Review Panel: Glues

Let me start by saying that I was so excited to trial these glues. I haven't been crafting for long (around two years), but in that time I have amassed quite a selection of glues that I use for different purposes. Would I discover a glue that does it all?

I began by testing the glues with the thing I do most - glueing intricate die cuts onto cardstock. I have seen people apply glue to the back of their hand and then dab the die cuts onto it to get a light coating. My hands are suffering already with the constant application of hand sanitiser and I don't want to dry them out further, so I was looking for a glue with a precision nib. I decided to use the die from Die Cutting Essentials and some mirror cardstock for a simple card design.

I used the stick it glue pen first. I found this was a little tricky to control the initial flow. It wanted to put bigger blobs of glue on then I really wanted. Next was the Cosmic Shimmer glue- it was easy to grip and hold but was still a little tricky to get into the really fine details of the diecut. Finally I tried the Anita's glue. This comes in a huge bottle but to my surprise it had the finest application tip. All three held the mirror card well and dried clear- hurrah!

I like to make little box cards with acetate so I was interested to see which glues could cope with acetate and give a neat finish to these cards. Again, I was pleasantly surprised that all the glues were strong enough to do this but my preference was still with the Anita's glue as I use some very teeny, tiny pieces that require a precision nib.

My next test was to die cut some foam shapes and then stuck these onto acetate. With some glues I have found they discolour when used with foam - it was not the case with the three I tested. I did have to unblock the nib of the Anita's glue a few times though. With it being so precise it gets blocked a lot easier than the others and then it is more difficult to squeeze too. I used the glues to adhere this foam dinosaur to a washi tape background and they all worked well.

Finally I used the glue to adhere some felt shapes to acetate. Once more, all three glues rose to the challenge and did not discolour the felt but where held firmly (the acetate was an extra level of challenge too!)

Final thoughts. For value for money I would choose the Anitas' glue- it is a huge bottle that will last a long time. It costs £3.99 for 240ml from Craft Stash. However, the large bottle may make it more difficult for people with dexterity issues. Oh and be prepared to have to unblock the nozzle numerous times (I always have a pin cushion on my desk for this reason!).

For ease of use I would choose the Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Acrylic glue. I liked the bottle and it felt like you had good control of the amount coming out and it was easy to squeeze. It costs £2.79 for 30ml so it would work out quite expensive if you are using a lot of glue.

My least favourite was the Stick it! glue. I found that it kept giving too much glue for my intricate die cuts which was wasteful and also you don't get very much in the tube. It costs £1.49 for 18ml. It would be useful if you have limited space or are crafting 'on the go'.

I hope you have found this review helpful. Feel free to share your comments or ask any questions.

Gem