just bought a m18 grease gun and I'm curious if you guys are loading your grease tubes via a bucket or are you buying the tubes ready to go?
Tubes all the way
When we were still using guns we found bulk filling eliminated frustrating air pockets. Since we got these we have no more problems.
For the majority of uses it’s hard to beat tubes and a cordless gun with an 18-24” hose. I’ve tried bulk with hose reels etc and all it did was **** me off lol. Hose is always too short.....or kinked.....or leaking. Those bulk foot operated setups look nice until you’re 20’ on a boom. In a shop and other situations I bet they’d be great.
Yes they have limitations but we put a longer hose on and can reach most of our fittings. I like that the g man isn’t farting around changing tubes every 15 minutes that aren’t even empty. Bulk grease is also cheaper than tubes.
Tried several bulk guns and never had much luck with them working well with really sticky grease. Might be ok for lighter bearing grease etc. As for filling tubes from bulk drums - forget it. The few bucks you save is lost in time, frustration and mess. Took years to get rid of the drum my dad once bought. Reaching 3 feet inside a drum to get grease near bottom, real fun. Like was said before tubes and an a cordlees gun is hard to beat for all around ease. Easier to use means people actually grease your equipment.
Tubes, stay away from Horror Freight