What's a superior glue gun?

The Surebonder H-185 is fantastic. It has a much finer tip than most glue guns I've used, allowing better control of glue placement. And it has a power switch, so you don't have to unplug the tool to turn it off.

Professional interest warning: Henkel Employee here.

Depends on what you need the gun to do. The biggest difference in guns is the dispense rate, ie. how much glue it squeezes out per minute. The determining factor of dispense rate is the size of the heater. Heater size is related to the size of the hot melt glue stick. Think of a 1/4" glue stick (about the size of a pencil)- the heater will be the size of a pencil; therefore the gun will be slow, users tend to mash the trigger, and melt rate is limited. On the other hand a Henkel "Polyshot" is a hot melt stick 1.75 inches in diameter. The Polyshot guns therefore have 1 and 3/4 heating elements and will dispense up to 8 lbs. of material per hour- that's a lot of hotmelt. Please reference our equipment website "equipment.loctite.com" for a selection of hotmelt dispense guns. They are not cheap, but they are high quality. You get what you pay for, right? The "Hysol 0.50A" is the lightest gun we sell. It costs more that the hobby store guns, but it's an industrial model suitable for occasional users. For any serious application, spend the money to buy an "AIR" or pneumatically powered model. This eliminates the Repetitive Stress Injury issues of having to squeeze the trigger to move the glue. These units rely on air pressure to push the glue out. Also remember to let a hot melt gun warn up properly, typically 10-15 minutes. Can't be hurried. You can go to Toyota for a truck, but that truck won't hall a 18 wheeler trailer. Kenworth, Mack and Freightliner are the tools for that specific job.

you'd be better off to get a professional gun. 3M makes some fine ones. The commercial guns stay in the product 'pipeline' longer, have longer service life and use the best glues. They cost more but they will last forever.

After going though several inexpensive craft-store guns, I broke down and purchase the 3M Scotch-Weld AE II. My only regret is not doing it sooner. Heats and dispenses faster, easier to control, and built like a tank; I'll be shocked if I ever have to buy a new one.