DAP PRO Caulk 4-Piece Caulking Tool Kit - Review
One of the first articles on Tool Snob was about the Caulk Buddy, a little caulking tool that comes with one of the Newborn caulking guns. We liked it because it was something, other than our finger, that could make a nice caulk bead. With this in mind, we were particularly interested in testing out the DAP PRO Caulk Tool Kit (As seen on TV!). What it is is a series of little tools that have different radiuses, ranging from standard to 90 degree to a variety of mm sizes (5 to 16). There's even a little nub on one tool that is meant for grouting tile joints.
To test out these items, we banged together two pieces of 3/4" ply at a 90 degree angle and dropped a ragged bead of caulk along the joint. First, we took the standard corner and ran it down the bead. The results were nice and about what we're used to using the finger and rag method. Although this time, our finger stayed clean and there was no rag needed. We were also once again reminded of how much caulk can be wasted by seeing the amount left on the tool. Then, satisfied that the PRO Caulk tools could at least measure up to the old way of doing things, we pumped out a huge line of caulk in order to test out the larger size beads. This time, the results were something that we wouldn't be able to do with a finger and a rag. We started with the 10mm size and got a perfectly even bead with one quick pass of the tool. We then tested the smaller sizes by running them over the same bead, making it smaller and smaller. All of the other sizes we tested had an equal amount of success. As always, click on the image for a larger pic.
And that's the real glory of these little tools. You can make very consistent beads of 'non-finger' sized caulk joints. Sure, you can make a nice standard bead and it's less messy than using a finger and a rag, but you can also play around with different sizes depending on your aesthetic tastes as well as the functional needs at hand. We think these tools are really successful at what they do.
The kit also comes with a caulk removal tool that has all sorts of edges and angles to get in and under crusty old caulk beads. It would be a good item to have if you're redoing the seal on your kitchen sink or something. There is also a mini-tool with all of the smaller sizes. All of the tools are plastic and thus easy to clean off and DAP guarantees them for five years.
These are good tools to have and perfect for that milk crate in your garage marked, "painting and caulking." As a carpenter, we're going to toss ours in the box of finish tools that we carry around. Not only are they a quick and easy way to make your caulk beads look good but they also give a much wider repertoire of making consistently sized caulk beads. The tools are available with a small tube of caulking and run about $18, which we think is a little on the high side (we were hoping for the $10-$12 range), but they are quite useful.
The kit of tools is available with a small tube of caulking at Amazon.com
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Posted by Doug Mahoney at August 3, 2009 5:01 AM
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