Bikehut Grease Gun

[peetee]

The problem I have with the weldtite one is that the tube is made of springy plastic and draws in air somehow. That causes air pockets and you have to squeeze the tube to get any grease out. That must cause pressure in the system that is causing the grease to continue to flow when you don't want it.

[Brucey]

with the sort of grease gun that uses a screw-on grease tube, if the seal on the back of the piston plunger has failed, the tube will draw air in because it is trying to recover its shape. The same thing will happen if the grease is too runny and/or if there is a pinprick in the tube somewhere.

As a general rule having no air at all in the tube is the best way of working one of these guns. This (for various reasons) isn't always possible.

cheers

[peetee]

I just used it a few mins ago and it seems to be drawing it in at the nozzle (heard the slurp sound). It's done it from new and is only on its second tube (of weldtite TF2 red grease).

[Brucey]

not that TF2 grease is like that, but normally I'd associate that with grease that is too runny, if the air is being drawn in at the nozzle. But it is always a risk with this design; if the tube is springier than normal for some reason. (Maybe some guns of that pattern have a check valve in and others don't...?)

I think it wouldn't happen if the plunger could be latched down somehow when the gun is not being used. If you are greasing every day, I'd suggest that a bulk fill gun would be more reliable. It would certainly be cheaper to run if you are buying tubes of grease. However there is a balance to be had between a tool that is light and easy to use and one that is reliable and holds a lot of grease.

cheers

[peetee]

To be fair it's not too much of an issue as I have survived many years of maintenance without one. It is handy for getting the stuff efficiently into hubs for example but I can manage without. I will have a go at storing it with the tube uppermost and see if this eliminates the air pocket problem.

[resus1uk]

ken5400050k.jpg

My Higgins trike has axle & steering grease nipples. As well as the Dualco grease gun I have an unbranded pom-pom grease gun like the photo which is easy fill & doesn't leak. I keep it in the toolbox.
Seen suppliers marketing a Kennedy branded one for under a tenner

[Brucey]

the pom-pom design is good for grease nipple fittings that do not require super-high pressure (because just pushing the gun onto the fitting makes a good enough seal; no claw chuck is required). Such guns also work well for drilled lube ports if the end fitting can be changed for a pointed nozzle (not always possible) and the fitting can be accessed in a fairly straight line (ditto). Two-stage pom-poms can be filled from a grease tube with a baffle plate in it too. The only things they are not great for are

a) putting grease into bearing cups; because the whole gun needs to be pushed against something this is less easy than with a trigger or thumb piston gun, and

b) very high pressure fittings

c) any fittings without straight line access to them.

Arguably the really clever thing about the two-stage pom-pom design is however the fact that the reservoir is pressurised by hand pressure only when the grease gun is in use. This means they usually work better than a vacuum primed design, and there is no spring pressure device to latch when you have finished using the gun. There is only a short delivery tube from the last check valve which means that small air bubbles are better tolerated than in guns with a longer delivery tube. However IME the main seal on the reservoir is rarely 100% leak tight and such guns will very often ooze oil if they are stored on their sides. Best to store a pom-pom of this type stood on its end, nozzle upwards, if you can do. Provided the reservoir end cap is leak tight, the gun won't leak badly during storage this way.


two-stage Wanner pom-pom; easily refilled from grease tub, holds about 120cc of grease

The first grease gun I owned was the above type. Unfortunately it has a weird screw thread on the chuck, so you can't easily find pointed nozzles to fit it.

A modern alternative is this draper (34400 A6) model


which is also described as 'double action' (i.e. two-stage). Guns which look more like this



are usually simpler (single stage) designs. Less chance of leaking in storage (regardless of attitude) but work less well and are often less easy to fill too.
As per the post above, kennedy branded ones of both types are available quite cheaply.

cheers

[mig]

i was given a dualco gun at christmas. the threads to connect the head to the body are really quite roughly cut. i was really quite surprised at the low quality. then again the pressure inside is low i suppose so they don't need to resist much.

[Brucey]

if dualcos retail at about £12 you have to reckon that the wholesalers are buying them in for about £3-£4 or so. I wouldn't like to make one for that price!

Being a suction gun there is no real pressure on the reservoir threads, so they don't have to be super strong.

Seeing cheaper grease guns in the flesh usually only serves to remind me how well made wanner guns really are....

cheers

[Canuk]

This Dualco Mini seems pretty decent for the price :

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3191984630

[Sweep]

This Dualco Mini seems pretty decent for the price :

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3191984630

I have two.

I think they are really nice.

And perfectly fit for purpose.

Easily available for less than that.

[LittleGreyCat]

The grease gun seems to have disappeared from the Halfords web site.

I have one which seems to meet my very limited needs, though I haven't used it much.

[peetee]

The grease gun seems to have disappeared from the Halfords web site.

And lo, a motoring era came to pass. And the keeper of the 1000 Morris's did lament and pass unto the gates of pearl with much nashing of teeth and wailing thus "Dry trunnions, dry trunnions - so was my undoing!"

[Mick F]

The grease gun seems to have disappeared from the Halfords web site.

I wonder why?
Do they not sell them any more?

[LittleGreyCat]

The grease gun seems to have disappeared from the Halfords web site.

I wonder why?
Do they not sell them any more?

That would be the implication of the product disappearing from the website. Products which are out of stock still show up, but greyed out.

I think the question might be WHY don't they sell them any more. They seem to still sell tubes of grease for the gun.