GREAT STUFF PRO13 Foam Dispensing Gun

This product is hands down more user friendly than the one time use cans. It's comfortable to use for long periods, and you can stop using it, put it down and walk away for a couple of days and then pick it up days later without wasting everything left in the can. Not only that but the cans are bigger than the one time use cans and cost less per can. Wow, less waste, more foam per can and comfortable to use. I'm sold!The only down side is that the gun comes with a handful of the plastic dispensing tips that slip over the barbed end of the gun, as a consequence of being full of dispensed foam they need to be replaced if you stop using the gun for more than a few minutes. I looked on line for replacements and one company wanted over a dollar per, which is ludicrous. I may end up getting some inexpensive tubing of the right inside diameter and cutting it into useable lengths. they'l probably be just as effective as the tips intended for that use.

I've used this model gun about 2 years ago, and just recently bought another 2. While overall these guns make the job of applying spray foam MUCH easier, with far greater control, compared to the "plain old cans with the plastic straw", there has been a decrease in the quality of the gun. The ones I bought 2 years ago looked like the picture shown (partly metal). The new guns I received are ALL plastic, and seem to jam up more easily. I am very careful about cleaning them out using the recommended cleaner and process, and have come to expect that the guns have a limited life (# of cleanings) before becoming useless. The new all-plastic guns seem to have a much shorter lifespan than the old.I still would recommend them compared to the plastic straw cans, but not as highly as I would have rated the older model gun. I do not know if the (significantly) more expensive guns would have a longer life that would cost justify them. Would be interesting if anyone has any experience along those lines.

I seldom write reviews but this is an outstanding product and deserves a writeup.I bought this dispensing gun after I saw it used by a contractor who worked on my house. I am adding insulation in my attic myself and was debating whether to get this for the big job of sealing all the cracks and gaps in the attic. I tried using the normal Great Stuff foam cans from HD and made a mess. The foam came out in globs and shot all over, not exactly the straight lines that I was looking for because I used some rigid foam boards around a knee wall in the attic.What a wonderful product this is and worked as I have imagined. I think it only works with the Pro Great Stuff foam cans so make sure you buy some online as well since I can't find them at HD. It is simple to use, just shake the foam can for about a minute, screw it onto the gun, open and adjust the dispensing knob on the back of the gun and you won't believe what a difference in the ease, control and accuracy you get with this gun versus the floppy straw that you get with the consumer Great Stuff cans. I spent the last two days sealing every gap and crack inside the attic and got professional results and still have not finished one can of the professional foam. I think the professional foam, which is orange vs. yellowish white, acts also as fire stops, so it is really not expensive and lasts much longer with the precision and no waste of this gun. If you have a decent size project or just want to do a good job sealing up any cracks to make the house more comfortable, I would definitely recommend getting this. Make sure you also buy the cleaning fluid in a can and get some Acetone from HD for general cleanup after using the gun, otherwise, I can imagine that you will get clogs. I think I will insulate the basement next!

I've been a contractor for 20 years, and have been using foam dispenser guns for about the last 8. They're designed for insulation work, but they are great for backing replacement windows, sound-sealing doors, backing hot mud repairs, fire-sealing--all kinds of stuff.With any tools, but especially these, regular and thorough maintenance makes the guns last a long time. I do a quick-clean of the guns with the canned acetone after every couple of cans of foam, and every year dissemble the entire thing and soak the parts in a pan of acetone, followed by a buffing out of the mating parts with fine steel wool and a light oiling with sewing-machine oil. It generally keeps them working great.I've owned two Hilti CF DS-1 guns, which lasted me three-four years each. That's easily eight to ten cases of foam each.When my insulation sub damaged my most recent CF DS-1 a couple years back, I went with a Pro-13 for cost reasons (obviously.)That one lasted for about 1/2 case of foam, but then it clogged. Despite my best efforts to carefully clean it, it went into the dumpster.A Pro 15 quickly followed, and that lasted for a little less than a case. It was expensive, but ultimately the parts clogged, the threads stripped out when the tool was dissembled, and with the low-quality manufacture of the parts, they just are doomed to fail.In a pinch at that point, a few weeks ago, I doubled down on stupidity, and bought another Pro 13. That has lasted me two (yes, two) cans of foam. I finished putting it back together this afternoon, and the fit of the plunger into the tip is just so lousy that the foam began setting up in the nose tube again.My recommendation, is that for a homeowner, or a DIYer, the "Pro" guns are going to work. They just won't last very long--they don't dissemble well, the tolerances are poor, and they certainly won't take even workaday jobsite abuse. Because of that, you might as well buy the disposable aerosols. The "Pro-" guns are just poorly-built tools, in the vein of Ryobi or Harbor Freight stuff. For anyone that uses these tools daily, spend the money for the Hilti.