heat gun

Anyone use a Ryobi heat gun? I've used $20 heat guns for years but when my last one took a shat I got a Ryobi from Home Depot it has a setting from 200 to 1100, I've had it for a few days and so far I like it. There is a big difference in the heat it puts out compared to the $20 ones and the quality does seem alot better... I'll see how it holds up.

once you get a nice gun you'll never go back. I have a $140 milwaukee adjustable and it beats any other gun I have. I've collected a few over the years between tinting and my r/c planes. I have the standard $40 wagner one everyone uses, that blue LED one that was on special from heatgunstore.com or whatever(it was $13, can't go too wrong), an adjustable ace hardware brand(basically wagner) and a no name harbor freight one. The milwaukee is by farrr the best.

my makita hg1100 has proven itself & i'll never buy another gun

I'm using one just like it and love it. My favorite was a very nice Steinel digital that was a gift untill a student stole from me a few weeks back. Never had something like that happen, guess it takes all kinds
Gotta love the big blue Makita

Scotty is absolutely right, I started with a black milwaukee then decided to buy an adjustable (red) and now I have two red and one black. The difference is from heaven to earth, is the best investment we made for my business.

i use the cheapo Wagner and shrinking BG's is killing me with this thing. i'm definitely going for a better one if it will speed up the shrink. you guys that have the adjustable guns, do you kep it on the high (1100) most of the time?

I keep it on or around high all the time(sometimes it gets bumped or w/e)

the main big difference is the air flow and the temperature of that higher flow

I bought this one and so far not a fan, though my right arm is getting bigger. It\'s heavy and not very hot, bt the cheapos only were lasting me a few months at most.

http://www.bigrocksupply.com/product_thumb...es/370_1010.jpg

I have 2 Makitas and they have a year warranty on them! If they burn out you send them in and they fixem for free!!!!

I use the regular black milwaukee. I noticed they don't last as long as they used to. Like 3 or 4 months tops. But I have used the red Mil and I didn't notice much of a difference. I'll have to try out the Makita one though. I can shrink pretty much any back window with a cheapo heat gun in 5 minutes, so why switch? But I will definitely have to try the Makita, I love their tools and it looks pretty cool

I'm definitely going to get a Makita. There tools are top notch. what brand tint do you use nctinter? you wont be knocking out a BG with VT in five minutes with a cheapo, i gaurantee that.

When I first started tinting, I used those Makitas...they are bad ass! They last forever, and get nice and hot. I need to get one. Im getting tired of replacing my $20 Milwakees every 3 months or so.

VT? is that Valuetint or whatever? I use LLumar. It shrinks fast and easy no matter what heat gun I use. I use the cheap milwaukees. But they do break down after a few months, didn't used to. How long does the Makita last?

Also I have used Solar Gard, and 3m and those shrunk abou the same with the cheap guns. Not much of a difference from LLumar.

VT is valuetint. their films are all 1.5mil with a thick liner, which is good and bad. Good that it takes a lot of heat and shrinks evenly, but bad in that its easy to overheat and you need a strong gun

did you get one of the red milwaukees that come in the carrying case and everything? I've had mine for over 4 years probably and its been dropped, fallen off tables, shelves, sucked up sawdust(not tinting, looked like a flame thrower ) and it still works flawlessly. The end metal tip is so dented that it doesn't even resemble a circle anymore

the things a tank

I've noticed this gun works alot better for snapping door glasses also (alot faster)

Found me a Makita today at a local hardware store for $79.95 . going to pick it up tomorrow and try it out.

Mine bit the dust two weeks ago and had it barely a year. Heats up but the blower quit. Cant send it in cause I threw the box and warranty card away. My bad!

did you try talking to them? usually tool companies will warranty anything since they can lookup the serial numbers

The milwaukee, the red one is supposed to be garanteed for 5 years. Hopefully my guns are like a new without dents or scratches and works like a champ.

The week it happened I had soo much work to do I had zero time to drive even six blocks over to talk to them to about that very thing. Also, since I was placeing an order of tint I just had them to send me what they had. I'll probably go by and talk to them sometime this week when I get to town. They just might take care of it for me because I tint all their cars and trucks, personal and business.

I don't know about the box and stuff on the red Milwaukee Scotty. I just used one that was at a shop I do work for. It looks pretty old so I am sure they had it for a while. If they last a couple years then I might have to pick one up. It beats always going to HD to get a cheapo gun. I kinda like how the cheapo guns are smaller and lighter though. Easy to work with

Wow, what a difference of heat the Makita makes compared to the Wagner. that thing is no joke. set the therm on the highest setting(1100) and switched it on for a split second and it was already 3rd degree burn ready.

as long as you somewhat take care of it it should last at least a couple years. Mine gets abused a lot, mostly by dropping or knocking it over. I don't think they've changed in a long time, since my HS construction teacher had one where I got the inspiration from after using his that he said was 8 years old, and it looks identical to mine Then again, most of my milwaukee tools look old since they haven't changed in forever. If it ain't broke, don't fix it

I picked mine up from a local tool dealer for I want to say $136 and it had the adjustable gun, nice plastic case, and 4 different tips for it. Not a bad deal for a beast of a gun

I think the best one I ever had was one of the old Milwaukees. Made my forearms huge but they sure got the job done. Maybe I should think about looking for one of them again.

I have a old ran over one that blows air but don't heat up. I took it apart last week but could not find anything to fix! might be able to make a good one out of the two
Gives me a good reason to come by and meet ya next time i am in Oklahoma and bring it with me I have heard about your great work for years!!!!!!
cheers

I've noticed that too. I was wondering why my right arm always hurt after doing 3-4 cars a day, since I squeegee with my left. I figured it out though that it was from holding the HG over the BG so long

Ya think?

Mine just started going out after 9 years. I think I got my moneys worth! Out to get another later today.

yeah just maybe

I'm in Canada... I looked around (wanted to get a new gun today, one of my cheapos is starting to die so figured I'd buy a good one). Only Milwaukee I could find was that big heavy ass one that //Man posted earlier, looks like an old hair dryer on steroids, and didn't have a crazy high maximum temp, and 2 year warranty. Couldn't find one of those Makita's. So I decided to go with this one...

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/To...BHeat%2BGun.jsp

I'll try it tomorrow on a BG, but I messed with it and it seems to get hella hot, works really nice and quiet, it's light... has a 3 year warranty. Figured I'd give it a go. Goes up to 1202 degrees supposedly. Kind of a cool gun.

ToolKing.com has them. They have refurbished for 54.99. I have bought alot of refurb Makita tools and they have done me right. Got a lithium 18 volt cordless drill from Makita that is in a class by itself.

oh yea. i like heat guns. but i love the torch

Ive use a torch once to shape a bg, only b/c my heat gun took a dive. I couldnt do it. There is a video of Mr Paladin using a torch to shape a bg on a Bimmer.

cool where is this video at?

Well I have seen a few of your videos using the torch to shrink and I am hesitant about trying, but you my friend have that chit down to an art. I give you props for that one.

Right here... say it aint so

I just order mine from there.

do you ever use the attachments, if i remember right it comes with or you can buy like five different attachments...they give the heat direction as far as fanning and stuff like that?

which costs more ? the gas or electic? im sure its hard to tell, but was there a major differance in the electric bill after the switch?

mine came with 4, and I occasionaly use the reducer, but thats about it

I just got my makita today. It sure beats the 20 dollar gun.

You guys crack me up on this site. Everyone is so strongly opinionated, but then I've always noticed this is a characteristic of the whole field. I run a small "school" for teaching tinting of all trades here in NorCal and I've bought nothing but Harbor Freight Tools heat guns for over 10 years for my students to use. In the past I've used the typical Makita and even a Wagner or two, and there are definite differences but I still can't see enough of a difference to justify spending more than $10 for a heat gun. I bought a whole bunch of the Chicago Electric ones from Harbor Freight on sale for ~$7 sometime back in 2000 and they are all still running just fine even with all the abuse the students have done over the years (shoving them in other's pants, pranks, etc.). It's true that my purposes are different from most single shop operators, but still, I'm convinced that a cheap 700/1100 degree heat gun from Harbor Freight works just fine. I've used the gun for other stuff too like paint jobs and just melting/crusting paints and glues that end up in places they shouldn't be. I'm totally content with my cheapo Harbor Freight Tools stuff. 90 days warranty, but I've never had one fail or even weaken in nearly 9 years.

If the cheapo's work for you, then great . all i know is my new Makita puts a hurtin' on those cheap azz guns . the difference is being able to shrink a BG in half the time .

your little $7 gun might shrink the film, but once you get a bad boy milwaukee/makita you'll never go back. Comparing a $7 gun to a $20 one is not going to be a real difference, its once you get into the professional grade ones (red milwaukee or makita ones) that you'll notice a difference. I have a generic digital wagner, a cheapo no name one, and one of those $6 LED ones from heatgunstore.com or whatever. Guess where those three sit, on the shelf, and haven't been used in a long time. Get a real gun, and you'll never go back. Yeah its $130, but like TA said it puts out a LOT more air and shrinks a ton faster. Plus, its one of the most important tools we use

my makita kicks a$$

its no different than mechanics tools. can a harbor freight socket set do the work? Yeah, but when you depend on it day in and day out to make a living(our heatgun) then nothing beats SnapOn/Matco/Mac(our makita/milwaukee)

its just a tool, which is like any other. Spend the money once now, not cheap up front and pay full price later