Most caulking guns sold in hardware stores and home centers are cheap products made in China. I guess you can't make a purchase you'll seriouslyh regret by buying a $3 caulking gun, but if anyone is looking for quality, Cox is pretty well the Cadillac of caulking guns.

Products |*COX North America, Inc.

Cox has it's headquarters in England and specializes in caulking guns. They make manual guns (which is what I have) as well as both pneumatic and cordless electric caulking guns.

You can buy individual replacement parts for Cox caulking guns, and I guess that's part of the reason they're more expensive. It costs the company money to keep an inventory of spare parts for every product they make.