$30 is pretty light for a heat gun.
Master Mechanic has a very good unit that runs about $90.
The Kawasaki gun does not appear to have any real temperature adjustment beyond the heat range switch.
A decent gun has a moveable shutter on the air inlet. Less air in to the gun produces a higher temp, more air a cooler temp.
Buy a cheap tool, pay every time you use it.
Buy a good tool pay only once.

Brickeyee,

I will check out the Master Mechanic model that you recommend.

Right now, the only pressing need that I have is to bend some corrug polycarbonate panels. I tried a Conair hair dryer, but that was an exercise in futility.

I second the idea to get one with a good flexibility on temps, including temps below the vaporization point for lead in paint. For other non-paint jobs, higher temps are useful.

The other must-have for me is being able to set it down on its back end to allow it to cool down, or just when I have to quickly do something requiring two hands. I lucked into a nice one at HD last fall that cost about 50 bucks but had a $20 rebate on it. I think it was a Milwaukee. If you want to know the model number I can dig out my box and check. I used it a lot last fall on a window rehab project and was very happy with my heat gun. The other thing to take into consideration is weight. While heavier is probably always better with small resistance appliances, this is something you might be usnig for a couple of hours at a time. I have small hands so wieght and grip design are very important to me.

Of course once you have one of these things, you need to make a mental note to only use it for paint stripping when you are following lead-safe precautions: breathing mask, out of doors if possible, proper dust and debris collection, heat protective gloves, eye protection and preferably with drop cloths and protective clothing to keep the infernal stuff off you. It's far too easy to go from a teensy little test to see how it goes to a full-blown project with lead chips flying all over the place. I'm speaking from experience.

Plus, heat guns can get you in trouble if you use them on walls and trim where you could ignite hidden, very dry, dust and burn your house down. Fortunately, I'm not speaking from experience there; I make a point of using infra-red lamps and heat plates when working on parts of the house that can't be removed to a bench.

HTH

Molly~

Hi,
Check out the makita thermocouple heat gun. It's around $75, but it maintains a very even temperature without throttling the airflow. It uses a sensor to turn the heat element on/off depending on what you set it to (a 1 - 5 dial). Since the air is what carries the heat to the work, there's something to be said for a device which keeps the airflow steady- BTW, it has a two-speed fan.
Casey

"It uses a sensor to turn the heat element on/off depending on what you set it to (a 1 - 5 dial)."

This is called bang-bang control. Bang it's on, bang it's off.
While it works in an oven, it will not maintain a steady temperarture with flowing air.
To maintina a steady air temperature would require a proportional control loop. The heat supplied by the element is throttled smoothly.

"Since the air is what carries the heat to the work, there's something to be said for a device which keeps the airflow steady-..."

Except the air flow is steady in volume adjusting guns. There is just less air flowing at higher temperatures.