Glue Gun Product Review: 
Chandler 100 Watt Glue Gun

Chandler 100 watt Glue Gun

I was asked by Chandler to review their 100 watt glue gun.  Full disclosure: They provided the product free of charge in return for writing this review.

I received the product well packaged from Amazon and in excellent condition.  

It is well balanced, has a wide, solid, detachable base and has an on-off switch on the base, which I liked.  It handles well - easy to hold and grip.  The quality appears to be very good on initial inspection.

The glue stick slides in from the back of the gun and advances easily when pulling the "trigger".  When you can't advance it any more, you're ready to go. It heats up within one minute after turning it on. 

I started with small projects, which for me that means really small since I work in N scale mostly.  I applied the glue to the hoofs of a horse and placed in on the layout without any trouble. I didn't have to hold it there for more than a few seconds for it to stay upright.  I tried planting some trees using natural branches from an arts and craft store, so they have no base. I created a small hole in the surface of the layout and applied some glue to the base of the tree, placed it in the hole and the tree stayed where I put it.  I tried the gluing some lichen "bushes" to the scenery on an almost vertical cliff, and after holding it a few seconds, it didn't fall, which was impressive.  While doing this, I found that it is best to apply the glue to the bottom of the bush or tree first and then place it on the layout.  If you put the glue on the layout surface first, it tends to be "stringy", and then you have to pull off the tiny strands of glue from the layout that are left when you pull away the glue gun. 

I also tried larger projects like gluing styrofoam blocks, building structures of wood and plastic, attaching roadbed and tracks to the layout surface without any difficulty.  I found that when laying tracks, you will want to flatten out the glue on the surface with a stick so that when you put the track down, the glue gobs won't come up through the ties where you want to save room for the ballast.  The most impressive thing about using this glue gun on roadbed and flextrack is that you can glue them down in a curved shape and after holding it there with your fingers for just a few seconds, it actually stays in place! Try doing that with white glue!  

The glue is sticky right away when applied and dries fast which is great for most of my projects.  It dries glossy but very clear. It works well as a sealant and is waterproof.  It could also be used for water projects on a layout, such as making waterfalls, creeks, rivers, rapids, etc.

I have tried various types of glue guns before and usually ended up not using them much for one reason or another, but I'm sure I will have plenty of uses for this one. 

Overall this is an excellent product and I would easily give it 5 out of 5 stars.

It also is available is smaller, lighter sizes.