Best reel oil

[wkendfisher]

Hey guys - looking for some good reel oil for my bait casters... I've seen several different ones on line - just want to get the best bang for my buck!

thanks!

[NOVA Angler]

I'm using the Yellow Rocket Fuel and it seems to do the job nicely. 

[burleytog]

OEM oil (Shimano, Daiwa)

[wkendfisher]

thanks guys!

[.ghoti.]

Here's a little more info; viscosity for some of the more common oils used in reels. Numbers are in Cp (centipoise). the higher the number, the more viscous the lube. Water is 1 for reference.

Zebco Needle Oiler 206

Abu Silicoat  176

Red Rocket Fuel 93

Daiwa Needle Oiler 84

Reel-X 74

Shimano Std  60

Yellow RF 59

3-In-1 Oil 40

Reel Butter 28

Quantum Hot Sauce 25

Daiwa red lube  18

WD 40 6

Tournament Rocket Fuel 4

Friction Zero 4

Rem Oil 3

I use the Daiwa red lube. I have several of those tiny bottles of Daiwa oil, and will use that until I run out. Also have some Reel Butter oil, and I like it too.

Keep in mind that the lighter the oil, the more often you'll have to service the spool bearings.

[trevor]

reelX

[SDoolittle]

Here's a little more info; viscosity for some of the more common oils used in reels. Numbers are in Cp (centipoise). the higher the number, the more viscous the lube. Water is 1 for reference.

Zebco Needle Oiler 206

Abu Silicoat 176

Red Rocket Fuel 93

Daiwa Needle Oiler 84

Reel-X 74

Shimano Std 60

Yellow RF 59

3-In-1 Oil 40

Reel Butter 28

Quantum Hot Sauce 25

Daiwa red lube 18

WD 40 6

Tournament Rocket Fuel 4

Friction Zero 4

Rem Oil 3

Okay, I feel ignorant. I would think that a higher viscosity would be better, but you are using one of the low viscosity oils. Can you please explain the pros and cons. By the way, I have a bunch of those little bottles of oil that come with Shimano reels and that's all I've ever used.

[coolhandlala]

from what I uderstand the less viscous the oil the faster your spool will go b/c the oil insn't as sticky (if oil can be sticky)  it is kinda like the difference between motor oil and WD40 the motoroil will stay where you put it longer but the WD40 will give you more of a slick surface.  It kinda seems like it is personal preference in the long run.

By the way I use reel butter and really like it.

[Micropterus salmoides]

I use the red Daiwa oil (aka TD-Z oil). I think that it offers excellent performance without having to apply as frequently as the lower viscosity oils.

Oust Met-Oil is supposed to be a really good oil. Very thin though, so requires more frequent application.

[Goose52]

Here's a little more info; viscosity for some of the more common oils used in reels. Numbers are in Cp (centipoise). the higher the number, the more viscous the lube. Water is 1 for reference.

Rem Oil 3

I use the Daiwa red lube. I have several of those tiny bottles of Daiwa oil, and will use that until I run out. Also have some Reel Butter oil, and I like it too.

Keep in mind that the lighter the oil, the more often you'll have to service the spool bearings.

Thanks for posting this. I've been using Rem Oil as I already had some for firearm use. Now I know why I have to re-lube my bearings so often. I had no idea Rem Oil was this light. I have some Reel Butter, perhaps I should switch to that :-?

[maineman]

eezox! Look it up on line. Its not to expensive and it works great. If you have and old reel you don,t use much and is a little ruff put a few drops in and than turn reel . You will think you just added 6 bearings to your reel! Leave the reel for several months in storage and try again, still smooth. If you still don,t like you can us it on your firearms!    

[bilgerat]

Here's a little more info; viscosity for some of the more common oils used in reels. Numbers are in Cp (centipoise). the higher the number, the more viscous the lube. Water is 1 for reference.

Zebco Needle Oiler 206

Abu Silicoat 176

Red Rocket Fuel 93

Daiwa Needle Oiler 84

Reel-X 74

Shimano Std 60

Yellow RF 59

3-In-1 Oil 40

Reel Butter 28

Quantum Hot Sauce 25

Daiwa red lube 18

WD 40 6

Tournament Rocket Fuel 4

Friction Zero 4

Rem Oil 3

Okay, I feel ignorant. I would think that a higher viscosity would be better, but you are using one of the low viscosity oils. Can you please explain the pros and cons. By the way, I have a bunch of those little bottles of oil that come with Shimano reels and that's all I've ever used.

Think of it this way: The Zebco oil at the top of his list is like pancake syrup (not literally!) and the Rem oil at the bottom is water. The thicker (higher viscosity) oil will adhere better to your bearings, the tradeoff being that it will slow them down due to higher resistance. The thinner (low viscosity) oils will allow your bearings to spin faster because they don't add as much resistance. The tradeoff there is it wears away quicker, requiring more frequent lube intervals. A reel lubed with high viscosity oil may not cast as far as one lubed with low viscosity oil, but a reel with the spool bearings lubed with low viscosity oil is easier to backlash. Low viscosity oil is NOT inferior, it's a personal preference thing

Your Shimano oil is fine. Get a fine needle oil bottle dispenser from a hobby shop. It dispenses oil one drop at a time, which is all you need on a bearing.

[SDoolittle]

Thanks Bilgerat! That makes a lot of sense. Do you switch lubes during extreme hot/cold weather conditions? It seems like the lower viscosity lubes would have a higher tendency to gel up in cold weather. Just a thought.

[RWSCHMITZ]

Hot Sauce Oil for the Bearings

Hot Sauce Grease for the Gears

Cal's Grease for the Drag Washers

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Thanks Bilgerat! That makes a lot of sense. Do you switch lubes during extreme hot/cold weather conditions? It seems like the lower viscosity lubes would have a higher tendency to gel up in cold weather. Just a thought.

Actually, it's just the opposite. Extreme high temps will cause light lube to thin and get flung off. Cold will make heavier oil thicken to the point of slowing the bearings too much. A middle of the road compromise will work in most situations. If want to lube often and adjust during changing seasons and conditions, use heavier oil in heat and lighter in cold.

[.ghoti.]

BirdDog, that Shimano oil you have will do just fine.

I use the Daiwa oil only for the spool bearings. I use Zebco oil for all the other bearings.

I bought a bearing greaser, and used grease in all the frame bearings once. When it came time to do a complete tear down and service, it took forever to get the old grease out of the bearings, so I went back to oil for the frame bearings, using the heavier Zebco oil.

I do a complete tear down, clean and relube once each year, during the time when the water is hard.

The spool bearings in all of my reels get cleaned and relubed several times a year. In a typical year, I fish from April until November. I remove, clean relube the spool bearings every four to six weeks. Depends on the usage. I do the levelwind parts at the same time.

The lighter the oil you use, the more often you will need to give the spool bearings a little TLC.

[MtCarmelTriton20x]

Hot Sauce Oil for the Bearings

Hot Sauce Grease for the Gears

Cal's Grease for the Drag Washers

+1 for me

[steezy]

Daiwa oil (oil that comes with steez reels).

[Stone]

Although a bit unconventional, I've found that sewing machine oil works great. I will admit that I've not tried anything else, so I'm not sure how it compares with the lubes meant for reels.

Years back, the owner of my local bait shop (who also repairs reels) suggested it. It's pretty thin so it doesn't attract debris, but will keep the reel operating well.