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The SparkFun Heaterizer XL-3000 heat gun is a handy tool that everyone should have. It's great for heat-shrink, melting things, and even very basic low temp rework. The size is great for a lot of different applications and it heats up pretty quickly.
- 300 watts of heating power
- 110v operation only
Heaterizer XL-3000 Heat Gun Product Help and Resources
Core Skill: Soldering
This skill defines how difficult the soldering is on a particular product. It might be a couple simple solder joints, or require special reflow tools.
Skill Level: Competent - You will encounter surface mount components and basic SMD soldering techniques are required.
See all skill levels
Comments
Looking for answers to technical questions?
We welcome your comments and suggestions below. However, if you are looking for solutions to technical questions please see our Technical Assistance page.
Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5
Based on 20 ratings:
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Looked like a simple gun...
I only turned this on and off only two times and the third time it stopped working... when I plug it in with the switch off... it gets warm... I might need to take this apart to see what's going on
Hmmm, sounds like it might be a faulty unit. If you contact our tech support team, the'll be able to help you resolve the issues.
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Makes for effortless heat-shrinking
It does a great job on heat-shrink tubing. I used to shrink tubing with matches (!) Noe, using the Heaterizer XL-3000, my shrunk tubing is clean and even.
2 of 2 found this helpful:
Great bang for the buck
Ive had this heater for 2.5 years and use it a lot. I have melted the body with my soldering iron, dropped it more than a few times on to hard floor, and I have used it for maybe a little longer than I should have a few times.
It works great for heating anything. Ive used it for smd, tubing, adhesive/paint removal and it works great.
Gets very hot, so if you need control, you might have to get something else.
Mine finally started cutting out today. When its hot, it wont start. Im sure I could fix it, but its time its replaced. 2.5 years of hard abuse for this price is worth it.
2 of 2 found this helpful:
Does the job
Turn it on and it blows hot air, just as advertised. VERY hot air, I use mine mostly for desoldering SMT parts. It does a fine job, even with chips with thermal pads, large chips, transistors with heat tabs, connectors, etc. Also good for shrinking heat shrink tubing.
1 of 1 found this helpful:
best heat gun I've ever used greatest manual
I've never actually used a heat gun but my husband works on computers every day and he liked it so naturally I assume he knows what he's talking about. Plus you have to love an owner's manual that amuses the whole family. Ps I had one of those childhoods where we defiantly would have set something on fire with one of these a if we had half a chance!
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Nice double shrouded output makes it harder (but certainly not impossible) to burn yourself, heats up fast, output is very concentrated (which is a pro and con depending what you're doing), great for heat shrink, softening plastic for moulding, would recommend.
2 of 2 found this helpful:
So good, So cheap, So hot!
It's a basic small heater, the standard output temp is perfect for SMT, small parts (under 2 sq inches), heats up in under 10 seconds, and as a friend found out it's a temperature great for vaporizing - though I'm not sure about the safety of the heating element.
With solder paste from kester and this baby, I can solder small boards in under a minute.
Great Little Heat Gun
Great value for money. Heats up fast and hot. The flip stand and heat guard are nice safe features. The instructions are cogent and to the point.
It's HOT!
Really though, this is a great little heat gun, or should I say tube. The form factor is kinda different, but very easy to use. Heats quickly, easy to aim, quiet, and light weight. I'm used to the big, bulky, and heavy industrial ones. Except for the on/off switch location, which I haven't gotten used to, yet, I love it!
Awesome little heat gun
I use this for shrinking shrink wrap tubing. It works great and heats up within about 20-30 seconds or so. On really small wires, if you leave it in one spot for too long it can just start to melt the insulation but it happens pretty slowly so you can notice it before anything actually bad happens. All in all, great heat gun especially for the price.
The user manual is worth the cost by itself
It's a heat gun, not a cold gun, and it works as intended. I haven't used it too much yet, and even if it falls apart in a year I won't mind because it's so darn affordable, and the user manual is a masterwork in wordsmithing. I didn't know what to expect exactly, it was a bit of an impulse buy and I thought it would be near to have something to rework surface mount electronics (haven't tried it yet), but I'm really pleased so far.
Great for heat shrink tubing
Heats up fast and pretty light and easy to hold. This is a must-have in your circuit building toolkit.
Handy to have on bench
I use it to heat up shrink wrap on wires, safer than using a lighter.
works perfectly
just as advertised, i'm very happy
good value
I have used the heaterizer to dry and outgas vacuum components, and it has performed well. With less than 5 hours running time, I can't rate its longevity, but it has done well so far.
Awesome for heatshrink tubing...
Not so good for removing surface-mount components. It didn't come close to melting the solder on the board I tried it on.
Sounds like it's time to upgrade to a hot air station - https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10706
;)
It gets hot
I really can't complain, it gets hot real fast and it was really cheap. I bought it because I would love a cheap solution for SMT soldering, but either because my paste was a bit old or maybe because it is lead free. Anyway, for less than $15 I really can't complain.
Very good
It works!
0 of 1 found this helpful:
A nice little heat gun
First of all, if this device was a complete piece of junk (it is NOT), I'd still give it 3.5 stars based on the instructions alone. They are hilarious!
This is a great little heat gun. It basically fits in your fingers like a (big) pencil which is great ergonomically. The heat is moderate which is great compared to using a high-powered heat gun which can easily melt (or burn) conductor insulation if you're not paying attention (or having a drink, or both). The cord is quite long as well which is a nice perk. Finally, the gun has a built-in stand which is also a nice feature.
The only issue that I have with this item is that the on/off switch is located near the rear of the gun. Had it been installed closer to the tip (where your index finger would be located if you held it like a pencil), then it would truly a one-hand device. Of course, this design decision may be based on keeping the power switch and AC cord away from the heat-generating elements. This is only a minor gripe however and should not be construed as a reason to dislike the device.
A great device. Just don't use it on your cat! Jim
Fantastic product at a great price. I have used heatguns for decades at a variety of companies. Right up there with expensive heatguns. Not really suitable for serious production use, but perfect for DIY and lab purposes. And a wonderful instruction manual. (You just gotta read it...)
Years ago I purchased the "Shack's" identical twin of this heat gun, and recently have been using it to melt the strong adhesive Apple has been using to hold the LCD bezel in place on their line of MacBook Airs (and other areas) along with some light reflow work. The built in nozzle is too wide to avoid melting the rubber gasket (or potentially do permanent damage to the LCD), or precision work in general, but I happened to have an older set of Wilton brand frosting/icing piping bag tips that solved the problem. They're metal, fit perfectly over the built in nozzle as if they were accessory reflow tips, and give a much greater concentration/direction of airflow. If you don't want to permanently damage the piping tip or the heat gun's nozzle, it's extremely easy to take the heat gun apart and use general purpose (uncoated) wire threaded through both nozzles, twisted to tighten, and reinstall with no need for Dremel-ing (as long as you don't place the wire where the original nozzle has cut outs to fit into the plastic housing).
that is the single greatest instruction manual i have ever read.
Now I can't wait for mine to come so I can read the manual ;)
Edit: Oh wait, they have a pdf of the manual!
Absolutely! They are really concerned about safety, so they warn you about using it to dry "down there" in the shower. Nice to know! (One assumes someone tried it...)
This is a fantastic heatgun && the instruction manual is well written.
To our knowledge no one has tried it (although if they had they might not have told us). We just wanted to be extra careful.
You said it. Every instruction manual should be written like that.
Read The Funny Manual. It was worth half the price just for that. Well, maybe two bucks worth.
This manual was pretty awesome. I need to work on my "primal scream"...
AudioControl used to have similarly fun manuals like that. Also made AMAZING competition level crossovers for your car...
I'm curious on how it is coming after 7 years... what techniques have you tried?
I just had to read it, and I have to say, that IS the most awesomest instruction manual I've ever read!
Imagine if every instruction manual was THAT FUN! :D
Yeah, finally manual that doesn't fill half of itself from safety warning and warranty stuff...
I laughed my head off! That manual is awesome.
i have never seen one written soo "down to earth"
Just get 2 of 'em, strap 'em together with some duck tape, wire them in series and you've got yourself a 240V XL-6000 superheaterizer.
Reading this I was sure you were going for jetpack xD
IT'S DUCT TAPE!!! AHHH!!! (cough, wheeze, choke, die)
Actually the brand name is Duck Tape
You mean ONE of the brands that makes duct tape is duck tape... DUCT tape is for repairing heating/cooling DUCTS. And of course all kinds of other crap. And I've used Duck Tape tape, it pales in comparison to the hardware store stuff that is constructed out of proper material.
Please do not use the silver/black fabric tape on ducts. It doesn't work well, and is probably prohibited by building codes in your area, for good reason.
BUT...the tape was originally developed by the military in WWII to be a strong, waterproof tape for boots and ammunition boxes. It was then dubbed duck tape because it repelled water like a duck. It wasn't until after the war that its use on air ducts became prominent. So if you would like to be technical, Duck Tape was the original name before Duct Tape.
That, and Duck Tape (and its imitators) are actually really lousy for duct work, so it's a misnomer anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#Usage_on_ductwork
Better than using Scotch tape...
I always thought it was called DUCT tape because they shortened the phrase "Ductile Tape" - but what do I know :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility
So what we're saying here is to use actual Duct tape. Something approved for use on heating ductwork, considering these get hot.
Real DUCT tape is usually a thin aluminum foil backed with glue. There may be two kinds of duct tape, one designed for A/C use ONLY, and one for A/C and heating ducts. So the DUCK tape kind will work for A/C vents, especially the return vents that take inside air BACK to the air handler. BOTH names are used universally, though DUCK TAPE may be trademarked. Finally the gazillion and one uses for the stuff have been explored by the Mythbusters many times (they made an airplane, a boat and a bridge out of duck tape!).
Robert didn't follow the proper instructions in the video. Where is the primal scream?
awww, man! I should have totally done that. Sigh. Next time I'll RTFM.
Definite win on the manual.
YESYESYES buy this not only for it's many good uses, but for that legendary instruction manual of heavy duty proportions! The greatest money I've ever spent... just because of that manual.
"What you are currently holding in your hands is the SparkFun Heaterizer XL3000" So... My coffee is actually a Heaterizer in disguise?
It takes like 20 minutes to heat up a frozen burrito...
so...good thing right...as now you're not hungry...?
i have tried to read the manual but was unsure of the intended purpose of this item, it seems that in translation into english your staff have made a few grammatical errors. Just to be clear, does this item get hot?
+1 on the 220V version request! (ok, I know people is asking for 240V but what the heck, it's closer than 110 ;)
How about they just design a 120v to 240v/220v board
I really want one of these now, but here in New Zealand, our mains runs off of 240V AC =[
Just use one of the power wires, instead of both. Instant 1/2 power.
-Taylor
DUDE, *** both *** wires HAVE TO BE CONNECTED for the circuit to be complete! I can't tell whether you are kidding, totally ignorant, or a poorly designed robot sent by aliens to destroy society.
He's saying that if the power is two-phase, use one of them. That will work. Although more likely, the power system is similar to the current US system where one wire is "live" (120v RMS), one is neutral (grounded at the entry point to the house), and one is earth ground. In which case the idea is irrelevant.
ooooooOO00OOooooohhhhh. Woops.
yup!
lol!
Or you could cut both of the wires in half.
Well he could always just plug into the mains and wear heat resistant gloves... Slap some propane on that motha and you got a torch. horatio_caine()
{ I bet that would "Spark" some "Fun." (Yeaaaaahhhhh!);
}
Duh, of course that's how it works.
/s
Buy two and wire them in series.
I had a mental fade moment and brought one of these things (we run 230v over here). Feeling pretty stupid about it, I decided to hack it. I opened it up hoping the manufacturer would have designed it for both 110v and 220-240v and just wired it for 110. sadly no. but what i noticed is that the motor has a rectifier in front of it. ie a high voltage dc motor. so i wondered... what about just putting a power diode in series with the AC lines in... so it would cut off half the AC waveform. That seems to work!. i would not recommend this as proper solution as the motor will be getting double its voltage for half the time. Also noticed that it overheats easier than it should (prob motor not running as fast as it should)
Unfortunately, that wouldn't work.
I like this idea for some reason :-)
sarcasm?
This would work if you put the ground in between the two devices. Any imbalance of current would go to ground. This is basically an Edison circuit. Also, unless there is a GFCI in the breaker or plug you could just wire from 1 mains to ground. Not sure what code is in New Zealand...so, I wasn't here, I didn't say this... :)
Just plug it in and turn it on and off very rapidly. Easy!
... with 50% duty cycle
PWM: Pulse Width Manualization.
LOL... the best instruction manual :)
The instructions are right...do not aim it at your cat...I should have listened...RIP Fluffy...:(
Little known fact: the heat gun was actually on from 1:19-1:34, Robert's whole body is actually a heat sink.
The more you know...
I agree that I shouldn't complain about a $10 heat gun, but most heat guns have a fan-only mode to cool it down when you are done. This one doesn't have that mode, so when you turn it off, it overheats and trips the thermal safety. I have to wait 20 minutes to turn it on again.
Also, after 3 or 4 uses, mine won't turn on at all, even after it cools off. I suspect its something related to the overheating. Like any self respecting techno-geek I'll be disassembling it to figure out why, since its not worth sending back.
Yeah, if you set it down after use, the heat propagates back and trips the uh-oh mechanism. Nice that it has one, but it's poorly placed or too sensitive or something.
I've found that by hanging mine on a hook when I'm done, convection cools it nicely and it doesn't disable itself. Works, but awkward.
Same issue here.
For similar issues like this that become a bother, try using a small fan to help cool it down quicker. I am sure it would cut the 20 minute wait time by some.
you guys should up the heat on this, make a low cost hot-air rework tool. The fact that this works for resistors and small stuff is great, but come up with something that fits between this and a 200$ Aoyue tool...say 30-50$?
Seconded. It worked for small things with regular solder, but I tried to desolder some USB ports with it and it couldn't melt the solder near the tabs for the shield. I think it's the same sort of high-temp solder they use in PSUs for all the big wires; I always had more trouble melting those.
Heat guns are sold all over the place sub $30. Harbor Freight has a decent offering of inexpensive, well everything really.
Just buy three and wrap them with duct tape. ;) ~wink~
Is it really unsafe to use on food, or was that just a joke? Sounds like a safer way to get that crème brûlée crust without an open flame.
I'll try making some s'mores and let you know.
it actually makes s'mores like a champ. it even browns the marshmallow pretty good.
This entire comments section has been epic Sparkfun reading material (the Duck tape conversation was particularly good) however it wasn't until you brought up s'mores that I considered purchasing this item. Now I've got to have one.
Marshmallows, now fortified with more carcinogens!
In a similar vein, to whom should I direct my questions with respect to use on creme brulee? It does seem an obvious application.
For creme brulee you actually need flame in order to caramalize the sugars quickly.
Well, sure, but I don't mind it taking longer when my niece wants to get involved in dessert making when she's 5 and a dropped torch means setting some part of the kitchen on fire.
I think a torch with an obvious flame might be safer for a child (or me) than this which looks the same on or off (unless you're looking at the element).
Maybe if it had a {light-sabre}-like effect when on....
EL wire. My favorite!
How many watts is it?
I wish there were a 240V version, but maybe I can run it off a huge step-down transformer I have.
300 watts, posted it above.
cool product and instruction manual, good price too. Ill think ill drop my free day credit on this
take that back 10$ shipping is a bit too much. but still a awesome product
void rant() {
Is this the only thing in your cart? Sir... $10 shipping is pritty standard from my exp...
One thing is true, it Pays to get more at once. I only paid $14 for express shipping on my freeday order of over $50.
}
Whole lotta coments...
For the love of your nose, RUN THIS THING OUTSIDE for a few minutes when you first get it. The brand-new heating element is coated in something that, when heated, quickly coats your sinuses and throat in a truly yucky feeling.
Other than that it's great.
What's the material of nozzle?
It's hard plastic. I'm not sure beyond that :/
Having first tried a harbor freight heat gun that only succeeded in heating itself, spiting out a piece of molten plastic, and stinking up the house, this is easily the cheapest working one you can buy. I can't comment on its rework abilities, but for $10 it works heatshrink like a pro. Well worth it.
Is there any plan for a heat gun 220v?
Wait a minute, the Shack sells these for only $29.99!!!
Would this be good for melting my polymorph from you guys? ;)
But sh*t, it was ninty-nine cents!
I learned recently that if you somehow accidentally restrict the air flow into these things, they can turn into flamethrowers. YMMV.
As these have sensors that shut things down if it gets too hot, I'm skeptical. Pics or it didn't happen.
Perhaps he was accidentally restricting the airflow with an aerosol'ed accelerant, like propane? :)
Does this unit have any safety certifications? UL listed? cUL or CSA for Canada?
Want to hear something funny "cough" r.s. sells this identical heat gun for $30. Were is the beter deal?
I just wanted to chime in that, in addition to simple rework, a fully warmed up Heaterizer XL-3000 seems to be perfect for fixing those pesky Nivida GPUs that tend to desolder themselves from laptop motherboards. In the last few weeks I've rescued two machines with dead displays using only a Heaterizer, a piece of aluminum foil to protect the rest of the motherboard, and basic hand tools. Two 15-second blasts about 30 seconds apart from about 1-1.5" away, a little gentle even pressure with a probe after the first blast, and they are both up and running.
Anybody else find that you can only use this for short periods of time before it stops turning on for about 10 minutes. I often use mine for 15-20 seconds at a time, 3 or 4 times and then it will completely stop working. If I wait about 5-10 minutes I will hear a barely audible click and then it will work again for another short period and then stop again. It never stops mid stream, only when you turn it off and back on again.
What is the weight of this for shipping?
0.7798 lbs is the shipping weight.
Just a little to cool to be a good tool for soldering surface mount components. It takes around 40s to get the solder paste to flow (http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10448). It would be really nice if it was just a little warmer (or if it had a hot/warm switch).
I've seen someone melt hot glue with something similar. Has anyone tried that with this?
Confirmed: it will melt hot glue.
Haven't tried it, but it can melt solder so it will definitely melt hot glue.
Hot enough to melt the glue for changing the blade on an ice hockey stick? I love impulse buying tools, but a second application makes the buy even more justified! (Also kudos on the manual)
It could use a fan only setting to keep it from thermaling when you turn it off. after more then a minute of use the seccond you turn it off it will not turn back on for several minutes. or maybe a 10seccond fan only when you turn it off so it cools down vs thermaling.
+1 for a 240V version for the UK!!!!
why 110V only.... :-(
why would not you use it for removing ICs? is it going to damage the IC or won't be able to heat it enough? what about surface mount stuff?
Thanks, -Rami
This will work for removing SMD. Blog post here says so.
You read my blog post!
HAHA! Yes, I guess I did! I don't even remember that, so long ago!
You know ! ! ! ! every time I get on this site or place an order or talk to customer service, I love this company just a little more. Great manual.
I soldered a QFN chip with this today. Blow air directly from the top at around 1 inch distance away. Make sure you have a clear working area, and the PCB won't move around. Use flux. Be ready to nudge the chip slightly if you accidentally blow it out of place.
The manual rocks and the product rocks. It does a great job a heating up boards as well as shrinking tubes. Plus the instruction manual is worth passing around. Never had a problem with it overheating and it works, that's what matters.
Greetings from Costa Rica, the heat gun is ideal for HEAT-SHRINK TUBING should be included in the catalog
Anyone tryed to connect this one to 220V in Israel?
If 2 of them in series will work I would buy them.
I have used this fine product for:
-Removing TQFP and SOIC ICs. Takes a while, but the board still seems to work afterwards, so aces there.
-Removing the broken glass digitizer of an iPhone from its plastic frame, for replacement. Gets hot, but nicer than using a hair dryer.
-Heat shrinking heat shrink tubing.
-Flattening a gas station gift card that had been bent due to sun-based heat.
Works mighty fine, if you ask me.
Love this thing. It converts bread into toast faster than my toaster.
It's hard to complain about a $10 heat gun such as this, but the cooldown is a bit frustrating. After about 3 minutes of use it won't turn back on if you turn it off. I usually end up waiting about 20 minutes until it will turn back on again.
Haha i saw this one somewhere else. It's meant for embossing powders ;). +1 for the price though
Works great for Heaterizing Post-Easter Peeps! (and the cord is surprisingly nice as well)
Best product manual I have ever had to chance to read! I actually read the ENTIRE thing! Props!
Buy this awesome heat gun for the manual, hands down best laugh I've had in a while.
If I was an ordinary web surfer instead of a middle aged geek who has used creme brulee as an excuse to buy torches and other gadgets for 30 years (and only prepared it for the occasional valentines or birthday), this thread would make me suspect "creme brulee" was a euphemism for some sort of extreme kink.
This device is awesome. I have pulled SMD chips, fixed USB connectors and other fun things. I would say this is a great tool for simple rework. Oh, I also used it for heat shrink.
Now, as to not using for food? Why would a heat gun not be food grade? Is it throwing chunks of invisible hot heavy metals? Or is the reason it is so cheap is because it really is a nuclear accelerator? Is this accelerator spewing out radioactive particles that could morph the very food we are cooking into simple enzymatic goo that could eat the world? Are we going to have to call on Chuck Norris to defeat this goo with a round house kick to the ... umm ... goo parts?
This concerns me as I am sure it concerns others here contemplating using it to cook say creme brulee. Are you people sure you want to go out as being the person eaten by a creme brulee goo monster? I know I don't.
I read the instructions and I still don't get it. Is this some kind of hair dryer?
I'm sorry to report a glaring flaw in what is otherwise the worlds greatest instruction manual:
"Imagine if Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked a cloned Chuck Norris, what would happen?"
Problem is... how did they clone Chuck Norris? The needle would break when they would try and take a blood sample.
It wasn't a blood sample man...
Oh you mean they swabbed his mouth with cotton gotcha..... :0 Shudder
Not a universal AC power supply. No pin bending for me :
I also found the instructions very entertaining! This fricken thing works AWESOME! I don't hafta use the Tim Taylorized hair dryer I liberated from my girlfriends immense purse anymore. I've also found it is perfect for accelerating Globular Warming! You dudes and dudettes are Stupendously Fantastic and stuff!
Tried my new Heaterizer XL-3000 Heat Gun today, love it! Does exactly what the manual said!
How much airflow does this (normally) have? It looks promising for mobile rework. I'm not to worried about reaching adequate temps (though it clearly can already) because I know from unrelated projects that slightly constricting the outflow with a homemade sheet metal nozzle can significantly increase outflow temperature. I just don't want to blow SMD parts off the board.
The air flow is pretty high but the nozzle is pretty big so it isn't strong enough to blow molten parts away. It will float a leadless ic off center as the flux flows, but only if you're not perpendicular to the board. You may or may not have some head room for a constricted nozzle. It certainly would be interesting to see SF offer some smaller nozzles for this.
"Do not use this gun to heat up your food"
That said, I bet it makes a mean Crème brûlée :P
Edit: Creme brulee, seeing as the Sparkfun comments box doesn't seem to like them funky accents
It looks fine now.
If I blasted this on the bottom of a board, would an SMD IC on top reflow without damage?
I would imagine that the total heat applied to the board by this 300W device wouldn't be enough for SMD work. However, inexpensive heat guns have been used by RC hobbyists for years to shrink mylar based covering for model airplanes. This one for example is $19, and is 3.3x the wattage:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?I=LXHZ16&P=8
I would imagine 1000W should be sufficient to do some SMD work (Disclaimer: Although I do have a Monocote heat gun, I haven't ever tried using it for SMD work. YMMV.)
Peter.
I have personally used this gun to remove some resistors from a board. It does work. However, it's probably not precise enough for an SMD IC, but then again, I didn't try it. You might get it to work, we used hot plates before and they worked...
Just you go ahead and try it and you'll find something else that you've tried and found to work. I believe you've just inadvertently created your frying pan of hot air reworking tools for anyone on a budget. It's a bit slower and considerably more bulky, but those are some mighty insignificant complaints considering the $200 price difference between this and your other hot air options.
I haven't found anything I can't rework with this yet, and I expect I won't. At the same time, it doesn't seem capable of burning a board as far as I can tell. Given the $10 price tag, I think I'd say it's perfect for a beginner, as well as anyone else too. The only thing I wouldn't want to do with it is a lot of work at once.
For a beginner trying this out, just turn it on and blast it at your part at point blank range. Not more than a minute later you'll have molten solder. Any further instruction just wouldn't be necessary with this guy.
TLDR: It's a fool proof $10 hot air rework tool. Buy it.
Sorry to ask.... Blast it the part directly, or underside of the PCB as the previous commented suggested? Does it ever make a difference?
There are numerous tutorials for this, but the short answer is: slow even heat spread from the top. If it's a bigger component, heat from underneath. Move the heat around and don't let it sit on one spot for too long. Think of ironing a shirt...
I see there are no "related items" to link below. I think it's time you started selling a Sparkfun Fire Extinguishers (the Spark-X). Perhaps solarbotics knows a good manufacturer for that one. I guess it could just be a red box of baking soda or a sparkfun can of compressed air. Yeah, compressed air :) It has almost as many uses as duct tape.
I second the motion!
There are related products now: heat shrink tubing and the like. Big surprise, eh?
Now that's a manual worth reading!
"Imagine if Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked a cloned Chuck Norris, what would happen?"
Is anyone else thinking that this would cause a rip in the space-time continuum???
@applekid im sure it will be ok as long as you dont mind creme brulee with a little burnt plastic after taste
@blackrifle im with you....nice looking product but im a little skeptical on quality v.s. price
My first thought that yes, the universe would end or there would be a rip in the space time continuum or that thy would fight forever as no one would win. Well, i guess Chuck Norris would win but that's not much help. Now i wish i waited for my free day order another week...
Though one of the best product manuals i have read. Too bad im not supposed to use it to heat food...
We haven't had one for very long yet, but it really works well. It does what it's supposed to do. Will it last 10 years? We don't know. But it's a great unit.
If I buy one I won't have to borrow my wife's or my daughter's air dryers anymore to shrink heat shrink tubing. (Wonder if it will also dry hair). You can also use it to dry paint (that would make if FUN to watch paint dry).
How warm does the handle get with use?
it's not too bad. the end of it and the plastic guard gets warm, but it's pretty comfortable to use for extended periods of time. oh yeah, and it's $10!
Fantastic, even if you said it gets hotter than hell after fifteen minutes of use. It is still only ten bucks! Probably going to get one on the next order.
Except for the fact that you referred to the non-XL and 2/3 as awesome Heaterizer 2000 in the manual, that manual must be the single most compelling reason for me to buy this thing.
Ditto on the instruction manual, unfortunately I was drinking "something" at the time...someone owes me a keyboard and needs to clean my monitor.
Any idea on the life expectancy of this thing? Have been wanting a heat gun for some time, but they are always more expensive than this.
As far as I can tell, we rarely get E-mails about these, and we have been selling them for 2 years +.