Gorilla vs Surebonder vs AdTech Hot Melt Glue Sticks
Do you think all glue sticks are created equal? I have always considered them to be pretty much the same, so recently, I decided to put my theory to the test. Here is what I found out about these three hot melt glue sticks. Of course, there are lots of other brands. But these three are readily available at most craft and big box stores.
I tested the following hot glue sticks.
- Adtech Crystal Clear Glue Sticks
- Surebonder Clear Glue Stik
- Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks
I tried to keep my testing simple and consistent, but no system is perfect. So these are just my results and observations.
I have used hot glue over the years on many different projects, and for the most part, I have not trusted it enough to use it by itself. If you have seen some of my other videos, you know I combine hot glue with e6000 glue a lot. I have also used it with Elmer’s glue. I love the quick grab that you get from the hot glue, but I have never trusted it to hold up over time and varying temperature changes.
You can check out all the testing scenarios in the video below.
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Here is a recap of my findings.
Opacity – The Adtech glue sticks say they are crystal clear and look different from the Surbonder and Gorilla glue sticks. But once they are heated a cooled again, there is very little difference in their appearance. The Adtech glue sticks lean to a bluer hue, while the Surebonder and Gorilla glue lean more toward yellow. Overall they are all quite opaque and not at all clear or transparent.
Strength – My strength testing was quite unscientific, but I found the Gorilla glue to be superior on wood to wood bonding, while the Adtech somewhat surprisingly was quite superior on plastic to plastic adhesion in the first round of testing. The second round of testing did reveal different results and for that reason, my strength testing was somewhat inconclusive. You can learn more in the video.
Heat – This was the test I was most interested in because I have lost many a project to the scalding heat of my front door. The Adtech Crystal Clear says to store the glue at under 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the Surebonder does not indicate a temperature for storage and the gorilla glue says to store under 130 degrees Fahrenheit. So not surprisingly the Gorilla glue did outperform the other two types of glue in my heat testing.
Happy Upcycling,
Cindy