Cordless Caulk Gun

 
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Old 10-10-2005, 10:15 AM   #1
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Cordless Caulk Gun


I friend of a friend recently bought the ryobi cordless caulk gun and says it lays the nicest bead he's ever seen. went shopping and i see rigid has one too..

the rigid will push big and small tubes but seems heavy and is a little pricey...

the ryobi will only push small tubes but doesn't come with batteries or a charger...by the time you buy all that its a little pricey too...

anybody using these????

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Old 10-10-2005, 01:28 PM   #2
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Nope....just a $5 dripless gun. Don't think I'll ever be using a powered caulk gun..weird.
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Old 10-26-2005, 11:15 PM   #3
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


I've looked at them hundreds of times, held them quite a few times too. I'm a tool geek at heart weather construction or automotive and still wonder why I have'nt bought one yet?? I take my caulking VERY serious, sounds corny, but I hate that nasty slathered up look alot of folks do, and can see how the conssistant pressure will help even more with laying the perfect bead, not to mention would make life easier on those thick/stiff tubes of whatever instead of looking like Popeye when your done
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Old 10-27-2005, 12:39 AM   #4
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


I agree. I find that most people that do caulk...can't. Caulk is a minimalist thing...use as little as possible, fill the gap, and don't leave ANY caulk ANYWHERE but in the gap, period. A bad caulk job can ruin a paint job in a heartbeat.
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Old 10-27-2005, 09:52 AM   #5
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


i understand the tool fetish. and why not, the right tool can be a big moneymaker.

my friend has the ryobi and says it looks like he laid a weld with it, which could be a good thing if you know how to weld. he loves it but i haven't seen him in a while so i don't know how its held up. he paints high end new construction so he caulks alot and could probably therefore justify some expense.

i needed one, maybe, on a job i just finished but sense i didn't get any positive feedback here, i did it the old fashioned way. my guess is we'll see more models from more manufacturers so i'll wait it out for a while.

AA, you use the $5 gun...damn, big money!
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Old 10-27-2005, 10:13 AM   #6
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Right now i have 12 18V Ryobi batteries si my main reasoning to not buy the gun is it'd mean having to get another set of batteries, which is the main reason I've stuck to the 18V Ryobi stuff for compatiability reasons since I used to have 3 different makes of tools/bateries/chargers, it gets to be a PITA to say the least which I'm sure many of us here can relate too.

When I get a run of replacement windows I use the heck outta my caulk gun for laying inital bead on the outside stop before I set the window in the opening, other than that I dont use it nearly as much as somebody in the painting profession would-I could totally justify one for that feild of work...smoother bead=less time perfecting it. And for the welding comment, can also see that as a 2 sided coin, for those of us that take the caulk to the extreme perfection it'll just make it that much better/easier for professional results...but for the all to common silicon freak, it would spell certain disaster and even more caulk/silicone on everything else but what they intended to use it for.

Funny story: We were part of a group that was hired to replace 325 windows in an apartment complex and there were 2 teams, my team of guys-4, and the other team of guys we knew of but never worked with consisting of 5 guys. Long story short, at the end of the job, the general called the other crew in and asked how it was they-and I'm NOT exagerating-used a case of silicone PER WINDOW!!!! Retail cost on case of the stuff we were using was $121+tax/per case. Once he went to the job sight and seen the windows our crew did and then the windows the other crew did with the silicone fetish, it was easily apparent. We stuffed the windows with fiberglass batt for insulation and capped the outside blind stops with aluminum....the other crew was silicone for everything-even used the silicone as "paint" and slathered it all over the outside work stops to make them white The windows were all mortored into the limstone facade and were tough getting the first few out until we figured oout the easy way- air chiesel and sawzall, the other crew ways....take crow bars and literally bust the glass....INTO THE APARTMENTS with no tarps or anything to catch debris, then start bending the steel frames into submission until they were contorted enough to jerk out of the opening, often ripping out large chunks of mortor and peeling the paint from interior walls where the drywall butted upto the windows.

All the times I second guess myself in this insdustry asking myself "I'm good enough" to be compared to other contractors I either think back to past jobs I've seen/been on with those kinds of idiots and it's all the reassurance I need.
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Old 10-27-2005, 11:30 AM   #7
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


We lose and break em so often that we buy the cheapest. I bought a few of the expensive ones but they dont stand up to a fall off the ladder or roof.

I have seen people buy those power caulk guns and I just don't see the point. The first thought in my head is always "ultra lazy".

I'm not a painter and I see alot of painters above saying they think it is a good thing. I just don't see the point so I guess it just goes to show there are tools developed for every trade.
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Old 10-27-2005, 04:57 PM   #8
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Quote:
Originally Posted by kenvest
I friend of a friend recently bought the ryobi cordless caulk gun and says it lays the nicest bead he's ever seen. went shopping and i see rigid has one too..

the rigid will push big and small tubes but seems heavy and is a little pricey...

the ryobi will only push small tubes but doesn't come with batteries or a charger...by the time you buy all that its a little pricey too...

anybody using these????
I have been using Milwaukee brand power caulk guns for the last 4 years or so. The first one I bought had a dial on top to adjust the flow rate and a trigger to stop and start. The dial was nice to control the flow while I was getting used to it.

About 2 years ago they came out with the new version and it is the Cats Ass (until Dewalt to makes one) The dial is gone and the trigger controls the flow and works like the trigger on a drill. I put beginners on the old gun, because it is safer, and I use the new one myself.

I use a lot of NP-1 urethane sealant for redoing expansion joints and window caulking. In the winter a automatic gun is a must have because of the stiff tubes. The bead it lays is magnificent and your hands are not stuck in the “claw position” at the end of the day.

The last gun I bought was $250 and worth every penny. It is large and bulky and may be overkill for interior caulking, I don’t know.

Just My 2 cents

Jesse
Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC
“Making Your Life A Lot Less Complicated”
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Old 10-27-2005, 10:15 PM   #9
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Quote:
Originally Posted by kenvest
AA, you use the $5 gun...damn, big money!
Why not? I can lay a beautiful bead of caulk in no time, it doesn't drip, and it NEVER fails me. My hands and forearms get a workout squeezing the gun......what more could one ask for? I'd say I have to agree with Grumpy that something like this is ultra lazy.
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Old 10-27-2005, 10:25 PM   #10
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Ultra lazy-maybe
If the finish product comes out better, easier, faster-it's smart

and if your a tool geek....any tools, no matter how unpractical it is, is just another oooo aahhhh for the tool bax Got all kinds of stuff that looked cool, sounded practical, but in the real world was'nt worth a crap.
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Old 10-28-2005, 12:22 AM   #11
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Building custom decks I really dont need a power caulk gun... But I want one just because they made it maybe that is why I cant even walk in my garage.
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Old 10-28-2005, 12:27 AM   #12
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Could always tear it apart, regear it, and shoot silicone/caulk 25' from where your standing now that'd get some attention LOL!!
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Old 10-28-2005, 02:52 AM   #13
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


One of my customers bought their home from a 'fix-it' kind of guy who had completely re-windowed the place. Unfortunately, he had gotten a deal on remaindered windows and didn't re-build anything to install them. Simply chose the new window that was closest in size, but smaller than, the rough opening and nailed however many flanges (2 or 3) that happened to overlap the opening, the rest of the gap he filled with caulking! Trim inside and out and sell the place! He musta gone through cases of the stuff. We used to laugh about him and his "structural caulking". Rich
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Old 10-28-2005, 10:04 AM   #14
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


i didn't even know Milwaukee and Dewalt made a caulk gun. i talked to my buddy with the ryobi and he states that he really bought it cause he has minor arthritis in his hands...makes sense for him for sure....

thanks for the input!

Keep up the caulk horror stories. makes a great halloween post.
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Old 10-28-2005, 12:05 PM   #15
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Story about he same guy that lead the crew at the apartment complex we were working at. The general of the apt job was building his daughter a new house and wanted that idiot to install the windows for him. From the day after they installed the windows they had problems with water getting insdie the openings themselves, after they called him back numerious times they contacted us to go have a look.

Immediately I seen the water stains on the brand new interior trim, the window itself checked out seal wise so figured I'd investigate a lower level window on the exterior side before setting up planks to check on those windows. What I seen I couldl'nt believe when I pulled the siding off. The windows came with nailing hems-he cut them off!!! and then installed the windows kinda recessed into the opening and literally caulked them into place-NO MECHANICAL FASTNERS!!!-just caulk. When they sided it they just laid the J channel over the edge of the window so they must have thought vinyl j makes great outside stops??!! LMAO!!! I put the siding back up after nspping some picturs to give to the general since I know nobody would believe that story. Guess after he called the guy back in he admitted he never installed windows with nailing fins, so he just cut them off.

In the end, every window had to be removed, cleaned, and new nailing fin installed, all interior casing had to be removed and replaced since there was a 1" gap between properly installed window and existing jamb extensions.

Worst part of all that-the general is still using that goofy focker to do work for customer jobs
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Old 12-14-2005, 02:21 PM   #16
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Any of you guys do framing?? I'd find these useful when capping a basement. Decking to me is a pretty crappy job. When we do the big apartments(5 or 6 bundles of plywood), we do it in a day, with 3 guys carrying, 1 with the sludge hammer, 1 with nail gun(ringshank), and me running the large tube caulk gun. We use PL. That is a lot of glueing, my hand hurts for a week afterwards. I have to work my butt off to keep ahead of them. I would think in this case, a power gun would help, unless it wasn't fast enough, or we'd burn it up....hard to tell, I haven't used one before.
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Old 12-14-2005, 04:53 PM   #17
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bradracer18
Decking to me is a pretty crappy job.
Crappy, to you maybe, but if you do quality work, know how to quote and target the right customers it can be a VERY lucrative business!
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Old 12-14-2005, 05:27 PM   #18
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


I think he meant floor and roof decking.
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Old 12-14-2005, 11:48 PM   #19
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


I love slamming sheets of T&G that is one of the things I miss about framing. That and banging walls all day. You know what, I just love strapping on my bags and working. But I think you would burn up a power caulk gun glueing that many sheets of ply. Maybe if you had 2 power guns and 4 batts. Run 1 gun through 2 batts then let it cool and charge 2 batts while you burn the other 2 batts on the other gun.
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Old 12-15-2005, 07:20 AM   #20
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Re: Cordless Caulk Gun


I think in that case since the compressor is already hooked up and going an air chaulk gun would be ideal.
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