 tools powered by one battery
UK cordless heat guns compared at a glance
Heat Gun | Top Temp | Air Flow | Variable? | Approx Bare Price | Best for |
Makita DHG181 | 550°C | 200 L/min | Yes (50°C steps) | £115–£135 | All-round trade use |
Milwaukee M18 BHG | 470°C | 170 L/min | No (2 presets) | £85–£105 | Site abuse / M18 owners |
Bosch GHG 18V-50 Pro | 500°C | 250 L/min | No (2 presets) | £140–£165 | Speed / Bosch Pro owners |
DeWalt DCE530 | 540°C | 96 L/min | No (2 presets) | £55–£75 | DeWalt XR owners |
Ryobi R18HG-0 | 550°C | 130 L/min | No (2 presets) | £55–£75 | Budget / One+ owners |
Buyer’s guide — what actually matters
Battery platform first, heat gun second
The single most important rule: buy the heat gun on the cordless platform you already own. The £30–£50 saving you make picking the cheapest bare unit will be wiped out twice over by the cost of buying a second battery and charger system, and the headache of remembering which charger sits where. If you don’t yet own any 18V cordless tools at all and you’re looking for a heat gun as your first tool, buy the Makita — it’s the broadest UK trade platform with the best run-time on this specific tool.
How big is the job?
Cordless heat guns are made for short-burst work — heat-shrink crimps, plumbing flux, lifting tile adhesive in small patches, freeing single fasteners, paint touch-up. They are not suited to multi-room paint stripping or thawing 8 metres of frozen condensate pipe. For those jobs you want a 2000W corded heat gun on a 30m extension reel — the Makita HG6531C or the Bosch GHG 23-66 are the trade picks, both at £100–£140. Cordless and corded are not competing — they’re complementary.
Variable vs preset temperatures
Variable temperature control (the Makita) is the right answer for anyone doing fine work — phone screen separation, low-melt-point heat-shrink, plastic welding, fine-detail paint flash-off. If you don’t do any of that, two presets cover everything else. Don’t pay extra for variable temperature you’re not going to use.
Watch out for the kit price trap
Cordless heat gun kits (with battery and charger included) are typically 50–70% more expensive than the bare unit. If you already own batteries on the platform, the bare unit is the buy every time. The exception is if you’re buying your first tool on a platform — kits include a battery and charger you’d otherwise pay near-retail for separately, and the bundle works out cheaper than buying the parts independently.
Nozzles and accessories
A reflector nozzle (for wrapping heat around a pipe) and a reduction nozzle (for narrow-area work like single solder joints) are the two essentials. The Bosch and Milwaukee come with both in the box. The Makita, DeWalt and Ryobi typically don’t — budget another £15–£25 from Amazon UK for a third-party nozzle set if you need them. A glass-protection nozzle is useful only if you’re stripping window frames, which most cordless heat-gun owners aren’t doing.
FAQs
Is a cordless heat gun worth it for plumbers?
Yes, but only as a complement to a corded heat gun, not a replacement. Cordless is brilliant for the airing-cupboard or under-the-bath job where you can’t get a socket. Corded is what you’ll use for any job where you’ve got mains nearby. The best cordless heat gun for a plumber is whichever platform their cordless drill is on — usually Makita LXT or Milwaukee M18.
Will a cordless heat gun strip paint?
Single layers, yes — slowly. Multiple layers of old gloss or lead paint, no — you want a 2000W corded gun. The temperature is technically high enough but the air volume isn’t, and the run-time on a battery is short enough that you’ll exhaust two batteries on a single window frame.
How long does a battery last on a cordless heat gun?
Roughly 8–20 minutes at full temperature on a 5.0Ah pack, depending on tool. The Makita DHG181 is the longest in this list at the top temperature setting; the DeWalt DCE530 is the shortest. At lower temperatures (around 300°C), expect 50–80% more run-time.
Can I use a cordless heat gun on car wiring and heat-shrink?
Yes — this is the original sweet spot. Set the tool to its low temperature (270–300°C), use the reduction nozzle, and you’ll do a clean shrink without melting the conductor insulation. The Milwaukee M18 BHG and Makita DHG181 are the two most-recommended tools for vehicle work in UK auto-electrician forums.
Where can I buy these in the UK?
Screwfix carries the Bosch GHG 18V-50, the DeWalt DCE530 and the Ryobi R18HG-0 next-day. Toolstation carries the same three plus the Makita DHG181. ITS, Power Tool World, FFX, UK Planet Tools and Amazon UK carry the full range including the Milwaukee M18 BHG, which is the only one in this list not stocked at the big two trade chains.
Final word
Cordless heat guns are a small category but a useful one if you’ve got the right battery platform already. Don’t switch platforms for one. Buy the Makita DHG181 if you’re on Makita and want the most-flexible tool, the Milwaukee M18 BHG if you’re on M18, the Bosch GHG 18V-50 if you’re on Bosch Pro, the DeWalt DCE530 if you’re on XR, and the Ryobi R18HG-0 if you’re on One+. Pair any of them with a 30m extension reel and a £100 corded gun for the larger jobs and you’ve got a heat-gun setup that will last you a trade lifetime.
