It seems that everyone loves this new Ryobi 18V cordless hot glue gun, and I can see why.
First, it’s just $30 for the bare tool, which costs less than a lot of good corded glue guns. Next, it’s said to deliver up to 3.5 hours of runtime.
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The new Ryobi One+ glue gun, model P305, features a 2-finger trigger grip, LED on/off indicator light, and is self-standing for easier (and potentially neater) resting periods.
Ryobi says it’s designed for heavy duty gluing applications, but I’m guessing that, perhaps with some practice, it can be used for tasks that require higher precision.
These glue guns accept 0.45″ diameter hot glue sticks. I’m guessing that 7/16″ sticks should work fine.
Price: $30
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
Side note: the latest Ryobi glue gun recommendation comes from Rob, who works over at Megabots – a company that builds giant sports combat robots!
Check out Megabots’ YouTube channel here. And here’s a look at one of their tool benches:
There’s some teal, some red, and this Ryobi 18V glue gun!
Rob added:
It is light with the basic Ryobi Li-ion pack and heats up in about three minutes. It flows better than any hobby gun, and I like it better than my Dewalt corded glue gun. We have not depleted a battery yet and have a “charge it when you put it away” policy. It fits in on our tool wall and with the deals that you can often get at Home Depot you can buy it with a drill and two batteries for $130 out the door. I would recommend you pick one up to try if you have any Ryobi packs hanging around.
Well, I’m sold!
I’ve been asking our Ryobi contact for a test sample, but will probably find myself picking one up at Home Depot this weekend.
Thank you Rob for sharing your experience with us!
Alternatives
Black & Decker came out with a cordless glue gun, which Ben reviewed. Before that, Surebonder came out with a Hybrid glue gun that could run off an AC cord or a Ryobi 18V battery pack. Surebonder has since come out with another Ryobi-powered cordless glue gun kit (~$128 via Amazon).
I’ve been awfully tempted to pick up the Surebonder Hybrid-120, which sells for $79 to $90 on Amazon for just the tool. But I don’t really need the corded plug-in aspect.
Hmm… do you notice that tip on the Surebonder? Could it be that Surebonder provides the heating elements and nozzles for the Ryobi cordless hot glue gun?
If so, perhaps Surebonder’s specialty nozzles can work with this Ryobi glue gun? Hopefully I won’t have to be the first to check this out.
fred says
I bought one for my wife for Christmas – bundled it with a P117 charger and a two-pack (on sale at HD for $99) P108 high capacity batteries – and packaged it in a Ryobi toolbag:
https://www.amazon.com/Ryobi-Cases-Tools-Technologies-Inc/dp/B0186JN1RU/
She has yet to try it out.
The yeti says
I want an bosch one
Stuart says
I ordered 2 Bosch glue pens with my last Amazon UK order, but haven’t tried them yet.
There’s also a larger one, also powered by a 3.6V Li-ion cell, but I didn’t pull the trigger on that one.
The yeti says
That’s a neat little pen . I might have to order . Are the plugs funny tho . Isn’t foreign stuff run on funny power at different hertz with strange plugs
Norman says
The Bosch glue pen charges via micro USB so you can easily substitute or replace the charger it comes with.
John Blair says
Let us know how the Bosch one turns out. Im over in UK in a month.
Always fun to bring back tools.
Noah says
I hope I can convinced the boss to pick one up. It’s be super convenient when working on stage where running a cord is often a pain.
Chris says
I have the Black and Decker one, and all I can say is, get one. It heats super fast and I grab this tool for just about any job, just in case I need it, and been amazed and how handy it comes in. You’ll find uses for it that you would never haul out the corded glue gun for. When I’m working with my table saw or router, I’ll use it to glue workpieces to jigs, use it to temporarily secure pieces together before adding nails and screws. I recently used it in on my car with some plastic screw holes that were stripped. I shot them full of glue, let it harden, then drove the screws in and got immediate bite. Depending on the glue formula you use, it comes off easily.
It also works well as a something of a cheap 3D printer, it’s useful for filling gaps and building up material if you’re trying to bond something across a gap. The glue, when it dries, is like a hard rubber.
Run a bead across a door jamb, wrap the door in wax paper where it contacts the glue, then close the door while still warm, remove the wax paper to get a nice custom seal.
My only wish would be more tips available so you could squeeze out different size beads or longer nozzles to get them into tighter places.
Doresoom says
I’ve had mine since November, but they were in short supply at HD then. It looks like they’ve caught up a bit more with distribution in the mean time.
The nozzles are interchangeable with Surebonder’s. Just pull the silicon boot off the Ryobi, and there are hex flats to remove the nozzle.
Jim Premo says
I picked one up last month. I use it seemingly daily. I love this tool, thanks Ryobi.
Toolfreak says
Yeah, looks like the Surebonder guts in a Ryobi-designed housing, slightly different trigger.
Would be neat to see a head-to-head between the Ryobi and the Black& Decker, which heats up quicker and which puts out more glue – and if there’s any difference in the strength of the end result.
Seems a little dumb of TTi and SB&D not to put these out in their Milwaukee and DeWalt lines too, though. If for no other reason than so those already invested in the systems don’t have to get another battery and charger just for the glue gun. i’m sure they’d be able to charge a $10-20 premium for it.
fred says
Maybe not dumb – maybe they do want you to buy the different batteries and chargers – or maybe they feel that they don’t want to dilute their premium brands. Although glue guns can be classed as professional tools – the professional ones may be aimed at different construction trades than those on which the Dewalt and Milwaukee brands are focused. With Ryobi in particular, TTI seems to come forth with several tools – like inflators, and this glue gun that may have some crossover appeal – but may be thought of as more homeowner products.
Shan says
Which market segment is Dewalt’s aimed at?
fred says
You would have to ask SBD to see if they would tell you. At one time Dewalt was sort of a “one-trick-pony” – their name being aligned with their excellent Radial Arm Saws. Then, after the brand was acquired by Black & Decker – it was turned into a name to affix to professional quality power tools. Some marketing folks say that B&D marketing efforts in transforming Dewalt into what may be the best selling single power tool brand worldwide – was inspired and deftly implemented. In more recent years they have slapped the Dewalt name onto hand tools and other items – perhaps even more far afield from its RAS origins. Anyway – SBD seems to position the Dewalt brand as their flagship for small power tools – aimed at professionals. SBD seems to have now positioned PorterCable as s mid-tier brand and B&D more as a DIY/Homeowner brand. Some might compare this to TTI’s Milwaukee, Ridgid/AEG and Ryobi brands or even Bosch’s Blue and Green Lines. Maybe the new owners of Hitachi Koki will do the same for their Hitachi and Metabo lines. Since the world is full of independently-minded folk – none of this means that homeowners don’t buy Dewalt tools or that professionals never buy Ryobi.
Jeremy Brown says
I wonder if like that fan, nail gun etc if it will come out Milwaukee later. Almost as though ryobi is a beta test for the more premium brands.
Pete says
Except both the ryobi fan and nail gun were made better than the milwaukee offerings.
Benjamen says
I was working on a head to head, last year, but I got sidetracked.
I found the Black and Decker heats up faster, but the Ryobi gets hotter. The Ryobi also seems to pump glue faster.
I like the looks and ergonomics of the B&D better so far.
One problem with my test though is that I wasn’t testing with the same glue sticks. Eventually I’ll get around to the comparison or maybe Stuart will beat me to it, as unlikely as that is :>).
Jeff Luty says
Bought one back in January for our school’s theatre department. It has great balance and is so much easier to use then a corded model. We use it to build stage models, costume creation, and for quick fixes when a prop breaks or a costume needs fixed. I plan on picking up a few more.
Peter says
I have 3 Corded glue guns. Bought a Ryobi just for the fun of it…, tried it…, the other 3 have been in drawer ever since. Love it. Works great, every time.
Larry says
Makes me want to do some arts and crafts.
Seriously, though. These are actually a pretty cool idea. Didn’t even realize cordless glue guns were a thing.
David C. says
I just used mine today to make an overkill wire harness to power my daughters power wheels (Kid Trax Dodge Ram I got on clearance) to be powered by 18 volt Ryobi batteries with a 30 amp inline fuse, instead of the slow to charge stock batteries. The gun has been great thus far for all of the tasks that I have used it for. I just picked up some Sure Bonder wood sticks to use to help tack crown molding when I do some two story work in my foyer this spring. The gun seems to heat up within about a minute or so. It is much more convenient for most tasks then a corded glue gun. I am always paranoid that the corded glue guns are going to get knocked over by the little one or cats as it is cooling.
Drew M says
In the HomeDepot comments section there was some fighting as to whether or not you could slap on SureBonder tips. Some said you had to remove the silicone cover. Others said it was flat out permanently installed.
Either way, I want a few of these as I HATE corded hot glue guns when I’m building foam board aircraft.
Patrick H says
I got one back in December and I love it. It’s much better than the corded variety for balance. I hate how easy it is to knock over a corded gun. The battery prevents this from easily happening. Now we just need ryobi to bring back a canister vacuum…
Chrontius says
+1 on the canister vacuum. I’m looking into building a Ryobi-to-Milwaukee adapter for that toolbox-looking vacuum of theirs.
Addicted2Red says
OMG this will make me buy a 2nd Ryobi item (1st is a cordless hedge trimmer)
ca says
If the specialty nozels don’t fit, you could always hot glue them on.
Stuart says
Until the glue heats up and the nozzle falls off. =P
Anton says
Is that a picatinny rail to put a red dot sight on top of it? LOL
Doresoom says
Haha, that was one of my first thoughts on seeing this too. Spray paint it black for extra tacticool.
Jonathan says
Hey Stuart, I wonder, If Ryobi doesn’t make the surebonder cordless all together, reading this Amzn description says that a “Kit includes #P128 Ryobi 18V Lithium-Ion Battery and charger ” perhaps its made by TTI/ or Ryobi Japan and licensed by to Surebonder?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016VCZQGS?psc=1
Doresoom says
I doubt they have an affiliation – I always just figured they bought them wholesale and threw them in with a small markup for the customer’s convenience of buying a complete kit.
SteveT says
I figured this would be a great replacement for my corded one at work. Sadly I don’t have any of the one+ batteries or chargers, so I was reluctant to buy. Luckily HD & Ryobi are running a special when you buy 2 certain tools, you get a free battery and quick charger… https://www.ryobitools.com/offerings/current
Stuart says
Yep. Here’s more about that promo: https://toolguyd.com/ryobi-starter-kit-with-tool-purchase-deal-032017/
Craig says
I grabbed 1 of these had 1 lil project to use it on so far but did a great job
ktash says
Ok, I got one. Is there any difference between brands of glue sticks? Different types of glue. I’m a novice here. Any recommendations?
I’ve had an old hobby kit corded glue gun that I very rarely used. Always sure it would get knocked over and hard to manage with the cord. Not fun to use. This looks very cool. Thanks for the review.
Haven’t opened it yet, since I may return it and take advantage of one of the deals that includes this.
adam says
Stuart, have you had many chances to use your Bosch cordless glue gun? Just grabbed the Ryobi, but realize I have a good handful of mini-glue sticks lying around, and also came across colored glue sticks on the SureBonder site (assortment of colors only comes in mini size). My neighbors are in Europe right now, and could have them pick me up one.
James Samford says
Bought 10 Ryobi glue guns and burned out 10 Ryobi Glue guns . Yes they have a two year warranty but it’s a hassle to ship it off and have them send it back and for $30 it is easier for me just to buy another gun. On each gun is burned out is the control components that seems to smoke. It is located in the handle area of the glue gun once you open it up . I’ve had no success in finding a replacement card and unfortunately I can’t wire it directly. The idea is great and fine but, The execution is very poor.