Choosing a heat gun

Yorkie1

I'm thinking of getting my own heat gun and would value comments on which one might be best for my needs.

It isn't going to be used very often. Mainly to strip paint off door and window frames - although I am nervous about using it near the glass panes in my front door ...

I've found 4 locally - 3 by a brand I've not heard of (Earlex) but seem to be fairly well reviewed, and one by Bosch. I quite like the idea of a carry box / bag, but it's not a deal-breaker. Likewise, I like the idea of more accessories but again don't know enough about them to assess whether I'll use them. The Bosch has 3 heat settings rather than 2.

Any comments welcomed, please.

Earlex HG1500

Earlex HG2000

Earlex HG2000 professional

Bosch PG600-3

Yorkie1

*Shameless bump*

nickj_2

with heat guns you get what you pay for , i use one for work and my local building suppliers insist that people won't pay good money for them , in the last 4 years i've got thru 4, 2 dewalt and 2 skil, all of which do the job but they don't last , these have cost around £25-30 a time , so i've now gone elsewhere and got a german made one . can't remember the name but it cost £130.
out of the one's you've listed i would go for the bosch .

as for stripping off near glass , i wouldn't go there , much better to scrape/sand etc , you only have to heat the glass a bit too much and it will crack ,even with the glass protectors that come with the heat guns are not that effective

gmgmgm

I think our de Walt was about £25-30. If you're not going to use it much (i.e. DIY) then a cheap branded one makes best sense i.e. de Walt or your Bosch.
Ours came from either Amazon or Screwfix.
I agree with nickj- but it sounds like the OP just needs a DIY-level tool.

mariat

I don't know if they still make them, but I've inherited my dad's Black & Decker one, which is over 20 years old, and it's still going strong (Touch wood!). Like you I have used it for occasional DIY use and it's brilliant. Why not use paint stripper near glass?

cyclonebri1

Heat guns or rather hot air blowers are pretty basic, they aren't complicated.

Go by the power(wattage) of the unit.

Get a decent brand, and buy 2nd hand (:money:)if you rarely use it. Chances are the person that 1st bought it hardly used it too

Yorkie1

Thanks all.

Yes, DIY level definitely! Useful to hear the comments about not risking it near glass; I'm going to post a separate thread about doing the front door and will take that into account.

Will have a look for second hand ones locally too.

Comments much appreciated.

Edit: Is this Dewalt any better than the Bosch? They're both more expensive than I had planned to pay, but if they are twice as good as the Earlex then I might push the boat out.

Yorkie1

Quick double check whether there's much between the Bosch PG600-3 and this Dewalt ?