Battery grease guns

[Crusarius]

So I am on a pretty tight budget starting my own business. Today I went to grease the zero turn mower and I seem to have misplace the only working grease gun of my fleet. I started wondering if getting an M18 version is a good idea? I found the tool only for $207 on amazon. I already have M12 abd M18 so not interested in any other batteries.

I never grease anything because I have a fair weather grease gun. It only pumps grease when it wants to.

I have heard the electric ones will actually prime and move grease. I really think I want one but I think I need some encouragement.

I can't imagine anybody on this forum would be able to help encourage someone to spend money?

[DanL]

I have the Lincoln version because a friend gave it to me. Absolutely love it. I believe any of the major brands will be a game changer for you. I can get equipment greased faster and with less aggravation. Also, it is less irritation for my arthritis to not have to pump the manual one. If you have much equipment, you need one of these battery grease guns. 

 

[Southside]

My M18 rocks, I put on a Lock N Lube and one handed operation is a breeze.  I had a Lincoln before, two actually.  They were OK, but didn't hold a candle to my M18.

[btulloh]

Had the Milwaukee for a couple years and happy with it.  X2 on the locknlube - I consider it a must-have addition. I do have to fiddle around to get primed sometimes after a cartridge change, but not a big deal.  Didn't think I really needed a battery gun, but now I wouldn't want to be without it.  Still have a couple old styles loaded with special grease and using them reminds me how much better life is with the battery powered version. 

[sprucebunny]

M12 with Lock N Lube. Only way to go. I just hate manual guns.

[Crusarius]

How is it to prime the gun? seems like every time I decide I need to grease something it takes 2 hours to get the stupid gun to prime and then I am to worn out to grease anything

[sprucebunny]

Priming a regular gun was my biggest problem. I've never had a problem with a battery gun. I press the relief button once or twice when I start a new tube.

[btulloh]

Priming for most people seems to be like sprucebunny says, but it seems that I'm missing a gene or something. Somehow my piston ends up cattywampus in the cartridge and I have to play with the rod to get the piston to push the grease properly. Doesn't matter what brand or type of grease gun. I've just come to accept it as my lot in life. lolPerhaps one day I'll figure out what I'm doing to cause it.  (Hope springs eternal.)

[barbender]

I've used the Milwaukee M18 for years. I did have one burn up a circuit board, otherwise they are great (or as great as something that pumps nasty grease can be😊)  One of the main benefits is I don't feel like I need to call the Suicide Hotline after pumping for a half an hour in futility like I did with the manual guns I've had. The Milwaukee just primes right up, even if you run it really dry. It doesn't take but a cycle or 2n either. I don't know what they figured out that manual gun manufacturers couldnt as far as priming, but I've had guns where I'm switching tubes, holding them upside down, doing black magic- nothing seems to help. Oh yeah throwing it across the yard doesn't help either😂

 The Milwaukee just pumps grease, when I need to do a chore I hate. The 18 volt has a 2 speed transmission, too. So if you have thick grease, it's cold or just a fitting playing hard to get if you put it in first gear it will pump some serious pressure. Just don't get stuck on a fitting because of it. 95% of the time I use the 2nd gear.

 The Milwaukee also has a preset dial, you can set it to 5 for instance, squeeze the trigger and it will stop automatically after 5 pumps. 

 The outfit I worked for, a lot of grease got pumped with them. Some of the Ponsse machines come equipped with an automatic greasing system. It has to be loaded with a pump or a grease gun. It isn't unusual to put a zip tie on the trigger and pump 3 tubes into the reservoir on the machine. Usually the 18 volt would do 3-4 tubes on the small battery (2.0 ah I think) mine came with. 

[Crusarius]

I think I actually saw the M18 grease gun with a trigger lock for just such an occasion.

you guys are definitely helping persuade me to buy one. Now I just need to get over the sticker shock.

[jimbarry]

I'll be Debbie Downer on this thread. I've used a manual grease gun for decades. Priming was never an issue. It always emptied the cartridge. And you knew when it was empty. I've also tried the locknlube tips, as well as the knock offs. They all work good, when they want to work. I find the 4 small metal parts in the tips of these lock type tips wear easily and can get jammed up with a little bit of sand. I recently got honey trapped into purchasing a M18 grease gun, having recently acquired a couple batts, charging stations, impact driver, blower and circ saw. I am not a fan of their grease gun. I've run a case of cartridges through it now since the fall. It often leaves 1/4 cups worth of grease in the cartridge and more often than not requires 5 minutes or more of bleeding air to get it to start pumping. If it didn't cost so much I'd put it on the shelf and leave it their but, I'll give it a go some more and see if its likely user error instead of this particular tool.

[Dave Shepard]

I have an M18,  and we have four or five at work. Wouldn't ever use anything else.

[Southside]

There are multiple modes the M18 runs in, high volume, high pressure, select the number of pumps or go to giggle switch mode and just run her until she is empty. 

[barbender]

Dang it Jimbarry, you always find the weak points in a design!😁 Really the thing that has always impressed me the most witht the Milwaukee is how quickly they purge air. I never had a problem with cartridges not emptying completely, either. Something may be amiss with yours, you may want to look into a warranty claim.

 I use a Lock and Lube, I'm not as crazy about it as others although it has always worked as advertised. Jim, to your point, when I got mine it came with a rebuild kit for the jaws or seals I don't remember which. I do remember thinking, "um, I wasn't planning on having a problem with that"😁  The only thing I don't like about the Lock and Lube, the diameter and length of it keep you from getting on fittings that you would be able to with a regular grease tip.

[Southside]

Yea, mine came with a rebuild kit too. When the time comes, just order another one and keep the rebuild kit holding dust in the drawer, it's more useful that way. 

[sawguy21]

I used an M18 to grease the rigging on a logging truck. What a treat after fighting with those DanG manual guns that refuse to prime. The job used to take close to an hour, I did it in 20 minutes.

[SwingOak]

I have the Dewalt version because I got such a killer price on it I couldn't say no. It works great, I use it constantly on the farm equipment especially during hay season and the battery last forever. 

Pro tip - buy extra tubes of grease and always keep a few more than usual on hand, because it makes everything so much easier and faster you'll actually start greasing stuff when you're supposed to. 

[Corley5]

I started with a Lincoln 14.4 volt gun. Ended up with two of them. They were OK but the batteries didn't last. I've got an M18 now. No issues. If you're having trouble with priming try different grease. Kendall grease used to have a void in the center of almost every tube. Lincoln pistol grip manual guns were the worst for priming. I've got a manual Alemite pistol grip that always primes. Really good gun. It's around for a quick couple pumps here and there. The M18 is for complete grease jobs ;)

[customsawyer]

I've had a Lincoln for years. It has always done great. Original battery died a couple of years back but I was able to buy a couple of new ones off Amazon. I keep it in the case it came with and haven't had any other problems. I have tried the lock and lube tips but didn't care for them.

[Walnut Beast]

Dang it Jimbarry, you always find the weak points in a design!😁 Really the thing that has always impressed me the most witht the Milwaukee is how quickly they purge air. I never had a problem with cartridges not emptying completely, either. Something may be amiss with yours, you may want to look into a warranty claim.

I use a Lock and Lube, I'm not as crazy about it as others although it has always worked as advertised. Jim, to your point, when I got mine it came with a rebuild kit for the jaws or seals I don't remember which. I do remember thinking, "um, I wasn't planning on having a problem with that"😁  The only thing I don't like about the Lock and Lube, the diameter and length of it keep you from getting on fittings that you would be able to with a regular grease tip.

Get a regular size female grease fitting into a extension pipe with male fitting on it and connect to the lock and lube to get into the hard to reach areas 

[Crusarius]

ok, so now here is the next question. Just like all my chainsaws I have ever had even the brand new stihl MS261CM how much of a mess do these guns make?

I have several grease guns that all like to leak all over the shelf. Of course my chainsaw leaks oil all over if I don't store it on its side.

So does the milwaukee grease gun still leak from the grease cylinder? I would be so happy to not have that problem anymore.

[btulloh]

No leaks. Wipe off the tip of the coupler when you're finished and you're good to go.

[scsmith42]

Re battery powered grease guns, they are great.  I've had a Lincoln for years, but must confess that I use a pistol grip Alemite gun with a Lock n Lube coupler for most tasks.

Personally I've been underwhelmed by the air bleeds installed on most grease guns.

Here is a trick that I use for priming.  It works like a champ.

1 - lock the piston back before removing the old cartridge from the tubular housing.
2 - Install a new tube and remove the metal cap.
3 - Use my finger to remove any leftover grease from the old tube (be careful not to cut yourself on the metal lip), and put the grease on top of the grease in the new cartridge.  In essence, you are making a little "peak" of grease on the open end of the tube that screws into the head of the grease gun.  
4 - screw the tubular housing into the head - only screwing around 1.5 - 2 turns ( you want it loose, but no so loose that it can blow out of the threads.
5 - unlatch the plunger rod from the end of the tube so that the spring piston will compress the grease in the tube.
6 - the air between the new grease and the head will escape around the loose threads where the tubular housing screws into the head.  Give it 5 - 10 seconds, and then tighten the tubular housing the off the way.

99% of the time the gun will be fully primed by using this method.

Scott

[hedgerow]

I have had a Lincoln battery powered since they came out. Have had zero issues with it. Primes up well. They had a deal at the farm show last winter on the M-18 grease gun with battery, charger, case and gun for $185.00 dollars. Bought one. I have ran several cases of grease threw it over winter into spring and so far I like it real well. It starts a new tube of grease with no problem. I don't care for the lock and lube tips they don't seem to work well around the farm. 

[Crusarius]

The locknlube tips look great but look like they would also get in the way on some of my equipment.

[SwingOak]

No mess at all, you just open the bleeder screw and when the air stops popping and the little string of grease comes out the bleeder hole, you wipe it clean and you're good to go. Only sort of mess was when I put it on a clogged up Zerk and the grease came out the front of the pressure relief valve, but again - you just wipe it off and you're good. Much cleaner than manual guns.   

[barbender]

I still have grease all over, no matter what gun I'm using🤷

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

Just backing up what the others have said at this point but the M18 is money well spent. Primes easily enough and doesnt wear me out. I ordered a locking tip and found it doesnt get into most of the grease points on my skid steer. Bummer! Even without it, I grease things much more often and have been for several years now. I keep it in the original case with no mess at all. Quick wipe when Im done and good to go. Just dont forget to grab the roll of paper towels before you start. Keep things slick and they will do ya right!!

[YellowHammer]

I'm a believer in the M18.  I love it.
I use LocknLube tips, but they can be a pain.
Is there a better tip I should try that will screw onto the M18 hose with no adapter?  I didn't like the stock M18 tip, some of my fittings are worn and the stock tip would slip off.  The LocknLube stays on, but is too combersome and too large to get to some zerks, sometimes.  

[Ventryjr]

After reading this topic the other day I borrowed my dads Milwaukee grease gun. Used it on a few machines around the mill.  I'm throughly impressed.  I'll be buying one.  

[SwampDonkey]

I use a manual I've had for over 30 years. I bought a cheap new one once for some reason, that was garbage, not up to standards. Due to cheap off shore manufacturing. My original one has had no issues priming at all. I'm not doing large amounts of greasing either because I don't have a bunch of equipment. Biggest problem I have is running out of grease or not having a spare tube on hand. :D

[Rocks4U]

I have a 20v dewalt gun and it has made my life so much easier it self primes and you can use it one handed while you hold the hose with the other

[dogone]

    I have a Milwaukee now, had a Lincoln for years but got ran over. They are so handy , you use more grease and do a better job doing it. Great invention.