One of my mantras as a crafter and a product reviewer is “There is no BAD products- only finding the right one for the job at hand.” And by and large, that is true. The only time when you really need to know “which is better than that” is when you have multiple choices in the same product category. So when folks as me “What is the best glue pen?” of course, I have to test them all out and see which one is best for which job!
So let’s start off by learning a bit about the six glue pens I’m comparing here. Each will have a number assigned to it that will correspond to the swatch cards.
(Note: some of the links below MAY be affiliate links, and if the product is listed as acid free/photo safe, I have noted that.)
- Precision Point Adhesive, Creative Memories. Retails $18.00- available only on Ebay now. Discontinued from CM as the company has been sold.
- Craft Bond Fine-Line Glue Pen, Elmer’s. $2.50, Oriental Trading. Photo-safe, acid free.
- Aleene’s Tacky Glue Fast Dring Glue Pen,( 2-Pack)
($3.50 for 2).
- Tombow Glue Pen
$5.25
- Sakura Quickie Glue Pen
, $3.76
- Sailor 2 in 1 glue pen
Now let’s look at those nibs! All but the Tacky Glue has a rolling-ball style pen nib.
Left to right, 1-6.
Because this is such an expansive comparison, it’s easiest to show you in a video:
Now let’s look at those swatches again!
Takeaways:
- The discontinued Creative Memories pen performed best overall.
- Tacky Glue leaves a raised glue line. Not great if you are using delicate items.
- Elmer’s glue and the Tombow glue were the thinnest and most transparent.
- The Sailor glue did not perform particularly well, but it might have been an older bottle.
All performed equally well with text weight paper.
Vellum
- The Creative Memories glue seemed to adhere most securely.
- Surprisingly, the Tacky Glue did not wrinkle the paper!
- Sailor Glue fail.
Kraft cardstock
- Again, the Creative memories worked the best.
- Some lifting noted with the Tombow Glue Pen
- Sailor Pen Fail.
Writing/Glitter trial.
- Best perfomer for glitter- the SAILOR PEN!! Who would have thunk it?
- Best adhesion- Tacky Glue (but thickest line.)
- Quickie Pen and Creative Memories good runners-up.
Woven and thin ribbon.
- Best adhesion for the thick ribbon- Tacky Glue. But it squeezed through the thin ribbon.
- Better-than-expected results from Elmer’s considering how thin and light the glue is!
- Creative memories has a great hold on both, too.
So… now we know:
- Best overall- Creative Memories- BUT IT’S DISCONTINUED!!
- Tacky glue- great for chunky ribbons, things with texture, and paper.
- Quickie glue- great for writing, thin lines.
- Elmer’s- a great overall thin glue with a wider ball point
- Sailor- great for writing and glitter adhesion.
I was least impressed with Tombow, as it dried really fast and was the most difficult to see.
SO…there’s the first installment! I’ve found 3 other brands of glue pens online, and as soon as they get to CTD WHQ, I’ll be running the exact same tests with them. (One is the Zig Glue Pen, which looks suspiciously like the discontinued Creative Memories pen. Let’s hope it’s the same product in a different package!)
Let me know your thoughts below and if you have a favorite glue PEN (ball-style nib.) I’m all ears!
- Spooky Spider Halloween Bookmark Craft - October 24, 2018
- Review and Demo of LDRS Hybrid Ink Pads - October 15, 2018
- Review and Demo of Nuvo Hybrid Inks - October 1, 2018
- Craft Studio Tour and Organization Ideas - September 20, 2018
- Wax Paper Resist Background Technique - March 20, 2018
- Comparison of Liquid Watercolor Markers/Pens - March 16, 2018
- SAI Japanese Traditional Watercolor Brush Markers- Review & Demo - February 23, 2018
- Rinea Metallic Foil Paper & Ghost Ink Review - February 21, 2018
- Jane Davenport debuts at Creativation 2018 & Watercolor Card - February 13, 2018
- Creativation 2018: New Product Showcase - January 20, 2018
Jenny, thank you for a fantastic review! It’s sad that the best is now discontinued though. Thank you so much for the great reviews you do!
Yay! This was most helpful! And I can’t wait to see the review on the Zig Glue Pen – I have been wondering about it for a while now.
If one glue was discontinued then why even post about it? That wasn’t very helpful. Lynn
Very interesting. I have the sakura pen and am not very happy with it. The glue dries before I finish gluing the entire cut out and then it does not stick. Claudine Hellmuth Studio multi-medium matte is my go to for embellishments. Really holds well and you can squeeze out just a little dot.
How about reviewing glue runners? This is an item that can be expensive since you can easily use 2 to 3 feet for just one card with layering. Maybe these expensive ones are no better than the cheaper choices.
My sister is a CM consultant and she SWORE by that glue pen…hopefully since the company isn’t actually defunct they will have it make a comeback!
I always look forward to your comparisons. You tell it like you see it, with never a hint of partiality. It seems you are as excited with the final results as we are.
What a “dream job” you have 🙂
Thank you Marion! It’s something I do because I really like it and enjoy helping others become better/more informed crafters! 🙂
Caryn- that one from Zig looks *really* close. Fingers crossed! Otherwise we’ll have to start a write-in campaign to have them bring it back!
Susan- great idea! By the way, did you see my comparison of adhesive tapes? That may be of interest to you, too. http://www.crafttestdummies.com/craft-product-reviews/comparison-adhesive-tapes/
Lynn- because it’s one that I- and I know many other crafters- still have lying around. And it’s comparisons like this that often make companies realize that a product is worth bringing back, if enough of us ask for it.
Hey, Jenny, thanks for the great review! Being a CTMH consultant now and missing the CM glue pens I’ve started using the CTMH Bonding Memories glue pen which works fine by me. Perhaps you would consider adding this to your next comparison? (I can order and send you one if you don’t have a nearby or favorite rep) I like to be able to recommend the best items, no matter what brand! Thanks for ALL you do!!!!!
I use the Zig Glue Pen for almost everything and really like the way it holds. It can be permanent or removable depending on how quickly you glue your items down. Thanks for testing the six glues for us. I have often wondered which works the best.
I used to use the Quickie and the Sailor, and since I got the press glue marker I don’t use anything else. those pens will probably dry up on my desk.
I have the medium and there is a fine and broad coming out soon.
I would like to see the Zig Glue pen compared here. I love that it goes on blue and dries clear. I use the one with the barrel that you can squeeze. Thanks for this comparison!
As I mentioned, Colleen, they are on their way and will be included in Part 2. 🙂
Robyn- I specifically *didn’t* include markers in this comparison- trying to stick to the pen-type that you can write with. But I think markers may be in the next wave…..