Make those quick repairs and projects easier with the Ryobi Cordless Glue Gun
Like everyone else, you probably have at least a few things lying around the shop that you can use a healthy dose of hot glue to bring them back to working order. We absolutely will. Or maybe you enjoy doing arts and crafts in your spare time. who knows? We are not judging. As useful as they are, glue guns generally require you to plug them in, are not particularly forgiving in terms of cord length from a mobility standpoint, and are usually tucked away in some forgotten corner of a closet or elsewhere. The Ryobi cordless glue gun brings you the mobility that only batteries can provide.
advantage
- Wireless brings a whole new level of convenience to hot glue guns
- Runs for 3.5 hours on 4.0Ah battery
- stand up by yourself
- Plastic guard on tip prevents accidental burns
shortcoming
- A "temp ready" light would be useful
recommend
If you like tools that are easy to use, the Ryobi Cordless Glue Gun might be just right for you. Usually, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about the oft-overlooked virtues of hot glue guns, but admittedly, it's a little odd that we haven't seen more manufacturers adopt this inexpensive, useful tool. Thankfully, Ryobi doesn't have the gluten intolerance that other manufacturers have, and they make a solid cordless model that helps a lot when we need it and stays unobtrusive when we don't.
conspiratorial jerk
i have glue attitude
We have several projects around the shop that are screaming for some old fashioned hot glue. So I fired up the Ryobi P305. By "activate", I mean that I put an 18V One+ battery in it, slip a glue stick into the corresponding slot, and turn the glue gun to the "on" position. Then, I played the waiting game while the guns were hot.
It doesn't hurt to throw a towel under the nozzle to catch any wayward drips that occur when the gun is not in use. In our testing, this wasn't a big deal, as the Ryobi P305 didn't drip much. But come on, it's still a hot glue gun, it dribbles a little.
The Ryobi cordless applicator takes approximately 6-8 minutes to heat up. That might seem like a long time, and compared to some wired models. However, it takes a lot of energy to generate heat, whereas hot glue doesn't need super high temperatures to work. It is comparable to common cryogenic wired models.
You'll know the gun is ready for use when you squeeze the trigger moderately and glue flows freely from the nozzle. In fact, you should avoid pressing the trigger too hard, as this may damage some internal components. If the glue isn't cooperating, give the gun a few more minutes to heat up.
If you're the patient type, when glue starts dripping from the tip, that's a good sign that the glue gun has reached operating temperature. A light that notifies you when the gun is up to temperature would be nice, but the trick of glue dripping from the tip works just as well.
stick on your sticky voodoo
Once it's up to working temperature, we've prepared several jobs specifically for the Ryobi Cordless Glue Gun. We needed to attach rubber blocks to the bottom of a wooden base for another project, and this seemed like the perfect task for our new cordless glue gun. We've also been thinking about a more professional looking alternative to attaching our Casella vibration monitors to the zippers.
It turns out that the rubber bumpers are perfect for the Ryobi cordless glue gun. I really like what it does for you, with a plastic guard attached to the heated tip to protect you from the burn. Of course, if you shove your thumb into that pile of hot glue you just laid down, you're going to get burned anyway.
Casella's job was even better than expected. It doesn't take a lot of hot glue to hold it securely on top of the wobbly recip saw. When it came time to remove the gauge, the dried glue peeled off easily from metal and plastic surfaces, enough for frequent replacement during our shootouts.
Just moderate pulls on the two-finger trigger will make the glue flow. Like most glue guns, you have to put in some effort to get the trigger to push the glue stick forward. The good thing is that you have to be intentional about applying the glue so you don't accidentally splatter hot glue everywhere.
Ryobi reports that this cordless hot glue gun can run for 3.5 hours with a 4.0Ah battery. For the projects we work on, we never need that many. However, it's good to know that a few batteries can get you through a full day of projects and repairs.
price
The Ryobi Cordless Glue Gun sells for $29.97 as a bare-bones unit. Because it's so useful and so affordable, it's a no-brainer if you're already using a Ryobi One+ battery.
epilogue
If you like a tool that's easy to use, the Ryobi cordless glue gun might just be right for you. Usually, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about the oft-overlooked virtues of hot glue guns, but admittedly, it's a little odd that we haven't seen more manufacturers adopt this inexpensive, useful tool. Thankfully, Ryobi doesn't have the gluten intolerance that other manufacturers have, and they make a solid cordless model that helps a lot when we need it and stays unobtrusive when we don't.
- Model: Ryobi P305
- Power supply: Ryobi One+ 18V battery
- Weight: 0.55 lbs
- Runtime: 3.5 hours on 4Ah battery
- Warranty: 3 years warranty
- Price: $29.97 at Home Depot
- Includes: 3 Glue Sticks and Operating Manual