The GTE Tools MasterBead, a handheld, silicone/adhesive dispensing gun, is designed specifically for aluminum-type adhesive tubes. The MasterBead gun is made from ultra-durable polymers and 99 percent of the adhesive material can dispensed in a consistent and uniform bead every time to eliminate mess and waste. The tool's automatic loading feature allows it to continue dispensing material with no need to reset or re-clamp the tube, while enabling single-handed operation. MasterBead is designed to accommodate up to 4-oz, aluminum-style adhesive tubes and comes with a lifetime warranty.
The review
“The GTE MasterBead dispensing gun is awesome,” says Eric Moore, owner of DeMary Truck in Columbus, Ohio.
“It makes using any type of tube sealant so easy and controllable,” he adds. “So much faster, and neater, than using the ‘goop it on and spread it around with your finger’ method.”
Lou Fort, lead technician at K.A.R.S. Inc. in Huntingburg, Ind., agrees with Moore’s assessment, adding the MasterBead is “not only easy, but a pleasure, to use.”
The MasterBead, which comes with an instruction sheet, is basically ready to use right out of the box. Fort says there are a couple of steps to prep the tube, noting the dispensing gun only accepts aluminum tubes. “Once the tube is ready to be inserted, you need to retract the plunger fully, release the tension latch and open the jaws,” he explains, adding setup was faster and easier than he first thought it would be. “The tool is now ready to accept the tube. After you slide the tube’s end down into its holding fixture, you close the tension latch on the plunger.
“Switching between different tubes of adhesive was also fast and easy.”
Moore mainly used the GTE MasterBead dispensing gun for applying sealants and gasket-maker materials. Specifically, he and his techs used the tool on both a 2007 International DT466 and 2001 Honda Accord to apply sealant as a gasket for the oil pan. The tool also was used to dab sealant at the cam towers when replacing the valve cover gasket on the Honda. “I used it for applying gasket maker to the case halves of a 2001 YZ250F I was rebuilding the engine bottom half on,” adds Moore. “It made for a much more controllable, even application. I would normally dab some on my finger and spread it around the sealing surface.”
Fort used the tool to reseal differential covers, engine cover mating joints and intake end seals. “I also have been using the tool to effortlessly dispense weather strip adhesive and dielectric compound,” he says.
“Having the tube mounted in the tool allowed me to work through the air bubbles seamlessly,” Fort says, calling the MasterBead likeable and a simple, effortless way to dispense material. “There was minimal residual pressure left on the tube whenever I finished my task, keeping waste and mess down to levels never before experienced.”
Unlike other tools Fort has used, the MasterBead reduces waste by squeezing the tube – rather than rolling it. Also, changing from one tube to another was impractical so more than one tool was required. “GTE’s claim it gets 90 percent of the material out of the tube is spot on. Never before have I had such complete material application,” he says.
Fort said the tool’s overall size was a drawback because there are several job types that this tool is too large to use. Also, Fort uses products that do not come in aluminum tubes. In order to broaden the MasterBead’s range of use, Fort suggests updating the tool to make either an adjustable tube end clamp or one that could be exchanged. Though it may be difficult, he also suggests the company “have the tube clamp be a dual position or adjustable one.”
Moore has a similar tool that he purchased from Honda decades ago. “While they are similar in use, the GTE MasterBead dispensing gun was much easier to load, lighter and seemed smoother when applying product. The older version is heavier and can be too aggressive when in use, tearing the crimp away from the tube.”
“We love this tool,” Moore says. “It made a necessary task cleaner, neater, more accurate and proved to be less wasteful with product.”
