I'm looking to upgrade the tuners on my p-bass copy, the stock ones are pretty loose. Should I get some official Fender tuners for around $25, or save up for some Schallers?
Yes you should. I normally use Schallers, but that's because they're the first I ever used and have no compelling reason to switch. Others rant about Hipshot, Grover, Gotoh or some other brand. It's really six of one, or half dozen of the other unless you have specific features in mind like weight, tuning ratio, or something else.
If your bass is an low end copy (you don't say what is is) then Schallers may be worth more than the guitar. You can always remove them if you sell the bass. Otherwise, I'd just get some decent off market tuners and buy some new strings with the money you save. Consider a higher ratio (20:1) to reduce gear wear.
Need more info re: bass and pics, if possible. Some tuners can be "snugged up" to minimize play. Riis
Schallers are nice but I also recommend Hipshot. I'm very impressed with the Hipshot tuners I have and would use them on a custom build.