What should I use, lube,(which I guess is grease),or oil to keep my reels in good condition?
I always just wipe off reels after a days fishing and then strip them down at the end of the season for a proper clean, but should I use the oil on the surfaces and the gease,(lube), on the bearings?
What do you do?
Cheers,
Top Conker

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Used to be an angry young man, now I'm an angry old man.

You can bomb people into pieces but you cant bomb them into peace.

I started using silicone spray a number of years ago as my only reel lube and I've never wanted to go back to grease or oil.

The chief advantage of silicone spray lube is that it's goes on wet, but dries to a slippery coating so it doesn't turn into a hopeless mass of dry gunk like grease and it doesn't attract sand, grit or other junk like both grease and oil do. This save a lot of work like you mention because I don't have to degrease/degunk my reels every year, I just give them a quick zap of compressed air and add a little more silicone.

Also oil and grease interfear with reel function in very cold weather because they stiffen up and bind the reel. Not a huge concern in the UK where it doesn't really get cold, but even in cool weather around -10 C you can start to feel the effects.

I know this approach will attract some criticism and some will be trying to draw comparisons between engine or other machine bearings and what happens if they are run dry. It's a false comparison, reels don't operate under anything like the pressure and heat that an engine runs under, so there's no need to have a pound of goo and oil smeared all over your reel.

Grouse

Jay
is that WD40 you are using or something else ???

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

No Andy, WD-40 is not the same and I'd never use that stuff on reels. WD-40 is mainly solvents with some lubricants, but not silicon. Handy stuff, but I'd never let it near a reel or any other fine machinery.

What I've observed about WD-40 is that the solvents strip away all other lubricants, so while it does clean, displace moisture, and lubricate to some extent, it can quickly dry out and then the parts are unprotected from corrosion and they seem to start to rust very quickly.

The silicon spray I use is from a company called Liquid Wrench, but you have they make many different spray lubes and penetrants. The one you want is the 100% silicon spray lube.

Grouse

here ya go buddy...

3 In One Oil Pro Silicone Spray Lubricant 400ml - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Also good for servicing sash and case windows.JB

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http://www.fishleven.co.uk/
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Jay Bruce ,
thanks for that ,will order some from screwfix with the next order I do with them !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

no problem buddy your welcome

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

hi, i am no engineer but use silicon spray lube and ptfe type lube at work. i would suggest ptfe lubes are better for reels than silicon type. it seems to stay there longer and is still dry.
wd 40 is hopeless and often does damage if people rely on it as a lubricant.
I use a product called gt 85, good stuff.
there must be an engineer on here somewhere? then again a dying breed in this country i reckon.
might try the ptfe spray on my lines?

cheers , dave

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smellynets.blogspot.com

As a general guide a lithium based grease is best for reels as it is waterproof.. I note that on the same screwfix page that BRUCE1 links they list a product of that type.
Tight Lines

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"The Future's Bright The Future's Wet Fly"