Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had to solder some cables to 120V cooling fans. These connections must be insulated for safety, but I just can't stand gooey electrical tape. I had heat-shrink insulating tubing, but my old heat gun died. Using matches or a lighter makes for a poor application. Since I don't do much of this work anymore, I wanted a cheap replacement, and I wanted a few nozzle attachments to control the heat better. This gun is inexpensive but not cheap. It looks and feels like a tool several times the price. It produces enormous heat at its 1500W High setting; Genesis claims you can sweat-solder plumbing pipes with it. Be careful! I'll probably use the 750W Low setting for everything. The nozzle attachments are a heavier gauge than expected and fit securely. Definitely not cheap-feeling. I like the design feature that lets it lie securely on its back on a workbench, aiming up so you can manipulate the work with two hands if needed. Cons: The seam at the front of the handle is a little uncomfortable. I'll probably file it smooth. No big deal. Caution: I saw quite a lot of white smoke coming out of the gun after couple of minutes of use; it smelled like hot production residues (oil, insulation, paint, etc.) coming off. It billowed out the shell of the gun like some movie prop, but diminished quickly and was completely gone after about 5 minutes of running. It is perfectly normal, though this gun's enormous heat output gave it the Oscar for best short duration fume production by a non-smoke grenade I've ever seen. I bet many buyers return these guns after seeing the smoke.It would have been wise for Genesis to "burn it in" at the factory. Had I no experience with the smell of real fires and burned electrical parts, I might have dropped it and breathlessly called 911 from the driveway. I suggest you "burn it in" outdoors or near a window so you don't smell up the house. As Douglas Adams would say: Don't panic!