DEWALT DC545K 18-Volt 310-ml Adhesive and Caulk Gun

Full Overview

This durable, efficient gun from DEWALT is ideal for heavy-duty caulking or sealant jobs. Able to handle even the thickest adhesives without clogging, the DC545K provides up to 640 pounds of force for consistent, reliable results. To ensure optimum precision and control, simply set the variable speed and start working. And you won't have to worry about drips and messes, thanks to the auto-reverse electronic. For added convenience, the DC545K gets its power from an 18-volt battery made to work with all of DEWALT's line of 18-volt packs and tools, and comes with a 360-degree cartridge holder that fits 10-ounce- and 300-310 milliliter cartridges.

Technical Details

- 360 degree rotateable cartridge holder fits 10oz, 1/10 gal, and 300ml to 310ml cartridges
- Tool delivers up to 650 pounds pushing force to dispense the highest viscosity adhesives and sealants
- Auto-reverse feature helps reduce drips, waste, and clean-up
- Set-and-Forget variable speed control for consistent flow rates and bead control
- Comes with a 360 degree cartridge holder that fits both 10-ounce and 300-310 milliliter cartridges

This gun has alot of torque and will dispense thick adhesives like liquid nails quickly and evenly without the jaggies of a typical manual caulking gun - you get one nice continuous bead. To keep panel to panel consistency, I glued a cheap countdown stopwatch on the back of mine so that I could dispense a known amount of material, i.e. 8 seconds worth on a 4x4' panel, 16 seconds for a 4x8 panel - basically when doing repeated work you get excellent repeatable results and can go through material rapidly saving alot of time and sore hands from manual caulking guns. If your stopwatch works as a count-down and up modes, you can time your first panel, then set that time for each additional panel.

For thin material such as latex caulks I advise a very small opening in the tube - the dispensing rate is so fast that the thin hole you make is all that holds back the dewalt from squirting the whole tube out. Since the thin material comes out at high pressure due to the small nozzle, it expands in width afterwards and makes a wider bead than initally dispensed, so downsize the guides on the plastic tips about 2 sizes and you will get close your desired width. If you have never used a particular caulk before, start by just snipping off the very end of the plastic then cut back more if needed. It's easier to snip off a little more of the tip if it's too small but you can't cut it smaller if its too large to begin with! In my kit I keep a pair of wire cutters to snip the end of the tubes wider or at a sharp angle.

One fully charged XRP battery can empty 40+ tubes of liquid nails with power left over. It's a better tool for adhesives than caulks just due to the viscosity difference, but with practice it can force caulk into small gaps with ease. Re-caulking a bathtub can be done in a single trigger squeeze leaving a professional finish.

Well made heavy duty caulk gun. Not for standard caulking jobs however. Too costly, too heavy, and unnecessary for typical jobs. Great when you have a lot of caulking to do or with high viscosity caulks.

I have had a Ryobi for 4 years a cheap 38.99 cheapo, worked great till I dropped it off the roof for the 100th time, So I thought I should up grade to a better one,The Dewalt DC545K... nothing but problems, the brass battery terminal piece bent over I straightened it up a few times and made it work wiggling the battery to make it work, But now it is flat bent over again..... I give up I am returning it and buying the Ryobi. Mabey China fake.. Would explain why it sucks..

Needing a tool to apply adhesive caulk to the expansion joint on my pool I bought the DC545K. The construction grade adhesive was so dense that pulling on a manual caulk gun with two hands produced a pitiful bead. With the DC545K it was a problem of it coming out of the tube to fast and expanding wide. Fortunately the DC545K has a dial on the back so you can adjust the rate of speed of the caulk leaving the gun. This adjustment is a must have. The holder for the tube is metal and swivels so you can adjust the angle without having to swing the gun with the battery at an angle. There are two triggers. The top one releases the plunger for the tube so you can insert and remove the caulk tube. The bottom one starts and stops the gun. When you release the trigger the plunger backs off slightly to release pressure on the tube. On other models like the Craftsman C3 this backoff is quite dramatic and can make starting and stopping tedious. DC545K has this down pretty tight so you hardly notice. On the end of the tube holder is a metal probe for puncturing the inner tube liner (useful add on). Mine came with one battery and a charger. The quality and construction makes this a serious tool to consider. I would say worth the investment.