10oz Power Caulker by Quiktools, Inc.
by Rick Malagodi

I love to build (and dream about building) little inexpensive plywood boats like this little one-sheeter (really two sheets, but who counting).

My dreams are always ruined when I think about loading my $1.99 caulking gun with a tube of PL and pumping and squeezing until wrist cramps make me wish I was one of those bionic robots in “i,robot” (Will Smith’s summer action flick which ain’t half bad). I was hopeful, therefore, when I happened upon a neat little tool produced by a local manufacturer that promised to turn my nightmares back into pleasant little dreams once again. It’s a power caulker that uses an everyday cordless drill for power – everybody has one of those!

You simply chuck your cordless (or corded if anyone still has one) onto the spindle, tighten the universal clamp, release the “clutch” bar, pull back on the plastic threaded “plunger”, unscrew the cover, slap in your trusty tube of PL (or any tube of anything) in, thread the cover back on and in seconds your laying down sweet beads of stuff with as much effort as pressing the trigger.

It took me all of 30 seconds to attach my 18 volt drill and it worked like a charm. With the gearing of the tool, my drill wasn’t straining a bit. My sense is you could squirt lots and lots of tubes on a single battery charge. I could adjust the size of the bead with my variable-speed drill by just spinning slowly. I could lay down a serious bead by letting the drill spin away and forcing out a large amount of PL. This thing is great! No grunting in pain as I two-hand wrestle with my old manual caulk gun. I simple press trigger with one hand while I sip a cool refreshment with the other. Did I say I love this thing?

The construction appears to be top quality. It’s made in USA – right down the road in Concord, Massachusetts. The metal parts are zinc plated to resist corrosion, the plastic molded parts are pretty heavy weight with webs and stiffeners where needed. The cover is a resilient plastic which by my account appears to be built to last. The one item I reckon may wear over time is the plastic threaded plunger, but the company assures me they have had no problem with them and will gladly replace the plunger if anyone had a problem with wear-out. That being said I am evaluating this as a home enthusiast tool; it appears to be rugged enough for commercial work but it’s amazing how quickly things wear out in the hands of guys that actually do things for a living.

Chuck is contacting the company will may carry them in the Duckworks store which I think is a great idea. They also make a 30oz version. The 10oz version I bought retails for about $49.99 which is slightly more than the $1.99 I paid for my manual caulking gun but far less than a replacement wrist which can be fairly pricey, I’ve heard. In case anybody is wondering, I am not affiliated with the supplier nor am I receiving anything for suggesting them - just passing on what I think is a really good product for us lazy boat dreamer types. (Editors note: We have these power caulkers - CLICK HERE)