The little roller is the fuzzy type, and it does absorb the glue, but it is so small (3" long) that you don't end up wasting glue. What I found to be so good about this little guy is that you can spread the glue right along the side of the batting just like you would with a line of paint. When I am done I just wash it out and take off the lint that accumulates on the roller. I had my DH doing the squeezing of the bottle yesterday and his comment was "this is so stupid, why don't you use the spray" - I told him it was too damned expensive and the vapor really bothered me. I just love it when he comments about quilting.