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best heat gun?

S

Spike00513

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Jul 18, 2012
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47
So here's what I have. The Harbor Freight $7 one. Years old.

Used to have a different one that was better; I forget the brand.

n_0_ac93c5ef-02aa-4b71-8ba5-68aa31fe5d01_1200x1200.png

Do these ****?
I use it a lot to solder heat shrink ****/crimp connectors, and for one, it's not nice having a straight nozzle, without tips. You have to worry about unintended heating of the surrounding area.
The phrase "you get what you pay for" comes to mind; I don't imagine it can be that good for $7.

I will need to use mine more to do a vinyl wrap.

The Milwaukee cordless is appealing for standing it upright and mobility, but also no, because of the short life they have. Heat guns use lots of power; it would go through batteries fast.

How about a corded Milwaukee? Is that the best, or even worth the higher cost?
I know Milwaukee is well-regarded for automotive tools, and heat guns are used in the automotive world
but they are also used in other sectors; meaning you guys may know about a better brand for them.

Kind of like soldering irons. Does Milwaukee make one? Yes. The M12. I have it. It heated up fast which was convenient, but the tip is also very big which made it hard to do precise work. I feel like with my old cheap random soldering iron, that was slow and didn't get THAT hot, I had better control

TL;DR: What's a good heat gun?
 
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ecotec

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My Milwaukee corded one is my go-to. I paid $2 for it at an estate sale.

My M18 cordless one *****.
 
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neophyte

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The good Milwaukee heat guns are, or were, made in Europe by Steinel.
COO could vary,( sometimes Switzerland, sometimes the Czech Republic, maybe Romania now?,) but they were all Steinel made. (Steinel in addition to designing and making heat guns has divisions that design products for other companies, and facilities that make and assemble parts and items)
Anyway, if you can actually check the COO, the Steinel made Milwaukee guns were good. I liked the digital version.
There is also a Steinel version of the gun, and prices are somewhat similar.
Master Appliance is the US company for heat guns.
I believe they used to also make heat guns for Milwaukee, as well as Bosch, and maybe others.
They also have a fancy, although expensive, heat gun that monitors surface temperature.
https://www.masterappliance.com/proheat-1600-1615-stc-heat-gun/
 
D

Dodge

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Illinois
MY Son does vinyl wraps for a living and has used many different brands of heat guns. Even the more expensive ones don't seem to last. He started buying the HF heat gun, buying them when on sale for the now price of $9.99. He likes them OK. He gets quite a bit of use before they quit working, usually from dropping them.
 
C

CGarage

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There are different kinds of heat guns for different jobs. Ripping up flooring or doing non-precision industrial / construction site work? You want the Master Appliance version.....the temp control is not precise but boy does it pump out big volumes of hot air.

Doing precision electronics and need to really control the temperature? Steinel or Leister.
 
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Mechanical Noise

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I have an old Master Appliance heat gun. it's very well made and will likely outlive my heirs. Actually, the MA gun is better than what I need. If I didn't get the MA gun for a very friendly price, I'd probably go with the middle one out of the three HF sells.

You might be able to fabricate a shield out of an old steel can or something like that.
 
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CGarage

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I also had a cheap HF Heat Gun that I bought for $9.99 16 years ago because I knew it would get trashed installing sound insulating materials. So, consider the environment where it will be used, too. I wouldn’t do that to my Steinel.
 
M

Madjik Man

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Dec 3, 2015
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Kind of depends on what you need the heat gun for. For automotive/electrical/typical DIY stuff this Porter Cable has served me well.

I've installed two stereo systems, an auxiliary fuse box and all the accessories to the fuse box with marine grade heat shrink and this thing is stellar for it. At $40: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q04X44/?tag=atomicindus08-20

PORTER-CABLE Heat Gun, 1500-Watt (PC1500HG)​


I like how the back end of it is flat so that you can rest it on your work bench with the nozzle pointing straight up for hands free operation.
 
H

hkd76

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Jul 17, 2014
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qqzj said:
How are those yellow ones made by Wagoner? Thanks
Click to expand...
I've got the Wagner 500 heat gun. It's got a digital readout, 2 speeds, multiple heat settings and a built stand so it sits up right when your heating things on the bench like heat shrink. I like it. I've got both the Dewalt and Milwaukee cordless heat guns. As long as I'm in the garage I'll choose the Wagner.
 
X

Xcursion88

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Apr 18, 2013
Messages
785
DeWalt cordless for me
as I have that platform of battery.

Here's a test you might be interested in of cordless models.
DeWalt puts out the highest heat and has a trigger lock.
Makita is very close on heat and has a lock and good cfm.
Milwaukee had low heat and no lock. Not good performance regardless it also being most expensive.


Good luck.
 
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Grant Gunderson

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Bellingham, WA
I’ve had the Kobalt, Wagner, dewalt and Milwaukee. None of the hardware store level ones seem to last worth a ****.

I upgraded to an industrial quality one from Master Appliance heat gun and it seems to be lasting. It also comes to temp quicker and all of its parts are replaceable and the parts are pretty easy to find.
19DF5A6F-1981-44D4-B0A6-28D7CC47DEC9.jpeg
 
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dnschmidt

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ecotec said:
My Milwaukee corded one is my go-to. I paid $2 for it at an estate sale.

My M18 cordless one *****.
Click to expand...
Agreed, The Dewalt cordless is far better than the MIlwaukee cordless. The TTC did a comparison as well and confirmed my results.
 
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dnschmidt

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Master was the best and is the only American made option as far as I know but is really old school. Steinel in Germany makes the best there are in my opinion in the modern style with digital controls.
 
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mervyn

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Missouri
Craftsman corded from lowes. 50 bucks. Worked great when I took up the kitchen floor.
 
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humber2

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Downunder
neophyte said:
The good Milwaukee heat guns are, or were, made in Europe by Steinel.
COO could vary,( sometimes Switzerland, sometimes the Czech Republic, maybe Romania now?,) but they were all Steinel made. (Steinel in addition to designing and making heat guns has divisions that design products for other companies, and facilities that make and assemble parts and items)
Anyway, if you can actually check the COO, the Steinel made Milwaukee guns were good. I liked the digital version.
There is also a Steinel version of the gun, and prices are somewhat similar.
Master Appliance is the US company for heat guns.
I believe they used to also make heat guns for Milwaukee, as well as Bosch,
Click to expand...

Here is my old 240Volt Steinel

4DA0646D-995A-4F1F-A54A-55129C5BF267.jpeg
 
R

RickyPetite

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Oct 12, 2019
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Buck's County, PA
1+ Master Appliance. I inherited my dad's. Not sure how old it is but it's well used and works like a beast. Should be rebuildable should it ever fail.
 
T

tester19

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Apr 25, 2021
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chigago
Apparently they are not made anymore? I have used this Raychem Thermogun Model 750B for 30+ years. Made in USA. Rated at 18 Amps and has a very beefy cord! Goes to 1000 F.

Heat Gun.jpg

Not sure what I paid for it? I did buy it used and not sure when it was made. The serial number has an 89 in it so maybe 1989?

Love the flat cast iron base as I usually set it down and bring the shrink tubing to the gun.
It's made so well I am sure it was expensive when new.
.
.
.
 
L

liliysdad

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Been using the DeWalt cordless for a couple of months and absolutely love it. Cannot believe I made it this long without it.
 
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jumbojak

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Surry, VA
For heat shrink I like to use the exhaust from my power probe butane soldering iron. It's fairly precise and fits into cramped spaces easily.
 
OP
S

Spike00513

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Jul 18, 2012
Messages
47
kabinenroller said:
If you want your heat gun to last do not shut it off hot. Always switch to the “blower” setting and allow the coil to cool down relatively slowly. It makes a difference.
Click to expand...
I always wondered this. Lol I don't think the $9 cheap Harbor Freight one even has that setting. Or does it?
I think the button is I, O, II. Or High, Low, Off.
Unless Low would work for that purpose?
 
B

brownbagg

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i had a good one, I think it was a millawekee, somebody borrow it, I guess they like it more than i did. I got a cheap wagner now, and it works great. no you cant borrow it
 
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ecotec

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dnschmidt said:
Agreed, The Dewalt cordless is far better than the MIlwaukee cordless. The TTC did a comparison as well and confirmed my results.
Click to expand...
The m18 heat gun is probably the worst m18 tool that I have.
 
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johninct

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Dec 21, 2010
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2,596
My cousin always borrows my Blue-Point one that is close to 30 years old a lot. I bought him a Craftsman one for Christmas and it died.
 
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S

Spike00513

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Jul 18, 2012
Messages
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humber2 said:
Another Steinel clone is Wagner.

B63B5538-1468-4CC9-9396-AC017C54EFBE.jpeg
Click to expand...
I used to have one that looked similar. Probably Wagner, with a mounting hook on it. I feel like it was better than the $9 HFT one. Probably a bit more wattage too, like 1200 vs 1000. Regret getting rid of it, should've kept it... It would still work probably

Whatever I end up getting, I think attachments will be useful. Like the C-shaped one for heatshrink tubing, and inserter nozzle for plastic welding rods.
So far, the HFT one seems to struggle shrinking NSPA KrimpaSeal **** connectors and is inconsistent.

jumbojak said:
For heat shrink I like to use the exhaust from my power probe butane soldering iron. It's fairly precise and fits into cramped spaces easily.
Click to expand...

This seems like a great option to fit where normal ones can't. I just don't know how powerful it is for heat shrink **** splices (harder to shrink than tubing) or how long the butane lasts
But Snap-On does rebrand it which indicates good quality, while more affordable to buy straight from the source
 
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joshmodelskidoo

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Apr 18, 2012
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872
Location
mid western michigan
I use the hf special. I don’t have any attachments but they would probably be pretty handy to have. Im probably only ever used 1 or 2 other heat guns in my life and didn’t notice anything different from the hf one
 
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