I recently encountered a little bike tool called a "grease applicator".

I think it's used to apply grease to bb, hubs and such.

What I want to know is, what sort of person would use a tool like that?
Certainly every C&V'er worth his salt still uses his God-given grease applicators (his/her fingers).

Could I be wrong?
Could I be creating a schism within C&V by merely asking the question?

Well, I still want to know, so I'm creating a poll to find out if anyone among us is using those infernal tongue depressors, spatulas, flux brushes & etc.

I use one of these with a longer tip to apply grease these days. I use a plastic knife from 7-11 to fill it. I'm not sure if that's what you meant by "grease applicator", but...



I should add that it was ownership of Grease Guard hubs that prompted me to get it, prior to that it was all fingers all the time.

Index finger here.

-Kurt

Fingers. Must keep them dexterous for other, similar processes.

I use my hands/fingers on cups and races. I have a bike with Suntour grease guard parts, which allow me to use this:



On caged bearings, I submerge them in the tub of grease, pushing the grease through them by hand. Loose bearings get grease with that mini grease gun after they are set.

EDIT; LesterOFPuppets beat me to it

I use one of these or a finger.

I really hate getting grease on my hands, but its mostly because I really have to degrease them very carefully before I can work on my pottery(which is my living). The slightest contamination on a piece of greenware or bisque and it can ruin a lot of work. If I know that I am not going to be glazeing for a day or so, then I am not afraid to dip in.
I keep a syringe filled with grease for most applications.

Finger and the end of the Park lube nozzle.

I can't vote cause my choice is not on the ballot: "all of the above". I use fingers, popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, coffee stirrers, and at least 4 different style of "injectors", I lost count. The ones I like least are the syringes: messy to fill and slow in use.
I am not brand loyal when it comes to grease, either: at least 5 different brands and types..."the right tool for the job"!
The only place I don't go is using a brush (flux or other), and I can't say exactly why...it just doesn't feel right to "brush on" grease. Maybe if I baked more I'd find a brush more natural for "adding shortening" .

miscellaneous utensils.

EDIT: unworthy1 said it.

I made this grease applicator years ago and use it on just about every bicycle I rebuild. Yes, I use my fingers to pack caged balls, but for everything else, I use this applicator...


It is a great little tool and I will let the picture do the talking. If you want to see a bit more, have a look at Servicing The Bottom Bracket.

I usually just cut an appropriately-sized strip out of whatever plastic or cardboard packaging I've got lying around.

Me, too. I always wear disposable nitrile gloves when working on bikes. Keeps the ground-in grime to a minimum.

Mobile 1 synthetic feels good though. Smells nice too.

-Kurt

Toothbrush.
Q-tips.
Fingers.

Using a mini-grease gun helps keep the excess to a minimum.
And I also like the Mobil 1.

Then, I try to wash a car or two, including tires.
Or, scrub the showers, bathrooms. This pretty much takes care of it.

Flat head screw driver

I use the Finish Line grease gun posted above or my fingers. Usually start with the first and then spread it around with my fingers.

I used to work in a machine shop when I was younger - I like the smell of grease in general.

I have one of these (Finish Line) and it doesn't work. I actually have two. The first one worked for a while and quit. It was not pumping any grease out. I e-mailed the company and they graciously sent me another one- but now I am experiencing the same problem. It just does not want to pump out any grease. Am I doing something wrong???? Thanks.

It would seem so. I haven't had an issue with mine and neither have any of my friends that use them.

I'm with bigbossman, gloved hands. I use disposable gloves for all the messy work usually. I'd like a grease gun eventually, I started to wonder about skin oil contaminating the grease... is that possible?? I use alcohol to clean races and such, so I try to keep everything clean.

Being a professional mechanic all my life. I use a tooth brush, regular grease gun, and a mini grease gun. My favorite grease?? MOPAR wheel bearing grease. Easy to work with, flows prefectly, and is great for any place grease is needed. It's good enough for a 3 ton truck, all the way to window regulator pivots.

It even tastes pretty good.

Bare finger(s). I don't use nitrile/latex gloves because they make my hands sweat. A LOT. Anyway, when it comes to gloves, I only wear them for welding and bailing hay.

I won't use Q-tips because small fibers sometimes come loose and embed in the grease, at least in my experience. I have used a toothbrush from time to time, and a toothpick.

I pretty much use my fingers whenever possible, but I also wear these pretty religiously when I'm working on a bike: