Dripless caulk gun review

[UncleJoe]

I really can't remember where I first heard of this, it was either here or one of the woodworking forums I am on but I really love this product.

We all need to caulk things from time to time and I heard about this dripless caulk gun. This is not the $2.99 version you find at the big box stores. I paid around $20 on Amazon and I got free shipping with my prime membership.

This is one of those tools where it seems like the thought of everything.

The gun has a handle that is curved enough to actually hang from a ladder rung, it has a built in cutter so you can cleanly cut open the tube of caulk without pulling out your knife, it has a built in rod for poking open the tube once the angle is cut and the entire tube section is designed to rotate easily so you can have the handle at a comfortable angle and the tip rotated into the proper position.

All that is nice but what makes this an easy buy at $20 is the switch that allows you to choose free flowing like a regular gun or drip-less.

But the real question is; Does the drip-less feature really work? I had just laid 350 sq ft of hardwood floor in my family room and hallway and with that about 140 ft of shoe mold for the floating floor. I wanted to place a light bead of caulk at the joint between the shoe and base molding to make a nice clean joint. I ran all the caulk joints and constantly was setting the gun down on my new hardwood floors while I ran my finger over the caulk and never once did the caulk drip out of the gun and onto the dark hard wood floors.

A photo of the floor and molding:

I know this is a bit much for a caulk gun but this is a really good tool that is well thought out and makes this job easier. I also re caulked the bathtub last week and had the same positive experience.

The company makes many different models. I have the ETS 3000
http://www.dripless.com/caulkguns3.html

 

[Big-Foot]

Interesting... I may try this tool. Although I have found that if I release the pressure on the plunger of my $5 caulk gun, it typically does not drip - depending on the thickness of what I am dispensing with it..

 

[The Frisco Kid]

This is #3 on my next to purchase list (yes, I keep a list of what I'm buying next!). Did you try the drip/no drip feature? How were the ergos of the trigger?

After getting a TON of practice feathering the release lever while caulking the entire exterior of my house I promised myself to never deal with that again. Worth it if you have any project of significant size (flooring, painting, exterior reno)

Thanks for the write up, I believe that I will grab one of these soon!

 

[pcmeiners]

"Although I have found that if I release the pressure on the plunger of my $5 caulk gun, it typically does not drip"
Yes, same with my $20 chaulk gun, but half the time my other hand is not free to release the pressure, as in leaning from a ladder or platform, so it not a bad idea.

 

[Big-Foot]

"Although I have found that if I release the pressure on the plunger of my $5 caulk gun, it typically does not drip"
Yes, same with my $20 chaulk gun, but half the time my other hand is not free to release the pressure, as in leaning from a ladder or platform, so it not a bad idea.

And its for that very reason I my end up purchasing one..

Now... If only I could find one that's a rechargeable electric one, I would be all set... Lazy? Nah.. But after you pump through 30 tubes of adhesives and caulk in one day, well lets just say that you might want to use your other hand to take Mr. Johnson for a walk...

 

[Deltarat]

Yes, it works. I bought one several years ago and love it. It saves caulk and a mess.

 

[usdemt]

Use one all the time and they do work. However this is not a replacement for a decent built caulk gun. I say that because if you ever try to use one to lay down a large amount of caulk where accuracy is not a factor they are noticeably slow, for doing finishing work they are top notch. Grab it for finish work, but use the others for putting sealant down for a door or sub floor adhisive etc.

 

[Aussie damo]

I use a kenmar caulking gun daily and have done for over 10 yrs and for normal silicone it is amazing. It has a ratchet mechanism and prevents dripping. It is not that good for polyurethane and thicker products.
Cheers
Damo

 

[RKA]

Use one all the time and they do work. However this is not a replacement for a decent built caulk gun. I say that because if you ever try to use one to lay down a large amount of caulk where accuracy is not a factor they are noticeably slow, for doing finishing work they are top notch. Grab it for finish work, but use the others for putting sealant down for a door or sub floor adhisive etc.

This is exactly the impression I received. I got one for doing window casings and baseboards and it showed up yesterday. I haven't even fed a tube of caulk through it yet, but I can see it's not designed to lay down a lot of caulk. Just to give folks an idea, I had a home depot "pro" model to compare it to (nothing special really). No caulk tube inserted, it took 29 pulls to run the piston down it's full length of travel. The dripless took 34 pulls (regardless of whether it was in dripless mode or not). In dripless mode and applying a little resistance by hand to the piston, it took 50 pulls.

I'm not so sure the dripless feature will be worth the nuisance of increased trigger squeezes (even for finishing work), but I'll give it a whirl. I'm expecting I'll appreciate not having to push the release lever while repositioning, but I'll probably not appreciate even more pulls of the trigger when laying down longer beads.

 

[LumpyMusic]

... the entire tube section is designed to rotate easily so you can have the handle at a comfortable angle and the tip rotated into the proper position...

My 2.99 big box gun allows me to simply rotate the tube of caulk. The tip angle then effectively moves to whatever angle I might want. I'm not sure how some kind of dedicated rotation thing in the 20 dollar gun would be any different.

Also, FWIW, the quick release anti drip lever on my cheapo gun is activated with my gun hand's thumb. Doesn't require a 2nd hand, releases pressure on the plunger stopping leaks.

Tip cutter, in my cheapo, is built into the handle/trigger. But if it wasn't, old time painters taught me to snip a little "V" out of the handle to form a simple bypass cutter.

Looks like a nice tool. But I'm really not seeing it do anything my cheap tool doesn't do.


Lumpy

You Played on Lawrence Welk?
Yes but no blue notes. Just blue hairs.

www.LumpyMusic.com

 

[usdemt]

I guess for some its one of those things that you have to try to actually appreciate how well it serves its purpose. I see how you might not think its worth it until you use it. I didnt drop any money on one until I started using them at work.

 

[geologist]

Walnut floor? *drools*

 

[beerdog]

I bought a nice dripless at a Sherwin Williams store.

 

[Deltarat]

Use one all the time and they do work. However this is not a replacement for a decent built caulk gun. I say that because if you ever try to use one to lay down a large amount of caulk where accuracy is not a factor they are noticeably slow, for doing finishing work they are top notch. Grab it for finish work, but use the others for putting sealant down for a door or sub floor adhisive etc.

I agree. It doesn't like adhesives like F-26 or Liquid Nails and such. You need a regular gun for that.

 

[winlinmac]

Where are the Dripless caulking tools made in? There's nothing mentioning the COO / warranty and yes, that matters in this day of age.

I could have paid the same for a Cox. Also, does anyone know what mechanical advantage means? Is it the same as Thrust Ratio? The Cox is rated at 12:1 mechanical advantage.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Thank you for bumping a 4 year old thread.

 

[shoot summ]

I'll give my .02 on a 4 year old bump...

I have this "dripless" gun, and it drips...