a handy little stick (Pritt Stick)

Member Name: freud

Product:	Pritt Stick
Date:	23/07/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: quick & easy to use, very little smell, works well on some things eg paper

Disadvantages: doesn't work on everything

Alas we didn't have glue sticks when I was at school - just those horrrible smelly pots of white gunge which were used with bendy spatulas which we used to do all our sticking & then take the stinky projects home to our parents.

Luckily things have now changed & the Pritt stick is widely available in several sizes & cost around £1.15 for 40g. It looks exactly as it does in the photo resembling a lipstick & all you need to do is unscew the top & twist the bottom to reveal the white & virtually odourless stick.

Both my daughters have always liked to do 'crafty' things & when they were young we spent many an hour making cards, doing scrapbooking, making animals out of loo rolls (like you do..) & we must have gone through a fair number of Pritt sticks. When I helped out in the school classroom & nursery I noticed the children used it but it was rationed by the teachers presumably because of the expense.

Now my daughters are grown up I still use the stuff for my cardmaking & other crafty projects plus it's useful for sticking wallpaper which comes undone envelopes which don't stick down & many other little jobs around the house.

I think it's a good product on the whole but must admit I've bought similar ones which are much cheaper & cost less than half the price. It seems to stick paper & lightweight card quite well but, over time, I've noticed it can eith lose it's stick properties or crack card. I'm not sure if it's acid & lignin-free so it may not be suitable for serious scrapbookers. I've also found that photo don't stick particularly well as the corners seem to bend in many cases.

As with all stick-type glues it's best not to store on a windowsill or warm place as it can go very soft & the stick might break & also I found the top of the stick & lid needed a good wipe after using as it can gunge up.

I've found different types of glue which do a better job but if you're working with children I'd recommend this as a good starter whilst they get used to hand - eye coordination & for doing simple sticking projects before moving on to more specialised glues.

I have quite an array of glues for cardmaking working with fabrics, wood, embellishments, glitter etc - but I still have my Pritt stick on hand - just in case!

Summary: good to have in stock for crafting or jobs around the house