Contractor Pack Caulk Saving Cap, Red (Pack of 35) (LRC.50)

I love these little things. I used to battle the tool crib at work to keep these on hand. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost, but once enough folks got onboard with bringing the tool crib their dried up tubes with tape, screws, and the standard hard plastic caps on them, the shop found a way to "fit them into the budget."There are definitely functional alternatives, but if you're doing any type of finish work, these make a quick and easy seal that doesn't blow out the applicator tip and works effectively. No fiddling with pulling out dried bits of goop, no mangled end from driving in a screw. They're fast to throw on and take off and get right back to work, and time tends to be money. I keep a can around the house, and they more than paid for themselves in the first tube of high-tech sealant they kept alive for a couple weeks when weather wouldn't cooperate long enough to get outside and work.

I read about this product in the Family Handyman. It's simple and yet innovative. Makes you wonder. Damn why didn't I think of this. As a DIY, I've tried lots of things to seal a half used caulk tube. Screws, plastic and rubber bands, plumber's putty. The plumber's putty actually got me about 90% success in reusing these caulk tubes. But now with these Little Red Cap I'm never going back. Bluntly put they work like a condom. Sealing out all air and moisture. Reusing can be tricky as sometimes they lose their elasticity or shape and can be challenging putting them back onto the caulk tube's end. I guess pretty much like a real condom which you shouldn't reuse, right?

After trying a million ways to save caulk, adhesives, glue, etc, I have finally found the solution. There is nothing more frustrating than having to buy more caulk, even though you have 3/4 of a tube that was used only 3 months before.These little rubber caps work really well. I have not had them break as others have, they seem to be thick enough to handle the angled tip that I usually cut on caulk tubes. And after 6 weeks, I took this cap off and my caulk was as fresh as the day I opened it. Hopefully, it will stay that way for longer, but I haven't had the chance to test longevity yet.I also use them for my air tools, since most of the plastic caps that came with them are broken or have disappeared. Also on my glue bottles, even though they close pretty tightly, I think this keeps air out completely. And I keep looking for more ways to take advantage of this ingenious product.

They are a little pricey, but I bought a package 3 years ago and I just ordered another, splitting it with another contractor. I reuse them, so a little "can" lasts quite a long time. I primarily use them for caulking. No more putting masking tape over the ends or whatever. If you don't do much caulking I think a "can" will last you your life time. I have used them to put on Chanel lock jaws to prevent maring tub spouts, shower heads and things of that nature. If loose my sharpie cap in mud or blow in insulation, I just use one of these. They are pretty dang handy.

The Little red Caps are a great idea. They are easy to use, but putting them on without breaking them takes a little practice. They preserve the unused caulk for quite awhile. I keep they on hand because they are quick and easy. My only complaint is the cost. They seem expensive for a small container of rubber.There is a very low cost alternative that preserves the opened caulk for the life of the original product. Seal the open end of the caulk tube with hot glue. The hot glue seals completely and is easily removed when it comes time to use it again. This takes a little longer than the red caps but it is less expensive and more effective.

I really love these and recommend them to everyone. I have two uses for them:1. The main use I have for them is the one for which they are designed: keeping tubes of caulk good between uses. In the past I used to put a plastic bag over the end and then wrap a rubber band around. The problem with that (besides looking terrible) is that these caulk tubes have very low friction at the end and frequently the plastic and rubber band would come off quite easily. These caps do a much better job. I don't really like actually exposing the rubber to the caulk or adhesive or whatever. So what I do is put a small square (maybe 2x2 inches) of plastic or saran wrap over the tip, then put this on top--if you want to store for a very long time and are worried about it drying, you can insert a nail in the end before putting on the plastic. This product unwraps just like a condom. It exerts pressure all along the end of the caulk tube and goes past the plastic square...it stays on and looks good. When you want to take them off, you just unroll from the bottom and they come off and look just like they did before use. So you can use them over and over (if you put plastic on there first. At Ace there are plastic caps that are intended to do the same thing but they don't work nearly as well. Actually there are several competing products but this is by far the best.2. I also put this on the ends of my clicky pens that I wear in my shirt pocket. They are gel pens similar to a pilot G2. The problem with that type of pen is that if it ever gets clicked open inadvertently, it will soak into your shirt and ruin it. Put this over the end and that will never happen. You can carry your pens without adding bulk to your pocket and without worrying about ruining your shirts. Basically this is a much improved pocket protector.Anyway, this is a great product. These two uses are really quite important to me, so I will always keep them around.