Hotfix kits: choosing a hotfix bedazzler

What to check in a rhinestone applicator

• Tip sizes that match your stones; labelled tips save guesswork.
• A stand that holds the wand steady while it heats.
• Cable length, or a cordless design, for working on large garments.
• A switch, so you don’t have to unplug between sessions.
• The stones. Glass hotfix stones in a couple of sizes are more useful than a big count of mixed shapes.
• A tip tool for changing tips safely.
• Colour is cosmetic: pink and pastel bedazzlers use the same heaters as black ones.

Wand or heat press?

A wand is ideal for scattered stones, repairs and small motifs. For lettering, logos or anything with hundreds of stones, a template, transfer tape and a heat press are much faster. How to use a hotfix applicator covers both.