What is the best heat gun?

[pocketfullofposies]

I've been doing some research on heat guns, and I've read rather awful reviews for pretty much every heat gun out there. In your opinion, what is the best heat gun?

[Johanna7]

If you mean the embossing heat gun, I have an SU one and I am quite happy with it. No problems at all.

Works every time. Once I accidentally left it plugged in all night and nothing bad happened. Still works great.:cool:

[Shannon E]

I just have a cheap Stampabilities one and it has been working great for three years.

[WeimFamily]

I have a Marvy Uchida, but my upline has the SU heat gun - and the SU one is better. It heats faster and is just more solid feeling. In fact, I'm thinking of replacing mine even before it breaks!

[Topaz_n29]

I cant remember what i had..i just got it at the lss..bfore xmas..last week it started on fire..and died.. They are replacing it w/ a better one..but if i get the name i'll let u know..for those inquiring minds..lol
loves ya

[MSBetsyZ]

Milwaukee makes a great one. I believe they are who manufacture SU's heat tool as well. Very solid feeling, even heating tool.

I have to share this story though.... When I first started stamping (10+ years ago!) my pusher, er, stamping friend that got me hooked, used a paint stripper as a heat tool! An actual gun-shaped paint stripper that heated up HOT HOT HOT! Talk about overkill, lol!

Anyway, my son was very small and when he was even allowed in the stamp room, he was admonished several times NOT to touch the tools. Well, little boys being what they are, he had to reach out and put his fingers on the barrel of the gun right after I'd turned it off. HUGE howls of pain! Blisters on all four fingers and tears that didn't stop for 1/2 an hour at least.

Ever since, I've cautioned people with small children to pay attention to the tip of the tool when purchasing one. If the metal barrel is outside, think twice about getting it. Try to get one that is encased in plastic all the way to the tip so there are no places with hot metal to burn little fingers.

[stamps&cars]

Betsy is right. The Milwaukee tool is THE best. Lasts for years and the whine of the motor is lower than the cheaper models. I believe they make the SU heat tool.

[parrothead]

Bought mine at Walmart about 4 years ago or longer...10.00 and it still works like a charm....heats up in about 10 seconds. Its just called Heat It,craft tool.

[lindsidawn]

I don't know the brands of my first two... but my mom had bought her's at Wal-Mart that lasted about six months (it was given to me w/all her other stamping stuff) before it stoped working. I then bought the one they currently sell at Micheal's and it was OK.... I ended up giving it away and bought on from SU which I totally love!! At first I hated it because it had a rancid smell... but after I used it a few times the smell went away. It is sooooo much quicker to emboss than the other two I had since it is much hotter. I'm very happy with it.

[parrothead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gale

I think I got mine at walmart too. I forgot to mention that it looks like a small hairdryer.

Hey...mine does too!!!

[leney]

I say that the Milwaukee one is the best. I have had mine about 10 plus years and it is still going stong. It is the same one SU! had in the catalog when I started 13 years ago. I, however bought mine at Michael's with a 40% off coupon. The price for the one in the cattty was about $30. That was the most expensive item in the catty, then. I have dropped mine many times and it keeps on ticking. I really am pleased with that purchase. DH has one he uses to put shrink wrap around bottles. It is also made by Milwaukee and has been in use for about the same amount of time mine has been in use. It is their paint stripper version. However, DH uses his daily and it is still working.
MILWAUKEE rules heat guns!

[SillyTurtle]

I have a marvy uchida one and I haven't had any problems with it. I also like that it was fairly inexpensive with a special 50% off Michaels coupon.

[Kath]

I have the Milwaukee and it gets hot so you can easily burn your paper if you aren't careful. I have the Marvy and that is a little less hot than Milwaukee and I like it. I have the EKSuccess two setting one and haven't used it more than once. I was like Goldilocks looking for the right heat gun. Then I found my most used and liked Inkessential Heat It Tool. The Heat It is quiet, slower, and doesn't blow the powders around as much. It is great on vellum also. You can see the Marvy and Inkessential heat guns at: http://www..com/tools-heat

[purpleflowers]

:eek:
LOL! When I read the title of this thread I thought "how different can heat guns be?" Guess I was wrong. Still, I'm happy with the one I bought at AC Moore years ago. I have no idea what brand it is. Maybe I'm just not that picky.

[stricklandpm]

The Ranger Heat-It is top notch for quiet and ease of handling, and not blowing your stuff around, but yes it is slower. The price is right, too.

The Milwaukee is great, works faster, but is heavier and bulkier. If I am doing a large swap, I revert to the Heat-It. If you have arthritis, carpal tunnel, etc might not be a good choice.

I need them both.

[SammyStamper]

I bought my Milwaukee about 10 years ago as well. Still going strong. My friends love to use mine since it heats much faster than theirs from M's.

Before I owned one, we would use the halogen lamps to emboss. Scarily, they get plenty hot enough. Then my girlfriend's firefighter DH caught us and made us buy proper tools!

[bluesh4rk]

My blue Darice one that I bought at Michaels about 3 yrs ago is still working just fine. I am annoyed by its cord tho because it wants to tip over a lot. I've used the SU one and like it much better but won't buy it until my Darice one poops out.

[LeAnne Pugliese]

I love my SU one....the end doesn't get hot to the touch so it is great if you have kids!

[Beth D]

I love my SU Heat Tool....It feels sturdy, looks good and works super! It seems to have a more even heat distribution than the others I have used!
JMO!:p

[zeke]

I love my Stampin' Up! heat embosser- especially since they've redesigned it so the metal doesn't stick out any more to burn fingers. I did get burnt on my other one- it heats up to 600 degrees! For those of you who want a hint on burn care- try lavender essential oil on the burn. I got it for the good smell and then read it was good for burns. It is- believe me 'cuz I am burn prone. It takes the hurt away and heals a burn up faster than you can imagine. (We're talking 1st and 2nd degree- go to a Dr. for anything serious!)

[Tarjteachr]

I have a Makita Variable Speed & Variable Temperature Gun that is self standing so I can stand it on my worktable and heat my work from the bottom which is fabulous when you have glitter in the EP. The deal was if DH bought it I would strip the old paint off the front window with it and then the gun was mine.

Katie M.

[Ginger_P]

I have Marvy Uchida, never had problems. My nieces and daughter use it and it doesn't get to hot for them.

[SEdmonton]

I have a blue "SureBonder" from Michaels - one of their employees found it for me in some mysterious area that doesn't have scrapbooking or stamping supplies... who knew there was more to the store? Anyway, it works very well for me, I generally just leave it plugged in 24/7 because my outlet is a pain to get to.

Suzanne

[SouthernStorm]

Mine is by Milwaukee.. got it w/ coupon at Michaels about 5-6 yrs ago. I haven't used it a whole lot, but I love it!! As someone else said, it 'feels' good.. the weight & handling ease. Guess I just don't put much faith in any light weight appliance. The heavier it is, the better the guts, KWIM!

[waymo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by parrothead

Bought mine at Walmart about 4 years ago or longer...10.00 and it still works like a charm....heats up in about 10 seconds. Its just called Heat It,craft tool.

Hey parrothead, how are you. Glad you like your heating tool.

[ChriStampery]

Stampin' Up's, all the way... When I became a demonstrator six years ago, I did use a coupon at Michael's to buy a heat gun -- don't remember what brand -- and took it to Convention that first year to finish making my swaps. Well, the darn thing conked out and I couldn't finish them (and no, holding your over the element on the electric stove does NOT work -- I tried!) -- what a disappointment! So then I got the Stampin' Up one, and that's almost six years now -- and it's still going strong. I always tell this story at my workshops when I'm showing the heat tool -- and wind it up by saying how I WISH it WOULD conk out so I could justify getting the newer one with the covered tip!

Christine R
Elkridge, MD

[mkirkwood2002]

Very helpful thread! I've just seen the Heat It tool and I'm thinking I need a new embossing tool! I have a very old Marvy Uchida one from Michaels - bought with a coupon like many others.

Zeke - I keep my lavender oil in my kitchen ever since I discovered it was good for burns. My daughter grabbed hold of her VERY HOT straightening iron and it burned across her palm. The lavender oil took the pain away and it didn't even blister!

[munzie]

Thanks everybody. I have the Milwaukee and it is still going strong. The stamping guy I bought it from uses his all the time and with heavy hard use because he does shows- (or did...) Anyway I had gone to a great website [url=http://www.theenchantedgallery.com](which I love!!) The artist recommends the Heat It tool, while looking for info on it I found this forum. I want to thank everyone at Splitcoaststampers for-well.... everything! Bless you all.


If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart.
The spirit should never grow old. Garfield

[dottiejdavis]

I have a Marvy Uchida and it has lasted me so far 5 years. Love it and it does a great job heating up fast.

[EmuUpAGumTree]

I got a cheapie from Big W, kinda like wallmart its "papercraft" branded, and I've never had an issue.

My advice to anyone would be not to get too hyped up in brands and reviews.

[muscrat]

Mine is called "Nicole Heating Tool". I'm not even sure where I bought it, but have used it over a year now with no issues. It was cheap enough that I won't feel bad if I do have to replace it.

[Greg T]

I have a Darcie Heat Tool. (the blue one). I got it at JoAnn's. It is the 2nd one I've had. The story behind first one is...after using it for the first time, I hung it up under my desk. I would hang it over the brace with the outlet facing down. The next day I went to use the heat gun and it wouldn't work. I took it back and they replaced it. After reading the instructions (of course I didn't the first time....I'm a guy) I found out the outlet needs to be higher than the motor when off so the heat doesn't over heat the motor. Now it hangs by the metal support with the outlet up.

[inkyimages]

When I first became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I bought one from Michaels with a coupon to save a little money. It lasted about 6 weeks before it 'burned out.' I then puchased the one from Stampin' Up! (which I should have done to start with, lol) and after 7+ years it's still going strong. I LOVE it and it gets used a lot with all my classes and stamp camps.

[AlbertaStamping]

What's the scoop on leaving a heat gun plugged in all the time. I didn't know that could be a problem.

[Cartermrc]

I have SU's and it's great-fast and the tip is covered. It does make quite a racket though so if that's an issue you may want to try the Tim Holtz/ mini hairdryer style.

[Greg T]

I leave mine plugged in all the time. I don't want to have to crawl under the desk to plug it in every time I'm going to use it.

[Saba M.]

hey!
I am looking into purchasing a heat gun...and the only one i found here (in Pakistan) is the black and decker heat gun
Black & Decker Tools | Heat Gun 9756

Can anyone guide me as to whether this will work? or would it be too hot and burn the powder? should i go for it?
Thanks!

[Greg T]

I looked at the specs for the B&D heat gun you are looking at. It says it is 1375 Watts where as the Darcie Heat Tool that I have says it is 300 Watts. I think the B&D one would be too much. I've used heat guns before to strip paint and they do a fantastic job of it. This is just my opinion. Did you look up Darcie Heat Tool?

[Saba M.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg T

I looked at the specs for the B&D heat gun you are looking at. It says it is 1375 Watts where as the Darcie Heat Tool that I have says it is 300 Watts. I think the B&D one would be too much. I've used heat guns before to strip paint and they do a fantastic job of it. This is just my opinion. Did you look up Darcie Heat Tool?

Thanks a lot for the guidance. No, I haven't looked up Darcie Heat tool...didnt know about it actually... I will look it up and check if it is available here.
Thanks a lot!

[Savagetwin]

I have been rubber stamping for about 30 years long before I even heard of Stampin' Up. I have only had to buy two brands. The Marvy Uchida was my first and just died recently. I bought another one along the way just to have as a spare. It got heavy use but periodically. Would you believe it died when I bought the Heat-It too last year? I said prayers for it, thanked it for it's long years of service and threw it out. Much like a job does when you retire. Out with the old, in with the new.
In May, 2011, I bought that cute little heat-it tool because of the rave reviews fellow SCSers and other well known stampers have written or shared. I loved it! HOWEVER, my new toy died after a few uses around Christmas time. OMG to the max! The old Marvy Uchida was probably laughing at me from heat tool heaven.
So, now I use my over 10 year old spare Marvy. I will return the Heat-It tool, get a replacement and as soon as I finish writing this, I'm going to check out that Milwaukee everyone swears by.
Now the moral of this story is........use a coupon, get something that works and has a good reputation! And, oh yeah, have loads of fun! ;)