For every job, there exists a tool. But what if there are two tools to do the same job, but they do it slightly differently?
Whether you are a carpenter, DIYer, professional construction worker, or anything in-between, the changes are good that you’ve heard of Gorilla Glue and also Super Glue. These two brands are the strongest and well known and regarded glues in the world. But which is best?
I’m not going to beat around the bush here, neither of them is, and that’s because they are both excellent at what they do and what you are wanting to achieve. The longer answer is what I’ll cover below, in this head to head comparison of gorilla glue vs. super glue.
Gorilla Glue vs Super Glue – Which to choose
Super Glue belongs to a chemical compound family called cyanoacrylates. Super glues chemical makeup means it’s able to stick to a wide range of surfaces, each with their own degrees of efficacy. One of the main defining characteristics of super glue is that it sticks extremely well and strongly to surfaces and also incredibly quickly. There are a few different brands of super glue available, and each is worth considering if you are looking for the most effective.
While on the one hand, super glue allows you to stick things together quickly, which is why this is many people’s favorite adhesive, as it’s strong and fast enough to keep up with their construction projects. On the other hand, it leaves little margin for error, as one-pieces are stuck together, it’s extremely difficult to unstick those pieces once they’ve been stuck together with super glue.
What about Gorilla Glue?
Gorilla Glue is another incredibly potent adhesive that once it’s set isn’t easily undone. Where super glue is a cyanoacrylate, gorilla glue is made from a compound called Polyurethane.
Polyurethane is an incredibly versatile polymer, often used in varnish. This stuff is responsible for everything from the foam you see in a dentist’s seat, to the flexible plastics you see in watch straps.
Gorilla glue is known to foam up, which means it can sometimes expand while drying. There are various variations of gorilla glue, some of which will dry quicker, while others will have a stronger hold. So you need to make sure you do some research before you purchase to ensure that you get the best type that matches your particular needs.
As I just mentioned, there are many different variations of gorilla glue; they even have their own version of superglue, though, for the purpose of this article, I’ve focused on the standard gorilla glue.
Head to Head Adhesives
Before you head off to research which gorilla glue you need, let’s get back to the head to head matchup. Gorilla glue vs super glue, which is superior.
Firstly, it comes down to what it is you are looking to adhere or stick together For example, if you want a wood glue, then the best choice for wood glue is going to be one which is a specialist wood glue.
Well, superglue and gorilla glue can adhere to a wide range of surfaces. That being said, just because they can be used to adhere many surfaces, that doesn’t mean they will do so with the same amount of sticking power.
While you can use either super glue or gorilla glue to stick plastics together, it’s gorilla glue that has the advantage. While super glue is able to adhere the surfaces together quickly, it doesn’t have the same level of staying power than your typical tube of gorilla glue is able to produce.
Another limitation of super glue is that it isn’t designed to stick smooth surfaces together suck as glass, whereas gorilla glue will happily stick two sheets of glass together.
But gorilla glue can be slow to dry, and as I’ll cover below, there are some safety concerns to take into account.
Head to Head Safety vs. Hazards
No matter what product you use, there is always some form of drawbacks, and gorilla glue and super glue are no exceptions.
In this case, it’s safety hazards that are under the microscope.
When you are dealing with glues that are as powerful as these, the last thing you want is to use it incorrectly and end up gluing a body part immovable to another surface, or to get sick from inhaling/breathing in noxious fumes.
Both of these concerns are valid concerns for both gorilla glue and super glue, while gorilla glue’s concerns will mostly be due to user negligence. Super glue, on the other hand.. well, this leads us to another area where we can compare these two adhesives.
So how do these two glue options stand up with it comes to toxicity vs. safety.
Super glue is often regarded as a safer product. As long as this glue is used in a well-ventilated area, and you take care to keep it away from your eyes, while also ensuring that you don’t allow the glue to touch your skin or any other body part you should be safe.
Gorilla glue, on the other hand, can be a little dicier. Just like super glue, if you use it with care, you should be fine.
That said, Gorilla glue can pose great health risks, should you inhale the fumes, as these fumes can lead to damage to your respiratory system.
It’s also been known to be toxic to pets. However, I think it goes without saying that you shouldn’t have your pets around hazardous chemicals, especially those that they could accidentally ingest, such as super glue or gorilla glue.
Wrap Up
Knowing which to go for super glue vs gorilla glue, it comes down to what you are trying to achieve. If you’re looking for a product that will set quickly, then super glue is what you are after.
If you need something that can glue smooth surfaces together, such as glass or plastic, then gorilla glue is a fantastic option.
