Heat Guns – How much to spend?
When it comes to heat guns, one of the questions I thought about was “Do I need to buy an expensive heat gun or not?”
There is a variety of heat guns available from really cheap to very expensive but for someone just starting out and learning to wrap, is it really worth spending so much on an expensive one?
I did some searching to see what the different features available on heat guns are and what do the more expensive models offer that the cheaper ones don’t?
For someone who is just starting out and is not using it professionally on a daily basis, I didn’t see the need to buy an expensive model and here is why.
Heat Gun Features
Time to reach temperature
Some of the more expensive models will claim to reach maximum heat in about 2 seconds but realistically even the cheapest model will reach maximum temperature in about 5-6 seconds which really isn’t that big of a difference. I’m not on a timeline so I don’t need to work as quickly as possible.
Temperature adjustment (digital or manual dial)
I initially thought that this was a feature only found on the expensive models but I have seen some cheap models on eBay that have digital displays with temperature adjustments. Regardless of this I would think that most of the time you would use the highest temperature setting especially when heating up a large area. If you really want to control the temperature you can just control the way you direct the gun and how long you hold it in a certain position.
On a side note the cheaper guns do sometimes overstate their max temperature and are not capable of reaching the temperature stated. Regardless of this the heat it would produce is still enough as after all you’re only heating up vinyl.
Airflow speed
Even the cheapest gun will usually offer at least 2 air speeds. I believe that most of the time you would use full speed but there may be times when you want to heat up a small area or heat something up more gradually so the slower speed would be better.
Durability
You want the heat gun to last as long as possible but the question is how much will you actually be using it. If you’re not working with it all day you will not use it as much as someone who is wrapping full time.
Lifespan also depends on how you look after it. If you are constantly dropping it on the ground then I would think that it would significantly reduce the lifespan no matter how good quality it is. Anything with a minimum 12 moth warranty is OK but I have found that Wagner Australia offer a 3+1 year warranty on their entry level model (more on this later) so look for the best warranty around.
There are also a couple of features that you may not think to consider initially that I think are handy.
Ability to stand up
This is really necessary when you need to use two hands to heat and wrap something so having a heat gun that can not only stand up but is also stable and can handle being bumped without falling over.
Cord length
While not a necessity it’s always handy to have that extra length as it can sometimes mean you avoid having to use an extension cord
While having a gun with all the features may be nice, at the end of the day you want something that is easy and simple to use. A relatively cheap gun still has the functionality that is required to wrap so I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spend.
I’m currently using a Rockwell Shop Series gun which costs about $50-$60. I would class this as low to medium price range as it is just a generic re branded model however it has a two speed function (300 l/m & 500l/m, a 2m cord and heats up to full temperature from cold in 5 seconds. It’s also relatively stable when you stand it up.
However, in searching for the different models and prices available I came across the Wagner Furno 300 which retails for around $5 less than the Rockwell I currently own and the best part is that Wagner offers a 3+1 year warranty (Australia only) if you register it on their website so just for this alone I would think that it’s a no brainer that my next heat gun I buy will be that one.