Author Topic: Good hot melt glue gun? (Read 17952 times)

oliver602 · « **on:** December 24, 2011, 06:33:25 pm »

Hi,

Not so long ago I purchased an Arrow 100W glue gun to replace a previous crappy gun. The Arrow gun constantly oozed when on and made a mess of your work. Then after no more than 8 hours use the heater poped and now it just blows the plug top fuze when turned on.

It could melt fairly quickly and had a nice large trigger that you could put your hand around.

Can anyone recommend a good quality or professional glue gun, with good flow control for tidy and precise work(doesn't ooze), but also capable of relatively high volume? Do they exist?

Thanks

Joshua · « **Reply #1 on:** December 24, 2011, 07:11:02 pm »

I have a 3m(I don't know the model off hand) its kind of industrial. I like it so far. One note is that it gets reaaaaallllyyyyy hot. So hot that it will melt certain types of foam. Nice large trigger and stand. I'd really look into glue guns where you can get interchangeable tips. The 3m has a removable tip but I haven't researched extra tips.

ipman · « **Reply #2 on:** December 24, 2011, 09:14:17 pm »

You may want to look at a hot air gun, with adjustable temperature. It does a better job than the glue gun under certain circumstances, altough it tends to heat the surroundings also.

hacklordsniper · « **Reply #3 on:** December 24, 2011, 10:46:59 pm »

I use only Steinel in my lab and they never fail while the quality is superb. The Neo battery powered one is my favorite

ipman · « **Reply #4 on:** December 25, 2011, 08:54:51 am »

Steinel are available in Europe, they have some production facilities in my country also.
They make good tools, but expensive, especially the profesional lines.
A temperature controlled top-of-the-line like HL2010E heat gun is allmost 70EUR here, and a glue gun is cheaper. It depends on the intended use.

vtl · « **Reply #5 on:** December 25, 2011, 09:49:38 am »

I just use a hot air station (Atten 858) for most of the times i need to hot glue something. I cut off a small chunk and melt it on the surface I want to bond. Its precise and creates less mess and wastage compared to my glue gun.

oliver602 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 25, 2011, 02:43:38 pm »

Do they drip?

ipman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 25, 2011, 02:51:22 pm »

Steinel has a special accesory for glueing here. It's the "welding nozzle".
They do not drip, because the glue is not coming out of the gun itself, but is applied externally.

hacklordsniper · « **Reply #8 on:** December 25, 2011, 04:47:08 pm »

Quote from: oliver602 on December 25, 2011, 02:43:38 pm

Do they drip?

They dont drip because they have a metal ball which stops dripping

Edit: Just remebered one detail, in Lidl (super market found in many countries) sales there can be found the Steinel gluematic 5000 as LIDL rebrand once or twice in the year, http://steinel.de/en/thermo_fuer_heimwerker/heissklebepistolen/gluematic_5000

oliver602 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 25, 2011, 06:24:12 pm »

We do have a lidl where I am and they have the occasional very random deal.

I've seen a (Edit) bosch glue gun on Amazon of that look just like the Steinel 5000.

Any glue stick recommendations?

I tried to find the Steinel dura bond and cristal clear stick but no luck. I like the cristal stick claim of drip free for precision work. Sounds good for masking ICSP pads before coating boards.

NiHaoMike · « **Reply #10 on:** December 26, 2011, 05:00:35 am »

Quote from: vtl on December 25, 2011, 09:49:38 am

I just use a hot air station (Atten 858) for most of the times i need to hot glue something. I cut off a small chunk and melt it on the surface I want to bond. Its precise and creates less mess and wastage compared to my glue gun.

That's actually a very good way to hot glue something. You'll want to turn the temperature way down and the airflow way up for best results. For bigger pieces, a hair dryer works well.

hacklordsniper · « **Reply #11 on:** December 27, 2011, 08:44:52 am »

Inovative way but not the best since you can easily melt stuff you dont want

oliver602 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 29, 2011, 04:44:12 am »

Thanks for the advice all. The task I intended to use it for is very repetitive so chopping and melting glue sticks by hand would be too slow, but useful for other situations. I've ordered the Steinel Gluematic 5000.

Any recommendations for glue ticks?

hacklordsniper · « **Reply #13 on:** December 29, 2011, 06:23:37 am »

Quote from: oliver602 on December 29, 2011, 04:44:12 am

Thanks for the advice all. The task I intended to use it for is very repetitive so chopping and melting glue sticks by hand would be too slow, but useful for other situations. I've ordered the Steinel Gluematic 5000.

Any recommendations for glue ticks?

You have made a good decision, you will never regret it

I use Steinel glue sticks also since they are not always easily available i use whatever i find in local tool store, i cant say i noticed some great difference.

KaiserPermanentHEY! · « **Reply #14 on:** March 24, 2016, 03:22:23 pm »

Quote from: Joshua on December 24, 2011, 07:11:02 pm

I have a 3m(I don't know the model off hand) its kind of industrial. I like it so far. One note is that it gets reaaaaallllyyyyy hot. So hot that it will melt certain types of foam. Nice large trigger and stand. I'd really look into glue guns where you can get interchangeable tips. The 3m has a removable tip but I haven't researched extra tips.

I was doing some research on hot glue guns for the last couple days, and initially I ran across this forum and it kind of confirmed that 3M was the best. I still do think it's a high quality company, but I'm a baller on a budget, so I was looking for something a little cheaper, when I came across http://www.gluemachinery.com/a-cost-effective-alternative-to-3m-corporations-adhesives/. I'm glad to know that there are other quality options. Don't get me wrong, when I have more money I'll get the 3M. But for now, I'm going with something a little more cost effective.

KL27x · « **Reply #15 on:** March 24, 2016, 11:55:27 pm »

I have a $70.00 name brand glue gun that died after a few months. Really annoying. I have a $15.00 glue gun from China with an adjustable temp dial that works a treat.

It takes a long longer to heat up than the expensive turd. But I can set the temp/power to where I can leave it on all the time without burning any glue. It's pretty ideal, IMO, for electronics work.

XOIIO · « **Reply #16 on:** March 25, 2016, 01:08:38 pm »

I have a stanley glue pro which automatically shuts off and has high and low settings, it has different tips, I use the long tube one, and it works great. Heats up in reasonable time, doesn't drip much, and likely only does because I get impatient for it to heat up (mainly due to being low on sockets whenever I find myself in need of it). It is great for filling hard to reach areas with glue as it's very liquidy (can't recall the term) due to the temperature.

I think I paid $70 for it, it's been well worth the investment. https://www.amazon.ca/Stanley-GR100-Glue-Pro-DualMelt-Glue/dp/B0000223U7

I have gone through a lot of cheap ones too, I have one that I use exclusively for black hot glue, can't recall the name/brand on that but if I had the choice I'd use two of these.

edit:just looked at that 3m gun and man, it looks fancy, but sure is pricy. It seems like it might be difficult to do small/accurate blobs with the trigger like that, but would be easier on the hands for heavy glueing.

edit 2: just saw that you made your choice, looks interesting, but is a little too thick and the end for my taste, seems like it would be difficult to get into tight spaces.

As far as glue sticks, get the super long ones, I just use local dollar store stuff and it works fine, I could never, ever go back to the standard ones, they are just useless, they run out so quickly, you have a weird period where they fall out all the time until they start getting deep enough in, same with long but it's a lot less often.

G0WZB · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2016, 05:48:02 pm »

I have one of these as well and cant fault it, I bit more expensive than most but its lasted a lot longer than the el cheapo models.
It dosent ooze when not in use like my last one.
Brian

Quote from: XOIIO on March 25, 2016, 01:08:38 pm

I have a stanley glue pro which automatically shuts off and has high and low settings, it has different tips, I use the long tube one, and it works great. Heats up in reasonable time, doesn't drip much, and likely only does because I get impatient for it to heat up (mainly due to being low on sockets whenever I find myself in need of it). It is great for filling hard to reach areas with glue as it's very liquidy (can't recall the term) due to the temperature.

I think I paid $70 for it, it's been well worth the investment. https://www.amazon.ca/Stanley-GR100-Glue-Pro-DualMelt-Glue/dp/B0000223U7

I have gone through a lot of cheap ones too, I have one that I use exclusively for black hot glue, can't recall the name/brand on that but if I had the choice I'd use two of these.

edit:just looked at that 3m gun and man, it looks fancy, but sure is pricy. It seems like it might be difficult to do small/accurate blobs with the trigger like that, but would be easier on the hands for heavy glueing.

edit 2: just saw that you made your choice, looks interesting, but is a little too thick and the end for my taste, seems like it would be difficult to get into tight spaces.

As far as glue sticks, get the super long ones, I just use local dollar store stuff and it works fine, I could never, ever go back to the standard ones, they are just useless, they run out so quickly, you have a weird period where they fall out all the time until they start getting deep enough in, same with long but it's a lot less often.

sequoia · « **Reply #18 on:** March 29, 2016, 12:48:24 am »

I would recommend not skimping on glue sticks, personally I don't user anything but 3M glue sticks. For the glue gun, you can get by just fine with some cheap one if you don't use it continuously, and if you do then probably worth investing on professional grade glue gun (Scotch-Weld, etc.).

Bit like with soldering, good solder/flux is the key, but fancy soldering station not so much...nice if you solder a lot but cheap iron can work just fine for occasional use.

eKretz · « **Reply #19 on:** July 29, 2016, 05:19:43 am »

I use this gun:

https://www.amazon.com/HB220-Adjustable-Temperature-UX8012-Adhesive/dp/B002YGTGWG

My favorite glue gun by far. The metal wire "rest" is hinged at the bottom of the handle so it can be pivoted out of the way for gluing in tight spots. It has adjustable heat, interchangeable nozzles and adjustable trigger stroke length (adjusts amount of glue per full trigger pull).

raptor1956 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 17, 2016, 04:02:49 am »

I do not have a glue gun at this point but I do have a hot air gun (858D clone) so I plan on at least trying the hot air gun to do the job. I do have a couple questions though...

1. What temp and relative airflow setting is best with an 858D?

2. Is there any particular version of 3M sticks that are best suited for use with a hot air gun? Pointers for Amazon?

Brian

Simon · « **Reply #21 on:** February 14, 2020, 05:57:24 pm »

i can't think of anything worse than a weighty battery device. Why do wo have to make everything cordless these days? Basically get yourself a 250W glue gun not a pathetic 100+W one and these generally take larger diameter glue sticks of 15-18mm versus the 12mm of the little guns so you can go for longer between adding more glue.

Hydron · « **Reply #22 on:** February 14, 2020, 09:37:41 pm »

I used to work with guys who swore by the gas powered guns. Cordless but not weighty, and could pump out the glue like crazy.
Also I'd say that's a shill that you replied to - have reported it.

Edit: didn't notice that you were a mod. Carry on!

Simon · « **Reply #23 on:** February 14, 2020, 09:53:23 pm »

Yea probably a shill. Let them show the colours properly and I'll ban "it".

SmallCog · « **Reply #24 on:** February 21, 2020, 07:01:26 am »

I’m happy with my dewalt glue gun but I have no idea if it’s availability globally.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/dewalt-rapid-heat-ceramic-glue-gun_p0110324


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Author Topic: Good hot melt glue gun? (Read 17952 times)

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