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7/1/2016 11:42:15 AM

Tool Review - Ryobi One+ Caulk Gun



When you need to caulk something, there has been historically two options.  A small tube that you squeeze with your hand or a classic caulk gun.  And while the small tube may work for very small areas, anything more than a few feet of caulking really requires a gun.

With any caulking gun, practice is a must to get a nice bead squeezed out as well as successful "tooling", usually done with a wet finger.  The ideal is to have a clean gap no less than 1/8 inch and no wider than 1/4 inch, and squeeze a bead into the gap that fills the gap with very little overflow and then rub it down with a finger to create a smooth surface and tight connection to the sides of your gap.  There are a million videos available on how to do this, as well as how to deal with larger or smaller gaps, so I am not going into more detail on "how" and am going to focus on comparing a standard caulk gun to the Ryobi One+ 18 Volt Electric Caulk Gun (and similar electric caulk guns).

It is worth noting that no matter what type of caulk or caulk gun you use, having a clean surface is very necessary, so I spent a lot of time scraping old failing primer, dust, and dirt off the shed that was never properly sealed or painted with a spare grill brush.  (Hey, grill brushes are cheap and work great.)

Also worth noting, is fitted disposable gloves.  It is very worth making a special purchase from Amazon to get disposable gloves that actually fit your hands unless you happen to be lucky and the "large" available in local stores manages to fit you well.  While using a wet finger to smooth out your caulk can work in a bathroom, it is less do-able outside, 15 foot up a ladder.  Clipping a rag or throw-away towel to your shirt also provides for a convenient place to wipe away the excess caulk on your gloved fingers.

 


Classic Caulk Gun...  The classic calk gun is a purely mechanical tool relying on the pressure and grip of your hand to push out the caulk.  As a person with near-child-sized hands and not a lot of upper body strength, it is a tool that I use a lot more than I would like to and curse it's design each time.  On the other hand, a mammoth sized professional plumber can use this tool like a toy and create perfect caulk lines without issue.  So the usability of a classic caulk gun is very dependent on your size, strength, and skill.

Benefits:  Sure a heck load better than trying to squeeze little tubes of caulk for any real project.

Drawbacks:  For someone with less than He-Man strength, you will have to cut a larger opening (and therefore make a larger bead), hands and wrists will suffer from grip pressure, and if you have small hands it is a constant struggle to get a grip around the large-man-hands trigger and keep an even flow.  Additionally, letting go of the trigger doesn't stop the flow and you have to depress the clip on the back to release pressure and stop the flow.


Ryobi One+ 18 Volt Electric Caulk Gun... I think it is corny how often "game changer" is thrown around.  Really?  What game were you playing and how changed is it really?  But... holey-moley!  If I were playing any kind of "game" with my tubes of caulking, this would be the "changer".

First I did a quick review of the manual and then headed out to put this tool through its paces sealing up the seams on the shed.  

With a normal caulk gun, I would have to cut the caulking tube tip at almost 1/4 inch to be able to squeeze it out, but I thought I would really test out the power of the Ryobi by cutting the hole at a little under 1/8 inch diameter since most of my caulk seams were dreadfully undersized.  I was quite shocked when, with a pull of the power-drill-style trigger, it sent a smooth stream of caulk right out of the tiny opening.  Huge score for Ryobi, but even more significant was the dead stop of flow when I fully released the trigger! 

Some notes on using the electric caulk gun... 
  • There is a speed setting on the side near the base of the caulk tube.  The fastest setting is great for getting the caulk tube pushed into place and started, then I used the slowest setting for a nicely controlled and small bead.  This worked well because much of my task was individual board ends or small sections while balanced on a ladder.
  • When you pull the trigger, it takes a moment to build the pressure and start pushing out the caulk.  To make this start easier, it begins somewhat slow and then increases steadily to the speed setting selected.  This takes a little getting used to, but once you do, you can make a smooth bead from slow start to nicely paced finish.
  • When the trigger is fully released, the pressure is taken off the caulk and flow stops.  However, one of the five tubes I used on the shed (all the same brand and style) kept flowing a bit after trigger release.  I tried adjusting the hole size and re-seating the tube, but it still had this issue until it was almost half way through the tube.  The other tubes (used before and after) stopped flow immediately, so I am very inclined to believe this one tube was more aged or somehow a faulty mix compared to the other four.  It bares noting though, that flow after stop may be an issue depending on the particular tube of caulk.
  • When releasing the trigger, if you don't fully release and keep just a tiny bit of the trigger depressed, it will continue to flow at a very slow pace as the pressure in the tube releases.  However, going from a partial release back to pulling the trigger will cause a quick bump-up in pressure and squeeze a sudden lump out.  If you have lost grip at all on the trigger, it is better to come to a full stop and start again.
  • While it does have the puncture tool like most caulk guns, it does not have a hole for cutting the tip of caulking tubes.  It isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but it would be nice if it included some kind of cutter.
  • One of the medium Ryobi lithium batteries lasted well through all five tubes of caulking and two days.
Benefits:  Comfortable trigger for small and large hands.  Smooth pressure for nice beads.  Almost always full stop on trigger release makes it an ideal gun for short sections and use in difficult places (like on a ladder bending over half-backwards under the ledge of a roof).  Despite the increased weight, the ease of trigger pull means significantly less strain on hand and wrist.

Drawbacks:  Cost is about four to five times that of a classic caulk gun and could be much more if you don't already have batteries and a charger.  Weighs quite a bit more than a classic caulk gun.

Results...  For me, I hemmed and hawed about buying the electric caulk gun for almost two years after I knew it existed.  I kept thinking after every hand-bruising, wrist-damaging, pain-in-the-rear project, that I was pretty much done with projects requiring caulk... then the next project would crop up and require three more tubes.  After getting a chance to use the electric, I wish I had bought it with the very first Ryobi One+ tools I got.

The electric caulk gun isn't a magic wand.  It won't make perfect results without practice, just like any caulk gun.  However, the ease of use can start to feel like magic and can help make those perfect results by easing the process to get there.




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COMMENTS

7/3/2016 8:43:40 AM Punkin
Finally a toy that makes a must job fun. In no time you will be a pro-caulker.

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