The best grab adhesive

[transitboy]

There are so many grab adhesives available now that it can be very confusing for people to choose the best one. Some of these adhesives are far from cheap and can cost in excess of £10 per tube.
I once watched a video on YouTube called “the maximum torque challenge”, which was allegedly uploaded by Everbuild. In this video a bloke was sticking block pavers to a vertical surface using grab adhesives and surprisingly only the maximum torque actually worked and all the others failed this test. So I decided to repeat the test and got far different results using the exact same brand of grab adhesives that Everbuild used in their test-



Then I thought I would go a little further and then rigged up a hydraulic test to see which grab adhesive would endure the most force before de-bonding. This test was interesting as some of the grab adhesives that I expected to be good were not at all good.



I did get quite a lot of comments on YouTube and several people suggested other brands of grab adhesive, so I then completed another set of tests using some other brands of grab adhesive-




Out of all the adhesives tested my favourite is the Nemesis brand sold by Screwfix, not only did this pass the vertical grab test but it also stuck so well that the block of timber used on the test rig actually split in two before the adhesive de-laminated. The Sticks like sh*t and also C-T-1 also broke either the block of wood or delaminated the plywood as well!

In total 12 different brands of grab adhesive were tested and the required pressure to break the bond is listed below as well as the price-

• Maximum Torque – 425 PSI. Cost £9.35
• Soudal Fix All – 540 PSI. Cost £5.99
• Evo stick. Sticks like sh*t – 608 PSI. Cost £5.99
• Unibond mega grip- 297 PSI. Cost £4.99
• Nemesis- 594 PSI. Cost £5.99
• GRIPFILL - 202 PSI. Cost £2.49
• PINKGRIP- 228 PSI. Cost £2.45
• No more nails - 265 PSI. Cost £4.99
• ADISEAL- 362 PSI. Cost £9.00
• Serious STUFF - 397 PSI. Cost £11.99
• Geocel The Works- 528 PSI. Cost £7.99
• C-T-1 - 642 PSI. Cost £10.20

What’s your favourite brand of grab adhesive?

[cotswold builders]

Sika flex

[steviejoiner74]

Hilti construction adhesive is the best I've ever come across. I've still got a an old 3.5kw transformer that has the lid held on with the stuff,it weighs a bloody ton and it's never budged.
It sets like concrete as well,looks kinda like gripfill but doesn't skin-up in seconds like gripfill does.

[Chris Skilbeck]

Different ones for different jobs -

Gripfill's cheap, and pretty good at something like sticking an electrical back-box in place, because the skin that always forms too quickly gets broken again when you push the box into place - and it'll set off quite quickly so you can make-good the plaster around it the next day - Unibond Mega Grip may well not be the strongest, but it's a bit slower to grip, doesn't form a skin, and is a little bit thinner, so it gives you a little longer to position something - very useful if you're working overhead on your own.
Geocell, The Works, is available in a range of colours, and is good in damp conditions, and is my first choice if I need a waterproof repair adhesive or sealant.

Oh, and by the way, I've re-pointed bricks on an over-window arch with Gripfill - it's quick and it dries to a cement-like grey finish, and was a lot less hassle than lugging a bucket full of muck up a ladder. (and yes, I know it says on the tube it's not for weather-exposed applications, but it's still there and looking fine six years later)

[Job and Knock]

Yes. Absolute strength isn't everything. The sort of volumes I use in fitouts makes cost a very important factor (the last pub fitout I did I ordered something like 15 dozen boxes). I find Pink Grip skins too quickly in warm weather for liking and it dries to a very obtrusive colour (unlike GripFill). There's also the issue of freshness - products like GripFill and Pink Grip sell in large enough quantities that you are almost guaranteed a fresh tube whereas some products may have been on the shelf for 6 to 12 months - and all these adhesives have a limited shelf life. Lastly, Chez, you omitted GripFill solvent free (yellow tube) which can be especially handy when dealing with pre-finished hardwoods, etc As it just wipes off with a damp cloth - but equally you don't want to get it onto unfinished oak or ash as it gets right into the grain very quickly..... Slow setting, too, which on complex stuff can be a help.

Thanks for taking the time, Chez, interesting and thought provoking

[ultimatehandyman]

Yes. Absolute strength isn't everything. The sort of volumes I use in fitouts makes cost a very important factor (the last pub fitout I did I ordered something like 15 dozen boxes). I find Pink Grip skins too quickly in warm weather for liking and it dries to a very obtrusive colour (unlike GripFill). There's also the issue of freshness - products like GripFill and Pink Grip sell in large enough quantities that you are almost guaranteed a fresh tube whereas some products may have been on the shelf for 6 to 12 months - and all these adhesives have a limited shelf life. Lastly, Chez, you omitted GripFill solvent free (yellow tube) which can be especially handy when dealing with pre-finished hardwoods, etc As it just wipes off with a damp cloth - but equally you don't want to get it onto unfinished oak or ash as it gets right into the grain very quickly..... Slow setting, too, which on complex stuff can be a help.

Thanks for taking the time, Chez, interesting and thought provoking

Thanks J&K

I'm planning on doing a separate test for the solvent free versions and also a wet test for wet materials, although I need to check that all the brands I use are suitable for wet use.

I only started doing these tests as the original everbuild video was very misleading, as people were commenting on their video saying the guy was not pressing hard enough with the other makes of grab adhesive.

I'll look out for some of the other makes

[cotswold builders]

Gripfill is one of the worst products.

The best by far

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Show me one as good as this, better than gripfill for pointing, but any decent tradesmen wouldn't use it for that, its likened to building an extension with a foam gun.

[steviejoiner74]

I'll have to try some Cotswold. Screwfix have it in abundance and in various colours

[transitboy]

C-T-1 mate

[SolElec]

The strength test is misleading as you can clearly see in the video the top layer of plywood has come off before the adhesive has failed on some of the products tested. Its like trying to stick something to a painted/papered wall with an adhesive. If the item falls due to the paint/paper peeling off then you can't say that the adhesive has failed. They should test on something like a metal surface to avoid misleading results which is what they are in the video with the top layer of plywood peeling off.

[SolElec]

Plywood is wood veneer glued together so instead of testing the strength of the adhesive you are 1st testing how strong the wood veneer is & also the wood veneer glue is before the adhesive breaks. You need to test on a solid item where the surfaces are not going to break before the adhesive to avoid giving misleading results.