Bought A Cordless Caulker

IHI

Installing a sizable window job-all new construct with the fins so silicone is in abundance and weather is cold so it's a wee stiffer than normal. So told myself when going out to browse tool section I will be purchasing a cordless caulker.

Bought a Ryobi unit since I have many 18V Ryobi stuff that have worked very well for me over the years and an abundance of 18V batteries since this caulker did not come with batt or charger and cost $39.00 at the orange box.

Came home, loaded up a battery and a tube of acrylic silicone since I have a few tubes of that to spare and it's cheap started laying beads and writing my name in cursive on the backs of the basement stairs...wife will surely ask WTF is this?

Anyways, impresstions: It is geared very slow, even when you have the speed selector at full tilt the arm moves very slowly-has 500lbs of push force, I tried to stop plunger with my hand but it did not happen When you turn down the speed selector the motor sounds as if battery is dieing/dead, but it just must cut current to the motor as it still comes out very consistant. When you release the trigger the plunger rod automatically releases so there is no force on the tube. Also has a trigger lock so if your trow it in a bucket/bag something wont enguage trigger and give you a mess. This unit only runs standard 10oz tubes, but that's all i use 95% of the time anyways.

Pro's: I like the steady consistant pressure for dispensing silicone/caulk as you will never get the hiccup that we experience with hand operated units.

Another "cool" tool for the tool box

Be nice for this kind of weather and tubes that sit in the cold van and get stiff, will have no hand/forearm fatiuge.

Con's: kinda bulky compared to typical flimsy hand gun and has a little wieght to it, but no more than a cordless drill in the 14V on up range

Even with the speed set on slow, it really wants to push out the material. I can see this working great for installing all the doors/windows since you could literally squirt around a door opening in under 10 seconds if you go full tilt LOL!! and on slow you still have to drag the gun at a pretty fair clip to keep the bead from getting to large.

I like the fact the plunger releases after you release the trigger, but often it snaps back pretty far so it takes a few seconds to re-engauge the tube and start dispensing again-takes even longer when speed is on slow. You can override that by just pushing the plunger in by hand like normal though, so in that aspect it's really no different than a hand gun.

It will see real world use tomorrow with quite a few double and triple units that are large-most over 10' x 5' so we'll see how it goes. temps will be in the teens to lower 20's so not a real cold day to see how stiff tubes affect it, but it surely wont flow as well as it does on a summer day. At this point with how many years using a hand gun, for fine silicone/caulking operations I will continue to do it by hand gun until I get more experience with this cordless model. If you buy one/try one, just be sure to cut a small hole in the tube end like an 1/8", it will flow quickly enough it will mimick a 1/4" hole with a hand gun....yeah, it comes out pretty good LOL!!

Josh

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AAPaint

Sounds pretty cool. Probably a better tool for you than for me though. When caulking trim it's all about feel..some areas need more caulk, some need hardly any. I use a cheap pro caulk gun with the extra long pull handle. I can walk down a wall and caulk the baseboards with just one squeeze a lot of times. I think it would make a better toy for me than a tool....but for your purposes it sounds like it might just be a winner.

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-AAPaint

AA Quality Painting & Pressure Washing LLC
Jacksonville Painters
Jacksonville, FL.

IHI

Right now that's my same thinking for "fine" caulking I'll still use the tried and true I'm a stickler for professional looking caulk jobs since that is one aspect where it's truely an art form based on most every other caulk jb i've ever seen. Maybe I should start a side business just offering professional "caulking services", maybe get some lonely honey to call that misinterprets my ad LOL!!

Needless to say I wont be using it for any tub surround gaps, trim joints like you use it for, etc...but for rough in work like I bought it for, I think it should serve the purpose with the small investment, I've spent $40 on ALOT worse things...ever tell ya about that time in mexico...

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DecksEtc

Just admit it IHI, you're a tool whore!

There should be a support group for guys like us - TBA "Tool Buyers Anonymous"!

Mike Finley

Thanks for the review!

AAPaint

I agree with everything above....your review sheds good light on the subject for all of us. Now, since most of my work is fine finishing should I get one? The answer to that is, does it have a backpack attachment, lol!!

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-AAPaint

AA Quality Painting & Pressure Washing LLC
Jacksonville Painters
Jacksonville, FL.

IHI

Truer words have never been spoken LMFAO!!!!

Sadly I lost 1 pole from my zipwall aresenal though. But am using that as an opportunity to try out a set of the ratchet set type that was linked to that thread. Mental note to self: 80lb stationary glass falling over due to rotten frame during demo vs aluminum pole with plastic spring rod-glass door will always win thank goodness that was the only thing that was broken and it was on my dime and not homies furniture...

Aside from buying triplicates of what I have I "think" I'm tooled out for the time being but am now setting goals of bigger funner tools in the machinery department-bigger truck aka dually with hoist, tailgate spreader for sand/salt, and a skid steer with fork attachment, grapple bucket, auger attachment, and box plow for snow removal...future wish list for skidder will grow. then it's mini excavator time too many toys and not enough money

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IHI

Okay, put it through it's paces today mulling the large windows together and also installing them-all with nailing fins so lots of liner ft of silicone.

The gun worked absoelutely flawlessly, provided a uniform bead at record pace compared to hang guns, found half speed to be about ideal since I'm moving a lil slower all bundled up for the cold weather...-9 this morning when we started with -23 windchill fun fun!!

One thing I found and aply named..."nail gun syndrom"..you know the guys that shoot twice as many nails since their not poinding by hand, well, the electric caulk gun inadvertantly does this with tubes of silicone as well. Granted the windows were large, but you MUST move quickly to keep up with it at half speed and even at that the bead was slightly larger than "normal" and when running 30+ feet of silicone per window, it adds up and gets used up quickly....kinda of like not having grade uniform when pouring concrete...those 1/2" lower here and 1" lower there all add up in the big picture to using more material, so same principle with this caulker.

Regardless, application was effortless and hand/forearm were not in the least bit tired at the end of the day and speed was definately increased so for the $40 I'm very happy and with some more gun time will get it fine tuned...just note when you slip off the edge when runnign perimeter beads it comes out quickly so be prepared to duck sagging beads LOL!! my 2 helpers loved it, homie thought it was cool too, so that in itself had me grinning inside and justified the purchase

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RobertCDF

-9 -23??? what the heck is wrong with you?? simple definition of self employment: Not having to work in cold and crappy weather.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
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IHI

Until I find people that I can trust to be on my jobs, I'll be grunting on my jobs. Sun was shinning so it was'nt that bad

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RobertCDF

Well I bought the ridgid cordless caulk/glue gun today just because I am a tool whore. All I have done with it so far is push about half a tube of glue I had laying around into the trash can. Worked well I hope to use it for something useful soon.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

Michigan Exhaust

I loved the Ryobi caulk gun. Had to do over 60 skylights and all miles of t-bar on a roof. Just had those tubes a flying everywhere. Cut the tips and had them hanging all out of the pockets changing and throwing as I ran. LOL

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