Dow Chemical #230409 Great Stuff Pro Gun 14

by Dow Chemical

Product Description

Great Stuff, Pro Gun 14, Provides Precise Control For Filling, Sealing & Insulating Gaps, Cracks & Window/Door Jambs, Extended Barrel For Long Reach Applications, Easy To Vary Bead Size, No Post Dispensing Drip, Replaceable Tip, Re-Startable Up To 30 Days.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0002YOMJE
• Item model number: 230409
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,021 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #10 in Home Improvement > Building Supplies > Heating & Cooling > Weatherproofing > Weather Stripping

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Professional applicator tool for Great Stuff Pro foam, December 19, 2007

By 

Victor H. Agresti "remodeling-guy" (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dow Chemical #230409 Great Stuff Pro Gun 14 (Misc.)

Great Stuff Pro 14 Applicator Tool

This tool is made by (or for) Dow Chemical Corporation to dispense Great Stuff PRO foam. They offer three models of applicator tools, the 13, 14, and 15. The 13 is the least expensive and the model 15 costs about twice as much as the 14. This is the review of the model 14, the tool sold here.

Pros:

- This is a well engineered, designed, and manufactured tool.

- Much easier to control, faster, and more precise, to dispense foam with this tool than to dispense Great Stuff non-Pro foam using the included one-time-use plastic applicators.

- Tool is adjustable for bead size and it's pretty easy to control volume output with the oversized trigger.

- I don't get as much of the sticky foam on myself compared to using those plastic applicators.

- Unless you are using a flexible plastic tube extension, releasing the trigger STOPS the foam from dispensing.

- The included flexible plastic tubes press onto the nozzle, used for getting into tiny or deep areas. (However, foam will continue expanding out of the tube when you release the trigger.)

Cons:

- Unless you have at least one big foam job, it's hard to justify the expense of this tool. I.e., if you have only small foaming jobs, consider using the Great Stuff foam that come with the plastic applicators.

- Works only with Great Stuff PRO foam, the kind with the large threaded can-top which is screwed into the tool's receiver. The Stuff sold in stores like Home Depot and Lowes in my area is the non-Pro variety, which doesn't work in this tool. Dow Chemical should design ALL Great Stuff foam cans to be usable with the applicator tool OR the plastic applicator. That would greatly increase the usefulness of this tool. Do an Amazon or Google Shopping search on "Great Stuff Pro Foam".

- Even with the Great Stuff Pro cleaner (see Customer Photos), it's not easy to thoroughly clean every nook and cranny of the tool. Because of this, the tool is practical only for fairly large jobs. If you're just doing one window for example and don't have any other planned uses for the foam, it could take longer to clean the tool than it would to just use the non-Pro foam with the plastic applicator, which you throw-away when done.

If you plan to remove the Stuff can before tool storage, by all means run the cleaner product through the tool before-hand. The problem with cleaning the tool occurs if the Stuff in the tool's insides is allowed to harden.

However, if a can of Stuff maintains an air-tight seal with the tool, it sometimes works to just leave the semi-used (or empty) can attached, for long periods.

- Tool instructions say the applicator tip is replaceable, but I couldn't find a source on the web that sells them. However, the tip is brass, and doesn't seem to be subject to wear.

Other:

Do all your foaming on the same day, non-stop, so there's only one cleanup, unless you plan to leave the foam can attached to the tool to re-use in the near-term. Foam on a hot day, or at least a warm day. Cold temperatures (e.g., below 50s) severely retard foam expansion.

Other than a difficult cleanup, Great Stuff is a first-rate foam insulator/sealant. It expands extremely well, dries stiff, sticks to anything, has no water to breed mold, and can be cut and sanded. In fact, it expands with some force. Larger fills create greater force, which is why it's meant ONLY for smaller gaps. I made the mistake once of filling a small 2x4 cavity behind a plaster wall, and by the next day, the expanding foam had pushed the plaster away from the stud by about 1/4", severely cracking it. The most common mistake is to use too much, as it continues to expand for several hours.

My advice is to avoid water-based foam sealants, such as one brand sold by Home Depot, even though it's easy to clean up. The problem is, it doesn't expand anywhere near as much as Great Stuff, doesn't get as hard after it "cures", isn't as sticky, traps its moisture behind the cured foam (creating a potential mold issue), and will rust any steel it comes in contact with. Since it doesn't get hard, it doesn't cut easily; and forget about sanding it.

Summary:

For large foaming jobs in renovations or house construction, this tool is clearly the best method to dispense Great Stuff foam.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much easier!!, October 13, 2009

By 

Erich Buehler (Candler, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dow Chemical #230409 Great Stuff Pro Gun 14 (Misc.)

I've stuggled with Great Stuff for years - love the result, hated holding the can upside down, trying to aim the straw, the dribbling product after releasing the trigger, etc. This applicator tool fixed all that for me. Its well made, comfortable to hold and use, and fairly easy to adjust rate of flow. Also, releasing the trigger really does stop the flow completely so using the product is significantly less messy. I'm still having a little trouble at the very smallest bead end of things, but I think that is matter of technique and the foam characteristics. Best of all, no more having to waste material if the job isn't big enough for a whole can. I can do some air sealing, and if I'm interrupted or think I'll need a second lift in a deep cavity I can simply close down the applicator, clean the tip with acetone, and come back later. The first can I used was still fine at the end of a month. If I wasn't doing so much home improvement the tool might not be practical given the cost, but for me it was definitely worth it for the reduced aggravation and increased efficiency.

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE - Horrible customer service, March 3, 2010

By 

Christopher Stennie "bojangles" (NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dow Chemical #230409 Great Stuff Pro Gun 14 (Misc.)

As mentioned in many previous reviews, this gun is great for large jobs. For small jobs it's a waste of time and money, especially for the fact that you need to use a bunch of cleaner to really get it cleaned up (if you don't run enough through it, you'll be in big trouble next time and could ruin the gun).

I've owned a Pro 14 for a little over a year and was fairly satisfied with it, until I had a problem...

The gun would no longer seal properly where the canister screwed on. Foam would come out from around the top. I tried two different brand new cans and it was still leaking, so I called Dow. After speaking with a technical rep, they informed me that the seal had failed. I was surprised at this, as I have only used this gun at the LIGHTEST possible duty level (I have MAYBE ran 24 cans through it since I've owned it). The rep told me that the warranty is only 30 days from purchase! She also said that there are no parts available for purchase and that they do not service the guns!

When I purchased this gun, it sold for just under $300 dollars. I have seen no where near the ROI I was expecting from this and, for a commercial product, this is completley unacceptable. I always thoroughly clean the gun and have never dropped it or left it exposed to the elements.

Dow cannot possibly expect to compete in the commercial tool industry with such poor service for their customers.