Lincoln1134 Pistol Grip Grease Gun with 18" Whip Flex Hose and Coupler, 6" Rigid Extension, 7,500 PSI, Premium Dual Lip Follower, Variable Stroke, Jam-Proof Toggle, Filler Air Bleeder Combo

Took a few minutes to get it primed but once it was, it’s been great. Very pleased with the Lincoln 1134 pistol grip.

Well worth the price, exceeded expectations. Pump the handle and it purges the air.

Newbies like me might want to read this. Yep, my first fullsize grease gun. I had the mini cartridge gun before, but it didn't have enough volume to grease my Tru-Cut reel mower fully. So I bought this Lincoln gun. I found out some things the hard way.Loading a CartridgeDon't follow the instructions. They are difficult to follow.1. Simply unscrew the top (pistol) end from the tube.2. Now move to the bottom plunger end. Leave it attached to the gun body. Don't follow the written instructions shipped with the gun. With a lot of force, pull the "T" handle plunger out ALL THE WAY, then angle it into the small slot opening. Look at the opening where the bar exits the gun body, and you will see the slot. You may or may not feel a little pop when the bar is pulled all the way out. The small slot allows the bar to remain in the pulled back position so you can let it go. As long as the bar will stay in place when you let it go, you're good.*Just be sure that the rubber cup and spring are pulled up as well. If not, you may need to rotate the bar against the cup to lock it together. When you pull up on the "T" bar, you will know if the rubber cup and spring are being loaded, because you will feel a lot of resistance. If not, then you might need to actually unscrew the bottom end from the grease gun body, so you can look at the plunger assembly and rotate it to lock them together.3. Open BOTH ends of the grease cartridge and insert the slightly smaller end into the grease gun body. One end might have an aluminum lip that prevents that end from going into the gun. Go ahead and pop open the beer can. The aluminum lip sits on top of the grease gun tube and prevents it from sliding into the gun body.4. Screw the pistol end back on but leave it slightly loosened. Not sure why you need this, but if you don't, you might not be able to pump grease.5. With the pistol end on the gun, take the "T" bar out of the slot. If you rotate it slowly while pushing it in, you will find a point where you feel very little resistance and the bar will go all the way into the grease gun body. The rubber cup and spring assembly is still in place and pushing on the grease. You just detached the bar from the cup. This is a nice feature, because the bar in not sticking out of the bottom of the gun.6. Start pumping the pistol. I think by leaving the top pistol end a bit loose on the gun body, you allow air to escape and can send grease up through the hose. Once you feel a little resistance to the pistol pump, tighten that end completely. Hand tighten only. Use a paper towel if it slips too much.Zerk CouplersAs this gun runs at 7500psi, you need to be sure that any couplers you attach to the grease gun can handle it and hold a seal. I had an old Lincoln Lubrication 5883 Slotted Right Angle 90 Degree Coupler which has a rating of 1000psi, but I think it's much lower than that. After a few uses, it's probably more like half the rating. The Zerk on my mower must have a rating higher than that, because the coupler leaked grease out the sides without any of it going into the fitting. I think some Zerks have a stubborn ball valve and need more than 500psi to make a good seal. Just guessing. Maybe someone with knowledge on this can help us out.Other than the terrible written instructions shipped with the unit, this gun is 5-star. My dad is a retired journeyman auto mechanic and when I told him I bought a Lincoln grease gun he said, "that's a good brand."Update: After I wrote this up, I found a good "how to install a cartridge" video.http://www.machinerylubrication.com/View/29551/load-grease-gun

Gave it a four "only" because of the "coupler." The quality of this India made grease gun is (andespecially when compared to many on the market today) OUTSTANDING. The threads are all distinct andscrew on and off (coming to coupler) properly and without wiggle or sway. The rubber on the lubeextender is thick, looks like excellent quality.Instructions - well certainly the 'coupler' issue is NOT present and perhaps it should say somethinglike this, "NO Matter what it looks like, the coupler is 'two pieces' and you have to undo them foradjustment of zerk fitting coupling pressure." The knurled portion of the coupler (that would bethe part that presses onto the zerk) appears even upon "close" examination to be one with the hexagonnutted female end of the coupler. I decided to put that INTO A VICE with a RUBBER pad to avoid damageand used a wrench to 'undo' (common counterclockwise)and separate the two pieces. TO REITERATE, theparts LOOK like they are ONE PIECE (and I even thought perhaps the company had made a change in thedesign and made it one piece - I looked at it with a magnifying glass and still it was very hard tosee the separation!) but THE COUPLER AND HEXAGON FEMALE THREADED END ARE TWO PIECES. You must loosenthem to have play for attachment to zerk fittings.I had no issues with releasing 'pressure' in the tube. I have no issues with a tube type insert andobtaining a smooth flow of grease. The plunger is 'tight' and moves smoothly but a bit of force isneeded to pull it ALL THE WAY out and 'slip/slide' it into the retaining notch when putting in a newtube. Remember to remove the 'caps' on the grease module.I have recently returned two competing makers grease guns. Auto-tec is the worst device I've ever usedand (not sure if sold here) it must be avoided at all costs. BUT YOU WILL FIND THIS offering excellentonce you get past the 'zerk/coupler' issue. Lincoln has a fine history, wish it was 'fully' made inAmerica but I do understand those issues. I give this a four star rating and if Lincoln fixes the 'shippedtoo tightly' coupler issue (so one can loosen it with their fingers or at least freestyle wrench) it wouldbe a five.