Heats to operating level quickly enough - Going from "L"ow to "H"igh takes another couple of minutes.
The trigger is smooth and progressive. A couple of times wisps of smoke dissipated when the trigger was pulled but there was no burning or other malodorous smells.
Gluing the cardboard box to reuse it for storage is most likely here; on the High setting I spread plenty of freely running glue all over the smaller, inner flaps then quickly folded the longer outer flaps over to fully cover and adhere to them. The box was flipped over and pressure applied by loading about 16 lbs of heavy duty ratchet straps and the box flaps remain fully glued up and supporting the weight to this day. None of the glue leaked out around the flaps inside or outside the box.
There was a little nozzle leakage between uses but only on the High setting. However, the glue did tend to stringy-ness, not a huge issue but one to be aware of. Nozzles are replaceable but they do stay hot for a long time after shut off.
Glue stick usage is reasonable and results are effective. Only use the half inch glue sticks! No sticks are provided and I bought ten inch long, dual temp glue sticks available in packs of 12 for a lot less than a dollar a stick. Great for gluing regular paper, cardboard, wooden batons and pieces of plastic together successfully.
Good tool to have and very useful in so many ways. I really like this addition and think it will get a lot of use in this workshop and household. Lastly the fold out wire stand is a thoughtful touch.
Find on the Home Depot website by searching for this unique reference number, 324564945.
Where the product and what it can do for the user feature most of all because that is what really matters.