The something between a blow drier and a heat gun argument is the exact reason why I bought the same battery powered DeWalt. It does eat up batteries like crazy, but it also does exactly what I need it for. It is perfect for heat shrink tubing on cables of a diameter between 6 and 12 mm.
What batteries are you using? If it's anything below a 3AH then that's probably the issue. I use 4.0AH ryobi batteries (5.0AH dewalt batteries because they don't have 4.0AH) and I've never had a problem with run time unless I'm using a cordless shop vac or running my radio for 3 days.
I know, right? I also have a blow dryer and a heat gun with adjustable heat that I could also just move a little further away from the object, but I was desperately looking for something in between, that runs out of juice quickly.
I use a SMD soldering workstation (a cheapo 858D) for most of my sitting heat gun work. You can adjust the airflow and temperature individually. You can also swap out the tips for different shapes/sizes. It's great for any detailing work.
Adam, check out Steinel. They have heat guns with "infinitely" variable temperatures. I've got one that ranges from 70-1100 degrees and has an LCD to show set temp/current temp. And now I see they have a cordless model that has similar flexibility (120-930 degrees)
So long as they turn on INSTANTLY I can support that recommendation. Every single 'digital' heat gun with a display I've encountered has an infuriatingly long turn on time. The worst I've seen is a Bosh branded one with a 5 second delay. Doesn't sound like much but when you're using it many times a minute (heatshrink jobs) a 5 second delay can almost double the time a job takes. I ended up just leaving that one on constantly until one day I melted my bench light, I threw both the heat gun and light in the bin after that. The CABAC "HG2232" heat gun is the best I've ever had. Reliable, 50-650°C (120-1200°F), 500L/m, no turn on delay, fully adjustable with a large thumb accessible dial (no stupid buttons you need to hold down for even more seconds) and is flat on its rear so you can stand it upright and hold your part above it with two hands (vital if you want to bend tubes). CABAC is an Australian brand so be aware it's a full 2000w 240v heat gun, 120v users will have to find something less powerful.
Used a lot of Steinel professionally, been on the lookout for a good deal on a digital model for the home shop. The analog dial of my Dewalt is fine usually - but when I work out a process where I know the exact temp which works perfectly for a job, being able to set that temp every time is priceless.
i got kind of the same thing here. m=the type i use is made fore soldering work and the temperatures range from 100 - 400 degrees Celsius, it is far smaller and the tips are changeable ideal for working with small stuff like desoldering chips on a board withought getting anything to hot to quickly(although it's still posable to get things to hot) mine does require a actual soldering station but as Oliver mentioned their are battery operated ones similar with temperature control. i think choseing between geting this kind or the ones adam shows realy depends on what you use them for. if you plan on useing a heatgun for stuff like i do(electronics chip soldering, small heat shrink work, etc..) i'd only recomend a tempurature controll soldering heat gun %100. But if your the type of person that Works on mor industrial stuff outside of the electronics spectrum then maby Adams larger ones or a better pick as they are built more for stuff that has a large surface area.
@@charmio Ryobi also have one with digital readout. Heartstrings starts to shrink att a surprisingly low temperature. So if it can burn your desk lamp it's too hot.
@@WMARUoriginalHahaha if you're just a home owner you are probably fine with a corded heat gun but I won't lie and tell you I haven't convinced myself that I need that extra touch of luxury
I own many, many Dewalt tools Including the heat gun. Love it. Not has hot as my plug in, but is perfect for many applications. Love the dewalt heat gun for my marine grade shrink tube.
7:00 "... its warm but it will never burn me out here..." as he slowly, subconsciously, keeps moving his hand further away. On a side note, makita makes a 2 speed, temperature controlled version, but it costs $200.
I have had a Milwaukee M18 heat gun for a few years now and absolutely love it for potability and use away from the workshop. As a ham radio guy they are great for use with adhesive lined shrink tube to weather proof coax connectors especially when you are up on an antenna tower. Much better than dragging a power cord up with you. They are definitely less powerful than corded ones but the portability more than makes up for it.
One of my favorite tools is an embossing heat tool I picked up at Michael's ages ago. I just find them so much lighter and easier to hold than a big clunky heat gun.
Stole mine embossing heat tool from my wife's bench and now for the past five years it has been on my bench. Totally agree the light weight embossing heat guns are quite easy to work and light in the hand. Great for mobile phone LCD screen removal, heat shrink tubing work and warming up cold 3M double stick tape to name just a few common task. Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter
I've been researching this heat gun for days, but it wasn't until your logical explanation that sold me on going with this platform. I appreciate your view and explanation, thank you!!
When I was on mid-shift in one of my assignments the USAF, we learned a trick. Mids in my shop were where most of the actual maintenance got done, and that used to scuff up our boots. So at 6am, we'd go into the electronics repair facility and grab shoe polish, methyl alcohol, and a heat gun. Put the polish on, use the heat gun to flow it smooth, and then a bit of methyl alcohol to make the shine a perfect mirror. When the day shift bosses came in, they wondered if we were lying about the work we got done. :D
I have a Mastercraft digital heat gun from Canadian Tire (hard to get in the states I know). The good thing about it is you can go from 120 F to 1100 F in 20 degree increments so it allows you to creep up on things as well.
I've been put'n off getting one of these cordless heat gun's . When I first saw them I was like YES that seems very useful. I read a bunch of reviews , majority were good. I would use mostly for heat shrink of electrical repairs at remote locations. Not having the extreme heat a corded one can put out is perfect. I think they might even be good warming up stuff that can be affected for extreme cold in the winter, just be careful around flammable things . I'm getting one !
Portability must be great! I thought the same way about a cordless glue gun- that it would eat up batteries too fast. After i got one i was amazed at how many times i would use it where i would not consider a corded one. -Bathroom, car, quick fixes anywhere outside of the shop. I expect the cordless heat gun would be the same. It's on my list now.
Most people forget that an integral part of using a heat gun is the cool down. When I was in HS the automotive shop brought in about a dozen brand new heatguns they just bought because they no longer worked, I was assigned the troubleshooting and repair of those heat guns. What I found was that the control board on the rear opposite the hot end was cooked, I determined the cause to be simple convection they were using them and turning them straight off and putting them away with the hot end facing down so the rising heat of that red hot coil went right into the control board. I also noticed this in my first electronics industry job where we used the well known Weller ESD heat guns, many of them had scorch marks around the air intake but they still worked. If the manufacturer puts a cool function on your heatgun USE IT, that is if you want to get many years of service out of it.
Seems like they should have an auto-cool function, maybe even baffles to close off the reverse flow of air when the tool is not running. (Certainly the people who design them know better than I do, just spitballing)
Hi y'all! I used to have(and still have although I don't use it very often now) one of these cheap heatguns that works perfectly fine I may add,until a couple of months ago that I decided to purchase that exact same cordless DeWalt model you show on the video. For me,it is the portability. I found myself doing a lightning repair job in my backyard and I found the need for one of these soooo bad. I found it cheap and unused on the Spanish Craigslist and got a tool only deal. Can't be any happier with the purchase,let's me do everything I do in the shop,but also outside if I need to do any kind of electrical job. Great video!
Absolutely insane. I'm actually watching this as I put my shoes on to go buy a heat gun and was contemplating whether to go corded or cordless. I think I was just talked into buying one of each. Thanks a lot Adam.🤣
I picked up a cheap heat gun on amazon a few years back. It has a high and low for the fan and a dial so I can get the exact temperature I want. It allows me to have just one heat gun that can do most things well enough. Further the element heat dial and the fan switch are separate so I can turn the element off and keep the air going to forcefully cool the internals of the heat gun before putting it away.
I’m amazed at far battery powered hand tools have evolved over the past 40 years since I bought my first Mikita battery drill. My carpenter friends laughed when I bought their 3.5” battery circular saw but when we had to install cedar shakes on 10 roof dormers they all grabbed my saw to make those angled cuts.
Battery technology has come a long way in the past 40+ years. We can now put batteries on hand held power tools that can provide more power than a standard US 120V 15A circuit for useful amounts of time.
Adam with a Tool Tip Ted Talk. I love my cordless heat gun. It is one of the most used tools in my kit for wiring and electronics. I also use it from time to time when I'm working with my kids and doing fuse beads and we are creating 3D models out of mostly 2D beadwork.
Thank you, i was undecided, and this video really helped. I got one, and it's perfect for the shop, and it's perfect for thawing frozen Horse Hay netting on feeders.
The CABAC "HG2232" heat gun is the best I've ever had. Reliable, no turn on delay, single handedly adjustable with a large thumb accessible dial (no stupid buttons you need to hold down for seconds), 50-650°C (120-1200°F), 500L/m, and is flat on its rear so you can stand it upright and hold your part above it with two hands (vital if you want to bend tubes). CABAC is an Australian brand so be aware it's a full 2000w 240v heat gun, 120v users will have to find something less powerful. Avoid anything with digital controls/displays unless you can confirm it doesn't have a turn on delay. Most do and it gets infuriating if you use it multiple times a minute (like with heatshrink jobs). Waiting 5 seconds for the digital controller to figure itself out might not seem like much but trust me, it adds up when you're turning it on and off often.
The Bosch GHG 660 LCD Heat Gun is my go to, as you can vary the heat from very mind 20c to literally setting stuff on fire 650c, I have used mine to weld plastic two water tanks halves back to gather with extra attachment, and every thing in between.
@@mm9773 agree yes eventually, as I use Ryobi, I will get their 18v heat gun at some point but my go to will bevtge Bosch. Kind of hoping they they a adjustable version at some point.
I got a heat gun from Radio Shack years go that even had a "reflector" attachment to put wires you were heat shrinking into and it filled the same function for me. It was specifically designed for that, so the heat level is in that in-between level. I upgraded from that to a more powerful heat gun to work with EVA foam mats which needed that much heat to heat seal.
The cardboard 'oven' has saved my bacon numerous times. Most recently to dry an oversized roast turkey for a theatre production. Every time I looked inside the 'oven' I just burst out laughing at how ridiculous it all was. 😁
That's a game changer. As well as the cordless hot glue gun from Ryobi that I own... Not messing with the wire all the time, and also heats faster... The only thing I miss is a thermostat. I don't know if any other manufacturer has made another battery powered glue gun, but, they're awesome!!
I love my dewalt cordless heat gun! They last surprisingly long running off of a 5Ah battery and I use it both at work as an electrician and at home making my things!
I have one of the fancy wagner corded heat guns which has the digital temp dial...you can pick your temperature and then it only gets that hot...I love it for being able to dial in to a temp. Wagner FURNO 700 Heat Gun Temperature settings range from 125°F - 1300°F
I bought one about 9 months ago to bring to work. I've already used it for moderate uses but the most "uniquely useful" was to thaw out the ice on the key start for the garbage compactor without burning or melting things.
I bet a battery powered heat gun would be great for people who ride an air cooled bike. Some mornings can be pretty cold and a cold air cooled bike is loathe to start. I usually boil a kettle of water and dump it over the engine block/cylinder head(s) and let it sit for a minute or two, I would imagine a few mins with this heat gun could do much the same without getting your bike wet.
Bought a battery powered Bosch heatgun earlier this year, and it's so convinient and worth it for heatshrinking wires while working in my car. Running a bigger battery than the Dewalt shown here though, to get some proper heat and runtime with it.
I love the Dewalt cordless heat gun. It is perfect for dealing with shrink in the field. I've also used it in conjunction with penetrating fluid to loosen nuts in places where higher heat levels would be a problem. At my bench I have a Wagner HT400 pencil heat gun. The output is 1/2 diameter so it is great for setting heat shrink inside of tight spaces like control panel interiors.
I bought a corded Porter Cable because the Dentless Touch PDR guy on YT has one, and PDR techs work with heat guns daily. Rather than buying a separate cordless heat gun, I just turn down the power and use a "Steinel reflector nozzle" to apply heat to specific areas. Works great for those new, self-soldering connectors that Adam mentioned.
There are a lot of small heat guns, perfect for heat shrink. I like the Wagner Spraytech models. Another fantastic tool is a hot air rework station. They are made for electronics work. They have variable, controlled heat and flow settings. I write the optimum settings on the box once I've settled on them, so I ca quickly return to them when needed.
Our battery powered heat gun hangs over the bench and is the go-to in the shop as it's enough heat for almost all jobs without damaging things. The mains powered one has been relegated to a box at the back of the shop for stripping paint.
Electronics hot air stations are an amazing alternative: a choice of nozzles, precise temperature control up to solder -melting hotness, and even control of the air flow. Also from the electronics toolbox: caption tape to protect the surroundings of the part to heat.
I also ended up with something like this as my middle level heat. I got the worx makerx creator set that comes with almost all the tools for the product line and one of them was a heat gun/blower that looks like a hot air station blower but not as hot. For low end I also have a hair dryer I got off amazon for like $6 and for high heat I use the hot air part of my soldering station (I have a combo solder hot air setup). I highly reccomend looking into the makerx line of tools! I absolutely love the 2in brushless angle grinder tool and the air brush is also pretty nice for quick jobs. My kit also had the soldering iron and brushless rotary tool, think in total the whole kit I got on sale for $150 - $200 on amazon including a battery and charger.
I came to the same conclusions two years ago when I bought mine. Also it is portable i.e. heat shrink in vehicles and makes a great lighter for cigar aficionados. 🔥
I remember the days when my dad would tell me battery powered tools were worthless. Nowadays, that’s all he uses! The tech has advanced so much! It’s great 🤙🏽
i definitely will check out.. the main use of my heat gun now is a constant battle of not melting my item. this looks very promising, plus when i set my corded heat gun now the cord tries to pull it over
I too use the hair dryer and full-sized heat gun for a wide range of temperatures. My biggest frustration with those two approaches is trying to isolate the area to which the heat is applied. There are nozzles for that, but they tend to be large too. The Weller 6966 solves that problem nicely, but it only has one heat setting and it gets too hot for some applications. Seems crazy, but I have three heat guns, and I still encounter jobs for which none of them is well suited. I've considered adding a hot-air plastic welder to my kit, but I suspect the inexpensive ones won't satisfy my temperature range requirements either.
There are various heat guns that have setable thermostats on them. I have two from totally different worlds that have this and I use them frequently. a) Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi) now has a similar cordless heat gun for their battery system that has a digital thermostat on it with 10C increments from 30C - 550C (86F - 1022F) as well two fan levels. b) soldering rework stations generally have rather precise hot air guns with continuously variable blower speeds and PID temperature controllers. Even the cheap ones work surprisingly well.
Damnit...I've been eyeing up that heat gun for awhile but keep talking myself out of it, convincing myself that my old hair dryer is good enough... Thanks, Adam! *adds to cart*
I made a cordless air blower from a 12v hair dryer and a 3d printed adaptor for my cordless battery. now I'm able to walk around while drying painted parts very freeing.
I miss my little "work" hairdryer. A tiny compact Conair, IIRC. Definitely pulled it's full 1500w(US), threw heat like a pissed banshee. Fried her overworking a cell phone back removal. It was a tragic day all around.
I have a Ryobi cordless heat gun and I made a quick scrap sheet metal "curl" that clips over the end so I can get up close and personal with heat shrink in a tight bundle.
On a goofy, but somewhat related note: Is there one hot enough to caramelize sugar on desserts / sear the outside of some suis vide meat or can that only be done with a Flame / “searzall” (Maybe i have to get an alkaline electolyser going for fume free flame lol?)
I only got my first heat gun last year and my brain hasn't fully registered the usefulness of it yet, even though I have used it a fair bit. But I think I still overlook it in some situations where it would be useful. It's kind of the same with the rivet gun: I'd be searching through all my screws, bolts, and cable ties and other crap, looking for a way to stick 2 things together, but I'd totally overlook the idea of riveting them because it's something I'd never really used before I bought it. And so far I've only used it to replace a rivet that I had cut off, I think it was on a window motor on the car door or something.
A great in-betweener handheld, corded heat source is a small ~$25 unit for heat shrink film sold at places like Michaels. Works perfectly with heatshrink tubing on electronics and heating polymer sheets like PETG for bending and hand forming. Purchase them with one of those periodic "20% off one item" coupons for more savings.
Couldn’t agree more on this. I have the cheaper version of this from craftsman. A 4 amp hr battery will run the heat gun for enough time for anything I could ever need. For heavier uses you can get the tip close and still burn things!
I've got a Wagner Furno 750 heat gun which is a device you would probably like quite a lot :) The temperature is configurable from 50C to 630C (122F to 1166F) with 5 fan levels. That thing is absolutely amazing, you can use it safely for anything with that temperature range :)
I have the dewalt 20v heat gun. I use it constantly for 3d printing projects and vinyl applications. I do think the 5ah batteries are a necessity for it.
So ive been considering how to post cure thin resin casts without using my kitchen oven. This requires a nice low heat for several hours. I may have to make a cardboard oven. I may also get a battery heat gun for foamsmithing. That cord is always in my way, the low is never hot enough and the high always opens my glue seams.
I was just watching this in the background at 1 AM and the gears in my head started turning,. Surely there is (a need for) a heat gun with or an add on to one that is basically a thermistor on an extendable wand that would tell you the exact temperature at different ranges from the heat gun.
2 days ago me and my dad spent 2+ hours taking turns with one of these to thaw out freezer that had somehow frozen it self so much that stopped freezing when though about 6 batteries but it worked
As you were leading up to showing the heat gun, I was thinking "Goldilocks" (between Gentle and Harsh). I swear when I saw that it was DeWalt yellow, I nearly spit coffee.
Installing garden drip irrigation goes much faster and safer using a battery-powered heat gun “ask me how I know.” Planning to make blow dryer hot box, maybe with a Lexan panel for visibility, to stress test devices. Thanks!
The something between a blow drier and a heat gun argument is the exact reason why I bought the same battery powered DeWalt. It does eat up batteries like crazy, but it also does exactly what I need it for. It is perfect for heat shrink tubing on cables of a diameter between 6 and 12 mm.
What batteries are you using? If it's anything below a 3AH then that's probably the issue. I use 4.0AH ryobi batteries (5.0AH dewalt batteries because they don't have 4.0AH) and I've never had a problem with run time unless I'm using a cordless shop vac or running my radio for 3 days.
I know, right? I also have a blow dryer and a heat gun with adjustable heat that I could also just move a little further away from the object, but I was desperately looking for something in between, that runs out of juice quickly.
I use a SMD soldering workstation (a cheapo 858D) for most of my sitting heat gun work. You can adjust the airflow and temperature individually. You can also swap out the tips for different shapes/sizes. It's great for any detailing work.
Adam, check out Steinel. They have heat guns with "infinitely" variable temperatures. I've got one that ranges from 70-1100 degrees and has an LCD to show set temp/current temp. And now I see they have a cordless model that has similar flexibility (120-930 degrees)
So long as they turn on INSTANTLY I can support that recommendation. Every single 'digital' heat gun with a display I've encountered has an infuriatingly long turn on time. The worst I've seen is a Bosh branded one with a 5 second delay. Doesn't sound like much but when you're using it many times a minute (heatshrink jobs) a 5 second delay can almost double the time a job takes. I ended up just leaving that one on constantly until one day I melted my bench light, I threw both the heat gun and light in the bin after that.
The CABAC "HG2232" heat gun is the best I've ever had. Reliable, 50-650°C (120-1200°F), 500L/m, no turn on delay, fully adjustable with a large thumb accessible dial (no stupid buttons you need to hold down for even more seconds) and is flat on its rear so you can stand it upright and hold your part above it with two hands (vital if you want to bend tubes). CABAC is an Australian brand so be aware it's a full 2000w 240v heat gun, 120v users will have to find something less powerful.
Used a lot of Steinel professionally, been on the lookout for a good deal on a digital model for the home shop. The analog dial of my Dewalt is fine usually - but when I work out a process where I know the exact temp which works perfectly for a job, being able to set that temp every time is priceless.
i got kind of the same thing here. m=the type i use is made fore soldering work and the temperatures range from 100 - 400 degrees Celsius, it is far smaller and the tips are changeable ideal for working with small stuff like desoldering chips on a board withought getting anything to hot to quickly(although it's still posable to get things to hot) mine does require a actual soldering station but as Oliver mentioned their are battery operated ones similar with temperature control. i think choseing between geting this kind or the ones adam shows realy depends on what you use them for. if you plan on useing a heatgun for stuff like i do(electronics chip soldering, small heat shrink work, etc..) i'd only recomend a tempurature controll soldering heat gun %100. But if your the type of person that Works on mor industrial stuff outside of the electronics spectrum then maby Adams larger ones or a better pick as they are built more for stuff that has a large surface area.
Incredibly expensive but they are the absolute best. You can go even lower than a hairdryer up to as hot as a blowtorch.
@@charmio Ryobi also have one with digital readout. Heartstrings starts to shrink att a surprisingly low temperature. So if it can burn your desk lamp it's too hot.
I’m not a maker but a heat gun is so handy to have for general household uses. I think I need a cordless one now
You don’t. The proper heat gun you already have is fine.
@@mm9773 Lol you're probably right.
@@WMARUoriginalHahaha if you're just a home owner you are probably fine with a corded heat gun but I won't lie and tell you I haven't convinced myself that I need that extra touch of luxury
I own many, many Dewalt tools Including the heat gun. Love it. Not has hot as my plug in, but is perfect for many applications. Love the dewalt heat gun for my marine grade shrink tube.
Bought the dewalt yesterday for marine wiring
7:00 "... its warm but it will never burn me out here..." as he slowly, subconsciously, keeps moving his hand further away. On a side note, makita makes a 2 speed, temperature controlled version, but it costs $200.
I have had a Milwaukee M18 heat gun for a few years now and absolutely love it for potability and use away from the workshop. As a ham radio guy they are great for use with adhesive lined shrink tube to weather proof coax connectors especially when you are up on an antenna tower. Much better than dragging a power cord up with you. They are definitely less powerful than corded ones but the portability more than makes up for it.
One of my favorite tools is an embossing heat tool I picked up at Michael's ages ago. I just find them so much lighter and easier to hold than a big clunky heat gun.
Stole mine embossing heat tool from my wife's bench and now for the past five years it has been on my bench. Totally agree the light weight embossing heat guns are quite easy to work and light in the hand. Great for mobile phone LCD screen removal, heat shrink tubing work and warming up cold 3M double stick tape to name just a few common task. Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter
I've been researching this heat gun for days, but it wasn't until your logical explanation that sold me on going with this platform. I appreciate your view and explanation, thank you!!
That blow dryer plus box apparatus would be a great evaporation/dessication tool if you need to evaporate a tray of liquid too
When I was on mid-shift in one of my assignments the USAF, we learned a trick. Mids in my shop were where most of the actual maintenance got done, and that used to scuff up our boots. So at 6am, we'd go into the electronics repair facility and grab shoe polish, methyl alcohol, and a heat gun. Put the polish on, use the heat gun to flow it smooth, and then a bit of methyl alcohol to make the shine a perfect mirror. When the day shift bosses came in, they wondered if we were lying about the work we got done. :D
I have a Mastercraft digital heat gun from Canadian Tire (hard to get in the states I know). The good thing about it is you can go from 120 F to 1100 F in 20 degree increments so it allows you to creep up on things as well.
Perfect suggestion on the cordless heat gun. I always appreciate a trusted source on tool reviews!
Working with phone screens, can say the heat gun is the bane of my existence burning the oled if in a hurry. Love hair dryers.
Good God!
The hot box solution is absolutely inspired! I WILL be using it in the future.
Excellent video, as always.
Thanks.
Tested is so extremely valuable to us makers. Free tutorials. Thank you Adam and crew! Shout out to NORM!
I've been put'n off getting one of these cordless heat gun's . When I first saw them I was like YES that seems very useful. I read a bunch of reviews , majority were good. I would use mostly for heat shrink of electrical repairs at remote locations. Not having the extreme heat a corded one can put out is perfect. I think they might even be good warming up stuff that can be affected for extreme cold in the winter, just be careful around flammable things . I'm getting one !
Battery tools have improved so much. My battery grinder and roto tool are probably my favorite, but heat gun is definitely a must have.
Totally. Weak output and short battery life, sounds like a game changer.
Battry weedeaters are the way to go no matter what brand
Portability must be great!
I thought the same way about a cordless glue gun- that it would eat up batteries too fast.
After i got one i was amazed at how many times i would use it where i would not consider a corded one. -Bathroom, car, quick fixes anywhere outside of the shop.
I expect the cordless heat gun would be the same. It's on my list now.
Most people forget that an integral part of using a heat gun is the cool down. When I was in HS the automotive shop brought in about a dozen brand new heatguns they just bought because they no longer worked, I was assigned the troubleshooting and repair of those heat guns. What I found was that the control board on the rear opposite the hot end was cooked, I determined the cause to be simple convection they were using them and turning them straight off and putting them away with the hot end facing down so the rising heat of that red hot coil went right into the control board. I also noticed this in my first electronics industry job where we used the well known Weller ESD heat guns, many of them had scorch marks around the air intake but they still worked. If the manufacturer puts a cool function on your heatgun USE IT, that is if you want to get many years of service out of it.
Seems like they should have an auto-cool function, maybe even baffles to close off the reverse flow of air when the tool is not running. (Certainly the people who design them know better than I do, just spitballing)
Hi y'all! I used to have(and still have although I don't use it very often now) one of these cheap heatguns that works perfectly fine I may add,until a couple of months ago that I decided to purchase that exact same cordless DeWalt model you show on the video. For me,it is the portability. I found myself doing a lightning repair job in my backyard and I found the need for one of these soooo bad. I found it cheap and unused on the Spanish Craigslist and got a tool only deal. Can't be any happier with the purchase,let's me do everything I do in the shop,but also outside if I need to do any kind of electrical job. Great video!
Absolutely insane. I'm actually watching this as I put my shoes on to go buy a heat gun and was contemplating whether to go corded or cordless. I think I was just talked into buying one of each. Thanks a lot Adam.🤣
So, did you buy a proper heatgun and also a really weak one that quickly runs out of juice?
I picked up a cheap heat gun on amazon a few years back. It has a high and low for the fan and a dial so I can get the exact temperature I want. It allows me to have just one heat gun that can do most things well enough. Further the element heat dial and the fan switch are separate so I can turn the element off and keep the air going to forcefully cool the internals of the heat gun before putting it away.
Mine broke after like 4-5 months of light use!
I’m amazed at far battery powered hand tools have evolved over the past 40 years since I bought my first Mikita battery drill. My carpenter friends laughed when I bought their 3.5” battery circular saw but when we had to install cedar shakes on 10 roof dormers they all grabbed my saw to make those angled cuts.
Battery technology has come a long way in the past 40+ years. We can now put batteries on hand held power tools that can provide more power than a standard US 120V 15A circuit for useful amounts of time.
@@xuthnet I agree as I also use my Milwaukee chain saw with the same battery that powers my Milwaukee drills, drivers, jig saw and sawsall.
Adam with a Tool Tip Ted Talk. I love my cordless heat gun. It is one of the most used tools in my kit for wiring and electronics. I also use it from time to time when I'm working with my kids and doing fuse beads and we are creating 3D models out of mostly 2D beadwork.
Thank you, i was undecided, and this video really helped. I got one, and it's perfect for the shop, and it's perfect for thawing frozen Horse Hay netting on feeders.
The CABAC "HG2232" heat gun is the best I've ever had. Reliable, no turn on delay, single handedly adjustable with a large thumb accessible dial (no stupid buttons you need to hold down for seconds), 50-650°C (120-1200°F), 500L/m, and is flat on its rear so you can stand it upright and hold your part above it with two hands (vital if you want to bend tubes). CABAC is an Australian brand so be aware it's a full 2000w 240v heat gun, 120v users will have to find something less powerful.
Avoid anything with digital controls/displays unless you can confirm it doesn't have a turn on delay. Most do and it gets infuriating if you use it multiple times a minute (like with heatshrink jobs). Waiting 5 seconds for the digital controller to figure itself out might not seem like much but trust me, it adds up when you're turning it on and off often.
Ya all do know Dewalt makes a plug in PID Digital heat gun... It's absolutely fabulous.
I got one of those a year ago and I use it all the time at work
Angry pixies...what are you, an electchicken? lol
i love my milwaukee 18v cordless heat gun
The Bosch GHG 660 LCD Heat Gun is my go to, as you can vary the heat from very mind 20c to literally setting stuff on fire 650c, I have used mine to weld plastic two water tanks halves back to gather with extra attachment, and every thing in between.
I hear you, you have a proper heat gun. But ARE YOU SURE you don’t also need a really crappy one that runs out of battery all the time?
@@mm9773 agree yes eventually, as I use Ryobi, I will get their 18v heat gun at some point but my go to will bevtge Bosch. Kind of hoping they they a adjustable version at some point.
I got a heat gun from Radio Shack years go that even had a "reflector" attachment to put wires you were heat shrinking into and it filled the same function for me. It was specifically designed for that, so the heat level is in that in-between level. I upgraded from that to a more powerful heat gun to work with EVA foam mats which needed that much heat to heat seal.
I had one of the small ones from radio shack. I loved that thing. Probably the best tool I bought from the end of life era of radio shack
I like proxxon heat gun with fine tip. It can be hot enough for soldering and you can apply heat only to small area.
Ordered mine a while back and litterally got the message today that it waiting to be picked up. Cant wait to give it a run
The cardboard 'oven' has saved my bacon numerous times. Most recently to dry an oversized roast turkey for a theatre production. Every time I looked inside the 'oven' I just burst out laughing at how ridiculous it all was. 😁
*i'm sure the turkey also found it to be the source of near endless hilarity and jovial hijinks or witticisms*
lol I love you had to use a fake oven to make your fake turkey XD thats great
That's a game changer. As well as the cordless hot glue gun from Ryobi that I own... Not messing with the wire all the time, and also heats faster... The only thing I miss is a thermostat. I don't know if any other manufacturer has made another battery powered glue gun, but, they're awesome!!
The Mk2 has a high and low setting which seems ideal. I love the Mk1 too but it does tend to run a little hot if you just leave it on.
Ryobi also makes a cordless One+ heat gun for $59 (tool only).
I love my dewalt cordless heat gun! They last surprisingly long running off of a 5Ah battery and I use it both at work as an electrician and at home making my things!
I have one of the fancy wagner corded heat guns which has the digital temp dial...you can pick your temperature and then it only gets that hot...I love it for being able to dial in to a temp. Wagner FURNO 700 Heat Gun Temperature settings range from 125°F - 1300°F
I bought one about 9 months ago to bring to work. I've already used it for moderate uses but the most "uniquely useful" was to thaw out the ice on the key start for the garbage compactor without burning or melting things.
I bet a battery powered heat gun would be great for people who ride an air cooled bike. Some mornings can be pretty cold and a cold air cooled bike is loathe to start. I usually boil a kettle of water and dump it over the engine block/cylinder head(s) and let it sit for a minute or two, I would imagine a few mins with this heat gun could do much the same without getting your bike wet.
Bought a battery powered Bosch heatgun earlier this year, and it's so convinient and worth it for heatshrinking wires while working in my car. Running a bigger battery than the Dewalt shown here though, to get some proper heat and runtime with it.
I love the Dewalt cordless heat gun. It is perfect for dealing with shrink in the field. I've also used it in conjunction with penetrating fluid to loosen nuts in places where higher heat levels would be a problem.
At my bench I have a Wagner HT400 pencil heat gun. The output is 1/2 diameter so it is great for setting heat shrink inside of tight spaces like control panel interiors.
I bought a corded Porter Cable because the Dentless Touch PDR guy on YT has one, and PDR techs work with heat guns daily.
Rather than buying a separate cordless heat gun, I just turn down the power and use a "Steinel reflector nozzle" to apply heat to specific areas. Works great for those new, self-soldering connectors that Adam mentioned.
I just used my DeWalt 20v cordless heat gun 10 minutes a get stickers of of glass. Very useful tool!
There are a lot of small heat guns, perfect for heat shrink. I like the Wagner Spraytech models.
Another fantastic tool is a hot air rework station. They are made for electronics work. They have variable, controlled heat and flow settings. I write the optimum settings on the box once I've settled on them, so I ca quickly return to them when needed.
Our battery powered heat gun hangs over the bench and is the go-to in the shop as it's enough heat for almost all jobs without damaging things. The mains powered one has been relegated to a box at the back of the shop for stripping paint.
I love it I've been wanting one but honestly I've grown accustomed to using a propane torch with an adapter to refill it from a 5 gallon propane tank.
I've used the blow dryer gloryhole method since I saw it on this channel years ago. Works great.
Electronics hot air stations are an amazing alternative: a choice of nozzles, precise temperature control up to solder -melting hotness, and even control of the air flow. Also from the electronics toolbox: caption tape to protect the surroundings of the part to heat.
Capton not caption, auto-correct.
Dewalt needs to sponsor a video. I'm going to buy one of these tomorrow based on this video.
I also ended up with something like this as my middle level heat. I got the worx makerx creator set that comes with almost all the tools for the product line and one of them was a heat gun/blower that looks like a hot air station blower but not as hot. For low end I also have a hair dryer I got off amazon for like $6 and for high heat I use the hot air part of my soldering station (I have a combo solder hot air setup). I highly reccomend looking into the makerx line of tools! I absolutely love the 2in brushless angle grinder tool and the air brush is also pretty nice for quick jobs. My kit also had the soldering iron and brushless rotary tool, think in total the whole kit I got on sale for $150 - $200 on amazon including a battery and charger.
I came to the same conclusions two years ago when I bought mine. Also it is portable i.e. heat shrink in vehicles and makes a great lighter for cigar aficionados. 🔥
Try the head gun Quick 861DW. It is made for soldering, but works fine for all other things too. And it is very percise...
very useful. i need one and had no idea what to look for. this was an epic help
I remember the days when my dad would tell me battery powered tools were worthless. Nowadays, that’s all he uses! The tech has advanced so much! It’s great 🤙🏽
i definitely will check out.. the main use of my heat gun now is a constant battle of not melting my item. this looks very promising, plus when i set my corded heat gun now the cord tries to pull it over
I too use the hair dryer and full-sized heat gun for a wide range of temperatures. My biggest frustration with those two approaches is trying to isolate the area to which the heat is applied. There are nozzles for that, but they tend to be large too. The Weller 6966 solves that problem nicely, but it only has one heat setting and it gets too hot for some applications. Seems crazy, but I have three heat guns, and I still encounter jobs for which none of them is well suited. I've considered adding a hot-air plastic welder to my kit, but I suspect the inexpensive ones won't satisfy my temperature range requirements either.
Dude you would love Harbor Freight Hercules hot air gun. Total temp control and 5 fan settings.
I’ve just discovered these now want one. Makita for me.
There are various heat guns that have setable thermostats on them. I have two from totally different worlds that have this and I use them frequently.
a) Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi) now has a similar cordless heat gun for their battery system that has a digital thermostat on it with 10C increments from 30C - 550C (86F - 1022F) as well two fan levels.
b) soldering rework stations generally have rather precise hot air guns with continuously variable blower speeds and PID temperature controllers. Even the cheap ones work surprisingly well.
Damnit...I've been eyeing up that heat gun for awhile but keep talking myself out of it, convincing myself that my old hair dryer is good enough...
Thanks, Adam!
*adds to cart*
I made a cordless air blower from a 12v hair dryer and a 3d printed adaptor for my cordless battery. now I'm able to walk around while drying painted parts very freeing.
Ok, I watched myth busters all the time. Why am I now just finding out about this channel ? Adam has so much building and creating knowledge !
Literally just bought one of these yesterday :)
The corded one only had 2 settings? I have a cheap corded Wagner with like 8 temp settings.
Im gonna buy the cordless ryobi one.
I miss my little "work" hairdryer. A tiny compact Conair, IIRC. Definitely pulled it's full 1500w(US), threw heat like a pissed banshee. Fried her overworking a cell phone back removal. It was a tragic day all around.
Hair blow dryers rock at removing stickers.
I have a Ryobi cordless heat gun and I made a quick scrap sheet metal "curl" that clips over the end so I can get up close and personal with heat shrink in a tight bundle.
I have the Ryobi heat gun too, and it came with two tips, one of them a metal curl like that. Didn't yours come with those?
@@KalleKilponen it did, but it was too big. I made a much smaller one on the "stepped" tip to reach into tight bundles of PLC cables.
@@joshuaobelenusable Ohh, nice! I've been thinking something like that might be useful for tight spaces.
Love that heat gun for working under dashes in cars, great video 👍
On a goofy, but somewhat related note: Is there one hot enough to caramelize sugar on desserts / sear the outside of some suis vide meat or can that only be done with a Flame / “searzall”
(Maybe i have to get an alkaline electolyser going for fume free flame lol?)
Love my RYOBI affordable and reliable
I only got my first heat gun last year and my brain hasn't fully registered the usefulness of it yet, even though I have used it a fair bit. But I think I still overlook it in some situations where it would be useful.
It's kind of the same with the rivet gun: I'd be searching through all my screws, bolts, and cable ties and other crap, looking for a way to stick 2 things together, but I'd totally overlook the idea of riveting them because it's something I'd never really used before I bought it. And so far I've only used it to replace a rivet that I had cut off, I think it was on a window motor on the car door or something.
A great in-betweener handheld, corded heat source is a small ~$25 unit for heat shrink film sold at places like Michaels. Works perfectly with heatshrink tubing on electronics and heating polymer sheets like PETG for bending and hand forming. Purchase them with one of those periodic "20% off one item" coupons for more savings.
Good call. Voice of reason here.
Couldn’t agree more on this. I have the cheaper version of this from craftsman. A 4 amp hr battery will run the heat gun for enough time for anything I could ever need. For heavier uses you can get the tip close and still burn things!
I get mine at the goodwill store very good deals
What about variable heat guns?
Keep talkin’ tools Adam! This is great!
I effin knew this was gonna be good.
Thank you sir.
Thanks for the inspiration and keep on trucking!
Thanx. I use s heatgun every day. This I got to try out.
I just love Adam's passion for his tools (and just his craft in general). So contagious. ♥️
I've got a Wagner Furno 750 heat gun which is a device you would probably like quite a lot :) The temperature is configurable from 50C to 630C (122F to 1166F) with 5 fan levels. That thing is absolutely amazing, you can use it safely for anything with that temperature range :)
I have a Bosch coded one that is 2000w and you can set the temp from 50c to 630c in 10c steps. All the temp range of Adams 3 guns in one gun.
Love the Box...sorry...oven idea! thank you.
I have the dewalt 20v heat gun. I use it constantly for 3d printing projects and vinyl applications. I do think the 5ah batteries are a necessity for it.
So ive been considering how to post cure thin resin casts without using my kitchen oven. This requires a nice low heat for several hours. I may have to make a cardboard oven. I may also get a battery heat gun for foamsmithing. That cord is always in my way, the low is never hot enough and the high always opens my glue seams.
I was just watching this in the background at 1 AM and the gears in my head started turning,. Surely there is (a need for) a heat gun with or an add on to one that is basically a thermistor on an extendable wand that would tell you the exact temperature at different ranges from the heat gun.
I know foam cutters use nichrome wire, I would guess that's not a bad choice for a heat gun, too, due to the resistance they provide.
awesome video as always Adam thank you I have loads so much with your tools
And here I am using a little butane torch for doing "cordless" heat shrinking like a sucker...
Thanks Adam…..Investing now!
Can you try it with a higher amp battery? Very curious if it will heat up more.
This would be great for encaustic painting.
2 days ago me and my dad spent 2+ hours taking turns with one of these to thaw out freezer that had somehow frozen it self so much that stopped freezing when though about 6 batteries but it worked
As you were leading up to showing the heat gun, I was thinking "Goldilocks" (between Gentle and Harsh). I swear when I saw that it was DeWalt yellow, I nearly spit coffee.
This heatgun sounds perfect for cosplay foam work! And great for someone worried about an extra hot one!
Installing garden drip irrigation goes much faster and safer using a battery-powered heat gun “ask me how I know.” Planning to make blow dryer hot box, maybe with a Lexan panel for visibility, to stress test devices. Thanks!
That thing zaps batteries like no other
surprised he didn't mention that.
What's your recommendation for repairing phones with? E.g taking a case off an iPhone.