Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am going to share my long journey of hot glue gun research. Sounds weird, but working with paper and detailed paper models requires a decent glue gun. Iv'e tried quite a few so far. The first gun was the Surebonder mini 195-F. I picked it for the small size and small tip. It did a good job, the stand was crappy and kept falling off, but it worked as good as I needed it to. I completed the head section of a project with no issues. the problem with the stand on the mini, is it is plastic, and falls right off. This resulted in the gun falling off my desk, and breaking the tip, so now, i had to get a anew glue gun only weeks after purchasing. I was mad, so I ventured off to get another gun. For my 2nd gun, I picked the Gorilla Glue hot glue gun. Never knew they made hot glue guns, but hey, their glue is great so what could go wrong? I very quickly learned what makes a 'good hot glue gun'. The trigger was unpredictable, it clogged, back flowed, leaked, and heat was very inconsistent. It was garbage, and I returned it. Next glue gun was the SureBonder DT-360F. When i received it, it was bigger than I expected (I intended to order a new mini). The tip opening was too big. I fired up the broken glue gun (surebonder mini) and limped by, and tried the Gorilla Glue sticks, it made a huge mess. If i held the glue gun vertical, the glue would pour out the tip. The gorilla glue sticks were garbage and not high temp as advertised. Those were returned as well. I ordered the replacement tips for the large SureBonder, and the proper glue sticks and suddenly i was in gluing bliss (as if something like that could exist). I am now on my 2nd gun. the first one failed due to my own negligence and looking forward to receiving the replacement. So here is what makes this gun good: - Replacement tips mean no replacing the whole gun if you drop it - It has an 'ok' stand - heat temp is consistent, so the application is predictable. - Replacement tip means versatility, large opening or small, flat, etc, its up to you. - No glue clogs - Trigger action starts as soon as the trigger is pressed, there is no 'dead zone' where the glue unpredictably pours out - has some heft to it and dual temps for different glue types Closing notes - Glue matters... A lot. If you are experiencing leakage etc, you may be using the wrong glue. Some manufactures make glue that is best rated for their gun and temps. This really makes a difference. Get a gun where you know you can source the glue in bulk easily and for cheap. If the glue is too runny, it may not be a good match for the gun. This makes all the difference for detail work. Also, the more glue you apply, the hotter it is, since heat capacity is dependent on mass (thermal mass) the more mass (glue), the more heat energy it stores, and for longer. This makes a difference for how much time you want to have to maneuver pieces or if you decide to push down on a blob with your finger or not. Good luck, and enjoy!