How loud is a heat gun?
A heat gun with a maker value lists 56 to 67 dB(A), and every one of those values comes from Leister. Bosch and Metabo state only that their guns stay below 70 dB(A).
Leister prints its figure as a "Noise emission level" in the technical data on each US product page and on the matching datasheet for the 120 V article. Leister leaves open whether this is sound pressure at the operator or the sound power of the whole tool, and it names no distance, standard, uncertainty or airflow setting.
Bosch and Metabo are clearer about the quantity and vaguer about the number. Both call theirs an A-weighted sound pressure level, and both put it below 70 dB(A) without giving a value.
Because the two kinds of statement are not the same thing, a value and a ceiling are never ranked together here. Our explainer on power tool noise and hearing shows how sound pressure, sound power and the uncertainty K appear in a tool manual.
What is the quietest heat gun?
No heat gun can be called quietest across makers. Within Leister's range, the HOT JET S lists 56 dB(A), and the TRIAC ST, TRIAC AT, GHIBLI AW and ELECTRON ST all list 67.
These are the five values as Leister prints them for its 120 V US articles:
- HOT JET S (100.859): 56 dB (A)
- TRIAC ST (141.228): 67 dB (A)
- TRIAC AT (141.316): 67 dB (A)
- GHIBLI AW (148.078): 67 dB (A)
- ELECTRON ST (145.562): 67 dB (A)
An 11 dB gap from a single maker, on one page template, is large enough to mean something. It also follows the size of the tool. The HOT JET S draws 460 W and moves 20 to 80 l/min through a 0.85 in. nozzle; the other four draw 1600 to 2400 W and move up to 240 or 360 l/min.
So the HOT JET S is a different class of tool. Leister sells it for welding seams, shrinking film and soldering, jobs where a narrow jet of hot air is the point. For stripping a wall of paint, the 67 dB(A) guns move three or more times the air, and the TRIAC ST is the cheapest of them at $519.
A tie across 800 watts
The four larger guns span 1600 to 2400 W and 240 to 360 l/min of maximum airflow, yet Leister gives them the same 67 dB(A). It also prints 67 for the 3400 W European ELECTRON ST.
Leister publishes one figure per gun and says nothing about the airflow it was taken at, so none of its values describes a gun turned down to its lowest air setting.
What does a 70 dB(A) ceiling on a heat gun mean?
A 70 dB(A) ceiling means the maker states only that the A-weighted sound pressure stays below that line, without saying how far below. Two guns under the same ceiling could differ by several decibels, so none of them is ranked.
Bosch's European instructions for the GHG 18V-50, the cordless gun sold in the US as the GHG18V-50N, say the sound pressure level is "less than 70 dB(A)". Bosch's US page and US manual for the GHG18V-50N print no figure.
Metabo's European manual for the HG 16-500 and HG 20-600 gives a sound pressure level below 70 dB(A) and says its values were measured to EN 62841. Metabo's own manual service lists a US 120V variant of each, 01067420 and 02066420, and their North American manual prints no noise figure.
Metabo's international page for the HG 16-500 shows 70 dB(A) with the less-than sign dropped, and we follow the manual. Its US product pages for both guns returned errors when we checked, so we list neither as a pick.
Leister's SOLANO AT, a brushless 1800 W gun at $475, is listed at less than 65 dB(A). Leister's page calls it "particularly quiet at less than 65 dB (A)". That ceiling sits below Leister's 67 dB(A) group and above the HOT JET S's 56, so it cannot be placed against either.
Do heat gun makers list decibels in the US?
No, apart from Leister. Milwaukee, DEWALT, Bosch, Metabo and Wagner print no heat gun noise figure in the US manuals we opened, and Makita's European manuals have none either.
Milwaukee's operator's manual for the M18 2688-20 gives no figure. DEWALT's US manual for the DCE530 warns about hearing but gives no value, and its pages for the DCE530N in New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates listed no noise data.
Wagner's US manual for the Furno 500, Model No. 2363334, prints none. Makita's European manual for the HG5030, HG6030 and HG6031V, and the one for the DHG180 and DHG181, have no noise section at all, so there is nothing to carry over to the US HG6031VK or DHG181ZK.
Do you need hearing protection with a heat gun?
Yes, according to DEWALT: its US manual for the cordless DCE530 asks for ear protection meeting ANSI S12.6 and says noise from the tool "may contribute to hearing loss" under some conditions and duration of use.
The figures in this guide all sit below 70 dB(A), but Leister's give no distance, and a heat gun is often held close to the face while you scrape. DEWALT prints its warning without any value beside it, which makes the manual the safer guide for a long session in a small room.
