[QUOTE=bostontrevor]Here's my question: has anyone actually ever used a grease that DIDN'T do the job? I mean I have some Pedro's that I'm finishing up and some Finish Line that I just got into. Both seem fine, I've never had a problem with either. I bought them because that was what the LBS had on the shelf next to the counter at the time.

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Not on a bicycle application (which would probably be preferable, and less expensive), but yes. I regularly see the direct result of an improper grade or type of grease being used in an application that resulted in horrible damage to equipment.
This is sometimes a result of cheap grease being used. Sta-lube's "Multi-Purpose Super White" is about as cheap as you can get. It's a calcium soap base, even though it says "Lithium" on the label, because it has a small amount of lithium added. But frankly, this stuff seperates into a base oil on a warm day, and the white that is left behind after the lubricating oil drips out turns to concrete. How do I know this? Well, for some reason that must be a very popularly availalbe cheap grease, becuase I find tubs of it on the municiple equipment (open road line stripers etc.) I service all the time. Usually I am replacing bearings and bushings that got chewed up due to lack of lubrication.
Bicycles are relatively low impact and low speed, and they are human powered, so if you use really cheap grease, when it starts to fail, things get tight, squeeky, hard to pedal and annoying. So it gets changed. Or parked indefinately.
Ed