Oils and greases

[SeaHuffKing]

Hi all,

Wondering what people think of the oil supplied with Shimano reals is, I have quite a few of the little bottles that come with the reels and wondered if I needed anything else or this is good enough for bearings in light spinning reels.

Was also wondering for my larger reels ; TLD's and Tiagra's should I be using grease in the bearings instead of oil ? have heard it suggested that its more protective of the bearings and with these type of reels it wont affect performance (unlike a baitcaster)

Just went to the Yamaha Australia website and the only marine grease I found was "Yamalube" marine grease in a 283gm black and orange striped tube. Not sure of the color of the grease but was wondering if anyone has used this? I wonder if it is the same as the grease Alan Tani uses?

[slinkymalinky]

G'day SeaHuffKing,

One size doesn't really fit all with lubricants in reels. There are a couple of principles to think about:

1. Heavy grease gives most protection and lasts longer but slows down gears and bearings

2. Light oil gives least protection and needs re-lubing more often but allows better free and fast movement of parts (e.g. bearings effecting casting distance or free-spool should be oiled)

3. Lubricants and water don't mix so use lubes specifically for marine/fishing applications but ALWAYS assume that any splashes or dunking will mean stripping, cleaning and relubing reels

4. Lubricants don't last forever so preventative maintenance is important. The more you use the reel, the more frequently you should service it. ALWAYS clean reels after every session.

I grease gears on all reels but with bearings some get grease, some get oil (and some even get tricky stuff like teflon suspended in solvent but that's a whole other kettle of fish).

With light spin reels

- I usually use light grease on gears (using heavy grease can make the reel feel a little 'heavy' which isn't want I want for finesse fishing)

- I oil all bearings (shimano's oil is fine. I use a product called Corrosion X. There are heaps of brands of oil specifically for fishing reels)

With bigger spin reels

- I sometimes use heavier grease on the gears

- Sometimes I will use grease in the side-plate bearings and line roller bearing

- I usually oil other bearings

With baitcasters

- I use light grease on gears

- I use oil on all bearings and level wind

With overheads

- I usually use heavier grease on gears

- I usually use heavy grease in side-plate bearings

- I use oil in shaft bearings that effect free-spool/casting

Hope this helps but just remember those principles.

Cheers, Slinky

[SeaHuffKing]

Hi Slinky,

Thanks for your informative reply and principles (good things to remember )

Just wondering how to know what grease is light and "heavier" when purchasing?

I think I found my answer: Shimano have a heavier grease (Ace 2) for large reel gear assembly and a lighter grease (TBMO) for small reel gear assembly and Permalube (which they call their bearing grease, but what they supply with their reels (for bearings) is called "Bantam oil" (bit confusing)!!

I think Cal's also have a light one which is purple color and their normal one is Tan color (used for drags also)

Interested to try some CorrosionX , I see it online in Australia for sale at their website (some good info on their products), do any retailers sell it? it looks like good stuff , and could use it on a lot of stuff as well as reels