Reel oil (recommendations)

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Roberthill

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Dec 3, 2012
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Baitcasting Reels . I use Remington gun oil but does anyone know of a good reel oil ? I ordered some on line for about $10.00 a ounce did'nt work very good and cost too much .Years ago used 3 in 1 oil but they changed it and it's too heavy now .
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
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Nov 20, 2001
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I use Rocket Fuel on my conventional reels. Yellow on competition reels. Red on everything else.

Super Lube on gears. Cal's Drag grease on drag washers, if needed
 

Sprig

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 2, 2016
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571
If gun oil works for you jut keep using it. I use to use gun oil with no problems. Now I use Reel Butter. It's great stuff. It's made to lubricate steel, brass, steel, everything you find inside a reel.
 

G_Dabrowski

Banned
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Sep 23, 2017
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I use the inexpensive Berkeley oil and haven't had any issues. I talked to the guy that reconstructs reels at EJW and he said it was just as good as the more expensive stuff.
 

MRS

Commander
Joined
Jul 10, 2005
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2,555
Did not somebody say any oil is better than no oil at all?
most folks never oil there reels at all. I still use 3 in 1 for most things reels included.:D
 

dingbat

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Did not somebody say any oil is better than no oil at all?
Judging from the reels I get in for repair, most would be better off not using any oil at all. ;).

Contaminated, oil soaked drag washers are common place. Side covers and bridge assemblies gumed up with oil turned to varnish is pretty much the norm.

Grease on gears...oil on bearings.
 

Old Ironmaker

Captain
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Dec 28, 2015
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Judging from the reels I get in for repair, most would be better off not using any oil at all. ;).

Contaminated, oil soaked drag washers are common place. Side covers and bridge assemblies gumed up with oil turned to varnish is pretty much the norm.

Grease on gears...oil on bearings.

What brand oil and grease do you recommend dingbat? I use my wife's sewing machine oil on my good reels, I'm not one to spend more than 150 bucks on a reel as we don't cast much for Bass and Musky much these days. If she runs out I use 3 in 1. My level winds for trolling Walleye and Salmonids aren't expensive either, smooth drags bit not heavy duty like you Salt guys use. It's not like I am likely to set a reel on fire out freshwater fishing here unless I am lucky enough to hook into a 40 lb King. The average Walleye here On Erie is 5 or 6 lbs. They fight like a rubber boot anyway. We hunt them for meat only here on Erie.
 

dingbat

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What brand oil and grease do you recommend dingbat? I use my wife's sewing machine oil on my good reels, I'm not one to spend more than 150 bucks on a reel as we don't cast much for Bass and Musky much these days. If she runs out I use 3 in 1. My level winds for trolling Walleye and Salmonids aren't expensive either, smooth drags bit not heavy duty like you Salt guys use. It's not like I am likely to set a reel on fire out freshwater fishing here unless I am lucky enough to hook into a 40 lb King. The average Walleye here On Erie is 5 or 6 lbs. They fight like a rubber boot anyway. We hunt them for meat only here on Erie.

Super Lube is my go to grease for reel lubrication. A full synthetic grease that doesn't turn to varnish, melt or separate.

Oils are different because I want an oil of certain viscosity. While Remington and 3:1 oil may have good protective qualities, but that's not the attribute that's important to me. I look at viscosity because its primary means of controlling the friction (speed) of the spool bearings of a casting reel. Too little friction and the reel becomes uncontrollable, i.e. bird's nest. Too much friction and casting distance suffers. Therefore it's a balancing act between control and performance. As an avid Surf fisherman, I carry Rocket Fuel, yellow and tournament for my conventional reels.

Trolling wise, we probably use similar equipment. For Stripers, I run a mix of Penn 320 and 330 GTi level winds on IGFA #20 and #30 blanks. Stripers are not much for fighting either but they average #20-25 and #50+ are certainly possible so drags are important. I've modified the drag stack by adding an additional drag washer to each. I also run them "wet" (lithium drag grease) to reduce contamination and over heating that leads to sticky drags.

As noted earlier, people over oil reels to the extreme. Oil and grease once, maybe twice a year tops. All my reels are torn down, cleaned, inspected and lubricated every winter. They will not be oiled or greased the entire season.

The only exception are my conventional surf casting reels ($$$$). The combination of salt and sand plays havoc on them. They are cleaned, inspected, and oiled at the end of each day.

Spinning Reels: A drop the size of a pin head on the bail pivot points, the articulation in the handle (if applicable) and the shaft thru the knob on the end of the handle is about it. No oil on the spool shaft or drag knob/adjuster.

Casting reels: a drop in each bearing, a wee bit on the level wind mechanism and the shaft thru the knob(s) on the end of the handle(s)...that's it.

As a saltwater guy, everything get hosed down with freshwater at the end of the day and gets a light misting of WD 40 which is them wiped of with a clean rag and left to dry.
 

Old Ironmaker

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Super Lube is my go to grease for reel lubrication. A full synthetic grease that doesn't turn to varnish, melt or separate.

Oils are different because I want an oil of certain viscosity. While Remington and 3:1 oil may have good protective qualities, but that's not the attribute that's important to me. I look at viscosity because its primary means of controlling the friction (speed) of the spool bearings of a casting reel. Too little friction and the reel becomes uncontrollable, i.e. bird's nest. Too much friction and casting distance suffers. Therefore it's a balancing act between control and performance. As an avid Surf fisherman, I carry Rocket Fuel, yellow and tournament for my conventional reels.

Trolling wise, we probably use similar equipment. For Stripers, I run a mix of Penn 320 and 330 GTi level winds on IGFA #20 and #30 blanks. Stripers are not much for fighting either but they average #20-25 and #50+ are certainly possible so drags are important. I've modified the drag stack by adding an additional drag washer to each. I also run them "wet" (lithium drag grease) to reduce contamination and over heating that leads to sticky drags.

As noted earlier, people over oil reels to the extreme. Oil and grease once, maybe twice a year tops. All my reels are torn down, cleaned, inspected and lubricated every winter. They will not be oiled or greased the entire season.

The only exception are my conventional surf casting reels ($$$$). The combination of salt and sand plays havoc on them. They are cleaned, inspected, and oiled at the end of each day.

Spinning Reels: A drop the size of a pin head on the bail pivot points, the articulation in the handle (if applicable) and the shaft thru the knob on the end of the handle is about it. No oil on the spool shaft or drag knob/adjuster.

Casting reels: a drop in each bearing, a wee bit on the level wind mechanism and the shaft thru the knob(s) on the end of the handle(s)...that's it.

As a saltwater guy, everything get hosed down with freshwater at the end of the day and gets a light misting of WD 40 which is them wiped of with a clean rag and left to dry.

Thank you very much, great info. I'm using too much oil it appears. For trolling I am running Okuma and Shimano. All Shimano baitcasters and spinning set ups. I have never lost a fish because of a Shimano reel. I can't say the same thing about others.
 

dingbat

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Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,417
I have never lost a fish because of a Shimano reel.
Not a fan of Shimano's "not so long" long term support policies...

Okuma's parts support is horrid but some of their spinning reels (Avenger series) offer a lot of value for the dollar. Use them, abuse them and throw them away cause you can't get parts.

All my trolling reels have "Made in the USA" stamped in the bottoms of the reel seats. All my conventional reels have "Made in Sweden" stamped on the side plates. Unfortunately, Abu Garcia no longer markets the entire Ambassaeur series in North America. You have to go to Europe or Australia to pick them up.

Parts are readily available from both manufacturers going back 50 years ;)
 

82rude

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
4,082
I use this for all my down rigging needs now and totally love it.The only thing I don't like is that I have to reel in with my right hand and though I'm right handed on all my reels for ever ive reeled in with my left hand .Is it hard to change over to left hand reeling dingbat?
lrg193265.jpg
 
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