Most do-it-yourself types and woodworkers look at glue guns as something for their wives to use for crafts projects. Nevertheless, all one has to do is look at how many ways hot melt glue is used in industry to realize how versatile it is. We find glue used for everything including electronics assembly, packaging, and furniture manufacturing.
Hot melt glue has one major advantage over just about any other type of adhesive you can use and that’s its quick set-up time. Clamping of items glued together with hot melt glue is measured in seconds, not hours. The parts can literally be put together by hand and held for a few seconds while the adhesive sets up. Since hot melt glues are actually solid adhesives that are melted, they come out of the gun as a thick gel. This makes it possible to use the glue as a filler, when connected rough or uneven surfaces together. Unlike some adhesives, hot melt glue doesn't lose strength by being applied heavily.
The gun provides the ability to apply the adhesive exactly where needed, in the exact quantity desired. This helps eliminate problems with damaged finishes, a common problem if adhesives get into the wood grain before the finish is applied. In situations where too much adhesive is applied, the excess adhesive can be cut off with a sharp knife. Parts connected together with hot melt glues can be machined.
There are many different types of commercially available adhesives for use with the best glue guns in 2022. Typically, the only glues found in retail outlet are semi-transparent glue sticks used for crafts projects. In addition, there are glue sticks which have been developed for use on just about any type of substrate. If you’re considering using your glue gun with any of these types of glue sticks, you will want one that takes full-sized sticks as they don't come in the mini size.
Heat guns vary considerably, ranging in price up to a couple of thousand dollars but most of us have only seen the low-cost consumer units. These are great for crafts projects, but may not be enough for heavy-duty applications. If you are working on a project where a lot of adhesive would be needed, you would be better served by buying one of the lower-cost industrial units, rather than a consumer unit. The higher heat output of these units allows them to melt much more adhesive, an essential when trying to glue large surfaces together.
When looking at a glue gun, you want to match the model to your intended use. For those who need a lot of glue volume, the higher wattage units are much better. If you are using it for craft projects, where you may be gluing multiple parts together, a dual temperature unit would allow you to use a higher temperature glue for the first glue joints and a lower temperature glue for later joints.
Trigger design on these guns is rather important, as the pressure you apply to the trigger is what pushes the glue through the heating element and out of the gun. A larger and wider trigger reduces fatigue from using the gun, especially when using it for longer periods of time.
Some guns come with a built-in stand. While not absolutely necessary, these are a great convenience. For units that do not come with a stand, it is common to just lay them down on the work surface.