Max. power consumption
The highest power consumed by the glue gun during operation. Usually, such power is required by the device for a short time, to warm up to operating temperatures; while maintaining the temperature, the energy consumption is much lower.
The higher the power consumption, the less, usually, the heating time (ceteris paribus); on the other hand, the consumption of electricity and the load on the power grid depend on this characteristic. However, even in the most high consumption models, the maximum power usually does not exceed 1 kW, which allows you to connect to a regular household outlet without any problems; and to estimate the heating time, it is better to look at the characteristics directly claimed by the manufacturer. As a matter of fact, data on maximum power consumption is rarely required in fact, usually when connected to a generator, stabilizer or other equipment where it is necessary to accurately estimate the load.
Sticks length
The diameter of the glue stick for which the gun is designed.
For modern glue guns, rods of standard diameters are produced; the most popular options are
7,
8,
11 and
12 mm. Usually, the thicker the rod required for the job, the more powerful and performant the tool. However, exceptions are not uncommon: for example, there are 12 mm models with a very low glue supply rate. Therefore, in fact, this information is needed more to search for consumables than to assess the capabilities of the gun. At the same time, although some models are practically "omnivorous", it is still undesirable to deviate from the manufacturer's recommendations.
Feed rate
The maximum glue flow rate that the gun can provide is, in fact, the peak performance of the tool.
In general, indicators up to 10 g / min can be attributed to low, up to 20 g / min — to medium, more than 20 g / min — to high. The larger the scale of the planned work, the higher the glue supply rate is desirable for them; on the other hand,
high performance may be overkill in cases where little adhesive is required. However, if the tool is bought for simple household tasks, this indicator can be ignored.
Number of temperature modes
The number
of temperature adjustments provided in the design of the glue gun.
The simplest models have one mode and are able to heat up only to the maximum operating temperature. The presence of several modes allows you to adjust the instrument to a specific situation; this is especially useful when working with materials that are sensitive to high temperatures. At the same time, the more modes, the more extensive the adjustment possibilities. And the most advanced option is smooth adjustment, which allows you to choose any value in the range from minimum to maximum. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to accurately set the temperature in such models, while in pistols with several fixed settings, on the contrary, each mode corresponds to a strictly defined temperature.
Replaceable nozzles
The presence
of replaceable nozzles in the delivery set of the glue gun.
Replaceable nozzles provide various additional features: they can change the width and shape of the applied adhesive strip, increase or decrease the speed of its supply, there are elongated nozzles for working in hard-to-reach places, etc. Note that for models that are not equipped with interchangeable nozzles, this feature is not indicated, even if the ability to rearrange the nozzles is provided for in them.
