Advantages include the high bond strength, adhesion to a wide range of materials and excellent solvent and water resistance. Epoxies will fill large gaps, which is a distinct advantage over cyanoacrylates and reactive acrylics. Epoxies are widely used and generally lower cost than UV or cyanoacrylates. They can often be the most durable and toughest of the adhesive technologies.
Epoxies, however, are not always the best adhesive for bonding small engineering plastic components as the dispensing of the two-part versions can be problematic (see Section 8.1) and they are relatively slow to cure compared to most adhesive technologies (although the cure speed can be accelerated by heat). Some hardeners can be toxic and have a high odour and so this can cause health and safety issues in the workplace or at the dispensing station.
Very-low-viscosity versions are generally not possible because the base resins often have a high molecular weight.