Who makes a good caulking gun?

[Popgadget]

Makita 18v. I’ve put hundreds of tubes of urethane construction adhesive through it. The only aggravation it’s caused me was with an old tube of silicone. I cranked the power up to
“11” to try and get it flowing and it burst the tube making a huge mess.

 

[caver]

I looked at a $17 one at Lowes about an hour ago. It looked OK.

 

[3Ts]

How about the polyurethane caulks? Does the soapy water work on that? I gave up on urethane caulks because I couldn't get them tooled right. I tried it again recently using 409 cleaner instead of water and it worked much better.

 

[two_bit_score]

I'm not a pro-caulker by any means and don't do a lot of it frequently. But when I need to do it I've found that a better quality caulk gun is worth every cent extra it costs. And that is usually not too many cents.

I have used a little dish soap in water to make it smooth easier. A plastic spoon dipped in the soapy water or a finger will work to smooth it. Some say you can spray a little Windex or such but I've never used that.

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[pjigar]

I have built a whole house and I used the most expensive box store gun. Still going strong. I had a battery operated before but I like the control of the manual gun a lot better. Also I smooth the bead with wet finger as well. I tried triangle silicone smoothing device but nothing beats a bare finger!

 

[newbury]

Caulking is a big part of every job that I do, and it's something that I enjoy. To get the best results, I have a small cup of water next to me, and after applying the caulk, I wet my finger and go over the caulking. This works for every type of caulking that I've used. I also put on just enough, or less then I need, and then build up until I have enough. My goal is to fill all the voids, then leave a smooth finish.

The best caulking guns in the box stores are the most expensive. I've bought them from both stores and feel that they are worth the money for the amount of control that you get. I also carry around a super cheap one for those days that I have left my good caulking gun at another job, and need one for something that came up. I keep a tool box with different types of caulking in it and both caulking guns, and a couple of spray paint caps that hold water in the back of my truck all the time.

I dropped my last good caulking gun off of a ladder and broke off the handle. I decided to try Amazon for one that might be better then what I already had and I have this one now. Newborn 93-GTD Drip-Free Smooth Hex Rod Cradle Caulking Gun with Gator Trigger Comfort Grip, 1/1 Gallon Cartridge, 1:1 Thrust Ratio - Caulk Gun - Amazon.com

It's as good as the ones I have bought at Home Depot and Lowes. I don't think it's any better, or any worse. I'll keep using it until I destroy it, or lose it, and then buy another, or if I'm close to one of the box stores, buy their most expensive model.

What's happening -
That link takes me to Walmart!! for $8.99

 

[EddieWalker]

What's happening -
That link takes me to Walmart!! for $8.99

I just clicked on the link, and it took me to Amazon. I have no idea how it could have linked to Walmart?

 

[PILOON]

I've done my fair share of caulking.
I found that adding a tiny amount of grease on the shaft made even the cheapest guns work better.

 

[two_bit_score]

I just clicked on the link, and it took me to Amazon. I have no idea how it could have linked to Walmart?

When I click it the link shows amazon initially but the site is Walmart.com, nothing about Amazon. Lot's of funny biddness on the internet these days.

 

[Ford850]

This is my absolute go-to caulk gun:
Dripless Inc. ETS2 Ergo Composite Caulk Gun: Hand Caulking Guns: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
It is smooth as silk, and allows you to push or pull the follower rod with no releases or locks. There are no notches so the trigger pull is infinite. As soon as you release the trigger the caulk stops flowing, and I mean immediately! The barrel can be rotated as you work around a project (windows for example) so you can have better control depending on the angle of your tip cut.
Here's the best part about this gun for me... it was free! I found it in the shrubs at my parents house about 10 years ago, lost by someone who worked on their house the year prior. It was well used at that time, but I was impressed how easy it was to peel the globs of caulk off of it so I could try it out. I still use it today and rarely grab one of my other guns.