Newborn 930-GTD Drip-Free Smooth Hex Rod Cradle Caulking Gun with Gator Trigger Comfort Grip, 1/10 Gallon Cartridge, 10:1 Thrust Ratio

Why it's worth it

This is the manual gun finish painters keep in the truck, and it doesn't cost much more than the throwaway kind. The 10:1 drive pushes silicone without a fight, the hex rod keeps the bead even, and the nozzle cutter and puncture wire are already attached.

A 10:1 thrust ratio is the difference between caulking and wrestling. Thrust ratio is just leverage — how many pounds of push you get per pound of trigger squeeze. The bargain guns near the register run 4:1 or 5:1, and they choke the moment you load silicone. The Newborn's 10:1 drive moves silicone and standard latex caulk without you leaning into it, so your bead stays the same width from the corner to the far end of the tub.

The hex rod keeps the plunger from twisting under load. A round push rod can rotate slightly as pressure builds, and that shows up in the bead as small surges and thin spots. The six-sided rod here can't spin in its housing, so the force arrives at the cartridge in a straight line. Owners who caulk for a living single out how predictable the flow is, which is exactly what you want on a joint people will look at.

From our review of 8 caulking guns, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +A 10:1 thrust ratio is the difference between caulking and wrestling
• +The hex rod keeps the plunger from twisting under load
• +Let go of the trigger and it stops
• +Everything you'd otherwise go hunting for is already attached

What to know

• –It runs out of muscle on the thickest stuff
• –Your forearm is the motor