Bates- Caulking Silicone Gun, 10:1 Thrust Ratio, Hand Caulking Guns, No Drip

Got this to use with a tube of sealant for a leaky joint - didn't know it was not a squeeze tube so needed an application tool. Went for the least expensive model as I was not planning on long term use. But I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this Bates caulking gun - it's all metal construction, feels quite hefty and worked like a charm even for a novice who'd never used a caulking gun before. The puncture needle could be a bit shorter - probably good to use when the tube is already opened otherwise feels too flimsy but that's a minor issue. Overall very pleased with the purchase and am really looking forward to finding more projects to use this tool with.

Easy to use and it has a puncturing tool perfect for opening the tubes.

Works well. This item is especially good in that it does NOT continue to drip caulking out the tip after you have stopped squeezing the handle. This is because there is a control mechanism that is more advanced than the older simple units. This is a MARKED improvement over any caulking gun that I have ever used before!!!

This Bates caulking gun is a solid choice for DIYers and professionals alike. The 10:1 thrust ratio makes it easy to dispense caulk smoothly without too much hand fatigue, and the no-drip feature works well to prevent excess mess. The build quality feels sturdy, and the bright orange color makes it easy to spot in my toolbox.The only reason I’m giving it four stars instead of five is that the trigger action could be a bit smoother, especially with thicker materials. But overall, it’s a great caulking gun for the price and gets the job done efficiently.

Nice, sturdy piece that works beautifully for a great price.

Good quality and easy to use.

It's a basic caulk gun. It's nothing fancy but it does exactly what it's supposed to do, and it's at a price that would be pretty hard to beat.If anyone is wondering about whether this thing is very strenuous or difficult to use then hopefully the following information can help a bit: I'm a rather small woman (5'0", 95ish lbs) and I am also not exactly a very physically fit/strong person, but I was able to use this caulk gun fine without a whole ton of effort. I had actually never even used a caulk gun in my life before I purchased and used this one so I did need to look up some general instructions for how to use a caulk gun at all, but that information is very easily found online if you're a newbie like me, and if you already know how to use a caulk gun I'm sure you will be able to use this one just fine. I also have to add that it has like a sharp metal pokey that you can rotate so that it's sticking out which can be used to poke into the tip of your tube of caulk and get it opened up, which is rather helpful! (I'm sorry, I know my description of this particular bit sucks lol my first photo shows what I'm talking about though)Anyways, I would definitely recommend this to the average person who's looking to purchase one because you likely aren't going to end up using this all the time or anything, so why spend all sorts of money on something you'll only use occasionally, or possibly only just the once??? Only reason I can see for someone to need to buy a fancy expensive caulk gun is if they use it for work, or if they're just rich and don't care about spending money unnecessarily lolTLDR: Good basic caulk gun that does what it needs to at a great price. Would recommend.P.S. The photos were taken after it had already been used so if it looks, well, a bit used then that's probably because it is lol

I left a 1 star review as below and was contacted by Bates and given a full refund. While I have already replaced this with another product, I appreciate a company that stands behind their products.Original review; "Feels good and is virtually identical to the one it replaced. That one lasted for many years but finally broke through a tube of caulk and I didn't realize it and it seized up. This gun, however, easily loses tension on the caulk, leading to repeated frustration as you have to squeeze the trigger multiple times to get the plunger back to the caulk."