Milwaukee M12 Cordless Grease Gun Review

The Shot Counter Advantage

The most useful feature on the Milwaukee M12 grease gun is the built-in shot counter, a digital display that counts each shot of grease delivered.

This addresses the most common greasing mistake: injecting an unknown amount.

How to use it: reset the counter at zero before greasing a fitting.

Inject grease until you reach the target count for that fitting type.

Pressure and Variable Speed

The M12 delivers 8,000 PSI maximum.

This handles standard automotive and agricultural zerks, including moderately packed ones.

It does not match the Lincoln 1134's 10,000 PSI for severely packed zerks.

Variable speed trigger control is meaningful for small fittings.

Battery Life

On a 2.0Ah M12 battery: approximately one full 14oz cartridge of NLGI 2 grease before recharge.

On a 4.0Ah: two cartridges.

In cold weather (below 5°C): battery capacity drops 20-30%, and grease viscosity increases, expect roughly 30% fewer shots per charge in winter.

If greasing is done infrequently (monthly service on home equipment): battery self-discharge is a consideration, M12 batteries hold charge well for 3-4 months but will need a charge before use after longer storage.

M12 Ecosystem Value

The M12 platform includes over 200 tools, drills, impacts, lights, fans, inflators, and more.

If the shop already runs M12, a second or third battery serves the grease gun at no additional cost.

When to Choose Lincoln 1134 Instead

For manually operated zerks that require maximum pressure (10,000 PSI): the Lincoln 1134 lever gun exceeds the M12's 8,000 PSI and requires no battery.

Choose the Milwaukee M12 when: Shot counting matters for procedure compliance Cordless operation is required The M12 platform is already in use For the full comparison, see Lincoln 1134 vs Milwaukee M12.