2023 test8 productsPower Tools
Which Plastic Welder Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 8 plastic welder options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Some figures on this page were transcribed from the test video and have not been independently re-verified. Treat the numbers as a close guide and watch the full video for the exact readings.
Ranked first
Ryobi Hot Glue Gun
Price shown in test: $23
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | HDPE break strength with wire mesh | ABS break strength | Polycarbonate break strength | ABS break strength without wire mesh | HDPE break strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ryobi Hot Glue Gun$23 | 54.24 lb to move into first place ahead of the RX Welder | 64 lb is the best yet | it's 65 lb before the weld finally broke... the Ryobi hot glue repair came in on top at 65 lb | not tested | not tested |
| 2OIMERRY$134 | 61.8 lb is the strongest of the repairs made with wire mesh | 76 lb is good enough to move into first place ahead of the June Gip welder | the staples really helped keep the repair piece together at 39 lb | not tested | not tested |
| 3JB Weld Original$18 | 53.8 lb | not tested | the JB Weld Original gave up at 40 lb or 2 lb better than the Plastic Bonder | 85 lb is good enough to move into first place ahead of the Oh Mary... JB Weld without wire mesh came out on top at 85 lb | not tested |
| 4Jounjip$60 | 61.9 lb is almost as strong as the undamaged test piece... the June Gip came out on top at 61.9 lb | 68 lb is good enough to move into first place over the Ryobi | the June Gip weld broke at 5 lb | not tested | not tested |
| 5Allturn$37 | not tested | 37 lb is about twice as much force as the RX Weld | the All Turn with the help of staples performed very well at 57 lb | not tested | the other side of the repair is even stronger at 34.3 lb |
| 6RXXXWELD$22 | 46.47 lb are about three times as strong as the test piece without the wire mesh | 19 lb and the wire mesh broke free from the test piece | the RX Weld with the wire mesh made it to 46 lb | not tested | not tested |
| 7Beyondlife$190 | 48.1 lb are twice as much as the plastic only repair | 26 lb | the weld broke at 32 lb | not tested | not tested |
| 8JB Weld Plastic Bonder$8 | just over 30 lb is a huge improvement but far less than most of the plastic welders | not tested | even without the help of the wire mesh, the weld gave up at 38 lb | the JB Weld Plastic Bonder still performed well at 30 lb | not tested |
How it was tested
- welder warm up time and wattage/temperature comparison
- break/failure load strength test on repaired HDPE test pieces (with and without wire mesh)
- break/failure load strength test on repaired ABS test pieces
- break/failure load strength test on repaired polycarbonate test pieces
- water leak test on a repaired HDPE bucket