Finally compared my old cheap caulk gun vs a ratchet rod one on a big baseboard job

I was fighting with that $5 gun for 2 hours before I grabbed my buddy's $30 ratchet rod gun and finished the rest of the trim in 30 minutes flat. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed how much less hand fatigue you deal with?

2 comments

2 Comments

thea_carter2d ago

@adam_thomas that's a really good point about the hand fatigue teaching you stuff. But here's something nobody's talking about - the cheap guns have that constant drip too. I spent ten minutes wiping a slow drip off the tube every time I set it down, and on a hot day it'd get all over my pants. The ratchet rod holds that vacuum way better so you don't get that mess. Plus with the cheap one I'd accidentally push the rod when I was reaching for something and get a big blob on the floor. That never happens with the ratchet style because it locks in place. So yeah @adam_thomas the struggle might teach you pacing, but the clean up time from the drip is its own kind of waste.

adam_thomas2d ago

My friend's dad was a trim carpenter for 40 years and he used the same cheap, rusty caulk gun until the day he retired. He swore the constant hand fatigue kept him from over-squeezing and wasting product. I thought he was crazy but after trying both, I actually see his point because you're forced to pace yourself with a cheap gun. The ratchet rod lets you go way too fast, makes it real easy to lay down a bead that's too thick on accident. Plus that constant small pain reminds you to keep your wrist straight and not twist it into a weird angle. Maybe spending the money is good for speed, but a little bit of struggle can actually teach you better technique if you're still learning.