Hot air welders (often called stick welders) work by blowing hot air (or gas) over the parent plastic material and the welding rod. These welders have been around for many years and offer an acceptable weld to the person having the right touch. This group of welders is the least expensive type of plastic welder. Competitive models have a variety of different features, but their underlying character is blowing hot air onto the plastic.

Essentials: If considering a hot air welder, reflect on a number of “must have” features. Hot air welders should come with a variable temperature control, as different plastics have different weld temperatures. Variable air flow is another essential feature, as thin plastic tends to warp if too much hot air washes over it.

Benefits: Hot air welders are inexpensive and work with a wide range of materials.

Drawbacks: Hot air welders are hard to master and people need to have the expert's touch if they are going to make an adequate weld. Stick welders are awkward to use because people need to use both hands to operate the welder and welding rod. Another inconvenience of the hot air welder is the time that it takes to make proper welds. A person must prepare the parent material by first scraping off the layers of oxidation-damaged surface and other contamination before achieving a quality weld.