Glue Guns Overview

Recommendation points

• Dremel 930 Networked
• Cordless Bosch Glue Pen
• Gas Portasol G150

We present to your attention an overview of three hot melt glue guns. For consideration, we will take fundamentally different models that are well suited for home art and minor repairs. We will focus on the functionality of each pistol and important technical characteristics.

Hot melt glue guns have long been proven to be practical and versatile. Such tools are actively used by installers in construction and assemblers in production, but glue guns have become especially popular among DIY enthusiasts. We propose to make an overview of interesting devices by first highlighting three categories of hot glue guns by type of power source:

• electrical network
• electric battery
• gas

Dremel 930 Networked

This instrument can be considered a classic for hand-made. The device has a traditional T-shaped “pistol” type layout with good ergonomics and weighs just over 200 grams (product length – 140 mm). Convenience and comfort is one of the main features of any Dremel. For example, in order to put the pistol in standby mode, a large support heel is made at the end of the handle, and a folding plastic stand is located near the nozzle.

The pistol of the 930th model is positioned by the manufacturer as an apparatus for “precise” work. This means that it does not give a large melt volume (only 5 grams per minute), the device is not suitable for sealing or gluing large parts. But the gun shows itself well in occasional work with interruptions and small objects – in particular, it has a protection against glue leakage, a silicon nozzle cover and an electronic temperature control system. The accuracy of dosing the melt here is ensured by an easy trigger stroke and a thin sting. For modest performance, thick rods are not needed, so the pistol was designed for 7 mm sticks, which also has a positive effect on the smoothness and sensitivity of the mechanical feed elements. The trigger mechanism is rotary here, which has proven its superiority over the piston in terms of practicality and reliability..

The power of the heater is low, but it is enough for the initial heating of the chamber in this pistol to last only 5 minutes. This is considered normal among classmate models and more productive samples..

The main feature of this glue gun is its ability to work at different temperatures. In fact, the model became the successor to the discontinued highly specialized low-temperature Dremel 920 (the melt heats up to 105 degrees). Now the user has two heating modes available: at 165 degrees, you can use ordinary glue, and for working with heat-sensitive materials, you can use rods that melt at 105 degrees. To select the current temperature, it is necessary to move the corresponding two-position key to the desired position.

By the way, the gun comes with three universal rods (high-temperature and low-temperature), as well as 12 multi-colored sparkles. This once again emphasizes that the model is focused on hobby, decorative creativity. The cost of the Dremel 930 glue gun can be considered average, it is in the region of 900-1200 rubles.

Cordless Bosch Glue Pen

Unique hot glue tool. It cannot be called a “pistol”, as the German developers used an innovative direct layout. The device is held directly by the body and looks more like a large fountain pen. Its weight is more than modest – 142 grams. The plastic casing has special recesses for a comfortable grip, like when writing, but it also has rubberized pads so that if necessary, take it differently. The material feed button is push-type, it is quite large and is available in any orientation of the tool in the hand – it is located in the front, near the nozzle. The “start” button is located at the base, it is reliably recessed, and its pressing is confirmed by a light indication. The rods are inserted into the device from the end of the product, as in all other models.

The heating element is supplied with direct current from the battery. Naturally, the absence of a power cord has a positive effect on ergonomics, nothing interferes with the robot, you can always perform gluing, even if there is no electrical outlet nearby. The designers put at our disposal a compact lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1.5 Ah, with an operating voltage of 3.6 V, which provides a power of about 5.4 W. The energy reserve of this baby is impressive – it is about half an hour of continuous work, which is equivalent to melting out 6 glue sticks 150 mm long (the sticks, of course, are used thin, 7 mm in diameter). But this does not mean that the device heats the glue and consumes energy constantly. If you do not use it for 10 minutes, the automatic power off system Auto-Off (in Bosch PKP 3,6 Li this happens after 5 minutes of inactivity). It should also be noted that the li-ion technology has no memory, which makes it possible to recharge the battery in any condition and remove the device from charging at any time. That is, the real time of possible forced downtime is reduced to a minimum. In general, the manufacturer solved the charging problem very gracefully, there is no docking station, but a miniature inexpensive adapter is used that connects to the instrument via the Micro-USB connector.

This glue tool is high temperature and produces a melt of 170 degrees. At the same time, direct current allows the camera to warm up in 15 seconds, and this, we note, is a completely inaccessible indicator for network devices operating on AC. This quick start allows frequent stopping and energy savings. The melt in any mode does not clog the nozzle, since the mechanism for recovering unused glue is triggered, and the material can be stored for a long time inside the housing without consequences. To prevent glue from dripping from the nozzle, the device is endowed with an automatic control function for material consumption.

Bosch Glue Pen is an amateur tool for creativity and minor repairs, it is not for nothing that it is produced by the manufacturer in a green “household” case. The price of such a device is about 1600 rubles, but as a bonus there are 4 universal branded rods in the kit. The same manufacturer offers a cordless glue gun of similar characteristics, which looks like a screwdriver (Bosch PKP 3,6 Li). It is slightly more functional, but heavier (255 grams) and more expensive (2300 rubles). Similar samples are presented by Steinel, which has long been engaged in the creation of high-quality thermal tools – these are the NEO 1 and NEO 3 models..

Bosch PKP 3.6 Li

Gas Portasol G150

This hot glue gun was developed by an Irish company specializing in the manufacture of hand gas tools. Compared to traditional thermal bonding devices, there are no fundamental differences in the layout. The rod feed mechanism, the heat chamber for melt formation, the nozzle with the spring-loaded valve are all the same. However, in the design of the G150 glue gun, electrical heating elements are completely excluded, and all thermal work is performed at the expense of combustible gas. This is ordinary butane, which is used in soldering irons, microburners, lighters.

The gas container is located in the handle, it is fully refilled in ten seconds. To activate the burner, it is necessary to press the “start” button once (the valve opens), and then by repeated movement to sink it deeper – then the piezoelectric ignition is triggered. Applicators, which heat up the melt chamber, reach the required temperature within 3-4 minutes. The overclocked device produces 225 watts of heat, which allows you to heat the glue melt to almost 200 degrees. It is important that the combustion itself takes place without fire – by the method of catalytic oxidation. The fact that the pistol is on is indicated only by a red spot in the viewing window. The operating temperature is controlled in automatic mode (readings are taken from the tip), when necessary – the thermostat is triggered and the gas is temporarily shut off or vice versa – it is supplied.

The device, devoid of power supply wires, is notable for its mobility; the time of fully autonomous continuous operation can reach 2.5 hours. Considering the rather high productivity (up to 25 grams per minute), the device is suitable not only in everyday life, but even for large-scale construction operations. High-temperature rods with a diameter of 11 mm are used as consumables in this glue gun.

We have such gas-fired hot melt glue guns until they have gained wide popularity, they are not easy to find on sale, and the price is relatively high – more than 1,500 rubles.