grease guns/syringes are a great way to avoid wastage.
half the grease you put on your finger, you wipe off on your apron/clothes/workshop rag.
the guns are a great way to apply only as much as you need.
But take note that just like on your 4wd... some greases suit different applications considerably better than others. (and in certain cases... are absolutely vital to both function and warranty)
Slickoleum (used to be called Slick Honey) is brilliant for internal assembly on suspension forks and rear shocks. Not too bad on cables too. But it's too thin to really work well on hubs, bottom brackets or headsets. (though I tend to use it on almost everything except DT Swiss freehubs... see below)
Shimano "General Use" grease is better for hubs, headsets and so on.
If using a ti frame, then you'll be wanting some anti seize grease (copper grease to most people) to stop the seatpost or headset cups cold welding to the frame.
and if using a DT Swiss rear hub with their Star Ratchet freehub mechanism (or any of the other branded versions that are manufactured by DT Swiss inc' Giant, Syncros, Roval, Bontrager etc) then the freehub should only ever be serviced using the special DT Swiss grease that they developed for that purpose.
Shorter answer though... grease guns and syringes are great!
