Nitecore lubrication, is petroleum really bad.

[burntoshine]

I realize there's other threads on lube, but I have a specific question about the lube Nitecore is using...

Okay so I contacted 7777, which is where i purchased my EX10 and most recently, my D10 R2. I noticed on my D10 R2, the lubrication on the piston o-ring was different to what I'm used to. It's of blue color. Seems like sort of a pasty grease. It seems to work really well for the piston o-ring, so I asked 7777 if they knew exactly what Nitecore uses or if they could find out for me; also if they knew how I could obtain some. They just pointed me to deoxit, which they sell. Then I asked Nitecore.

Apparently they use something called Mobil XHP 222. I looked it up here. Under 'Precautions' it mentions that it is "manufactured from high quality petroleum base stocks". I was going to look into getting some for my EX10 and D10 if I could find it in smaller than 'barrel-size' quantities. I figured if that's what they use, it might be pretty decent (it seems buttery smooth to me). I've heard that petroleum is bad for o-rings. But why would Nitecore use something that's bad for the o-rings/flashlight. It doesn't say "petroleum based", it says "lithium based", but it does contain petroleum. Does anyone know anything about this stuff. Should I not be bothering with it and go with something simpler? I figure Nitecore knows what they're doing and I like how smooth it is.

...just found this: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1MUC1 $3.53 for 14.1 oz.

I've been using plumber's silicone grease (no petroleum) from lowe's for years. I tried nyogel 779ZC and it seems to add more friction to the piston o-ring and gets gummy. Should I have got the 760G nyogel instead?


I've also heard that petroleum is okay, like in this post.

Any thoughts?

Maybe I'll just stick to silicone grease....?

I might order some and test it myself. I guess the worst that is most likely to happen is I'll have to replace the o-ring.

...Forgive me if this particular product (Mobil XHP 222) has already been discussed, but a search turned up nothing for me.

Thanks!

 

[burntoshine]

hmm... 'freight' added another $16.xx on top of the shipping costs on the Grainger site. It ended up being over $20 for it. Not worth it. Well Nitecore did tell me "...it's industrial packages, so I am afraid it might not be easy to purchase small volume". Looks like Mobil doesn't care to sell this to the general public.

eh, I'm done trying.

I'm still wondering a little about the petroleum additives in the Mobil XHP 222.

Or am I?

 

[csshih]

I've had someone use white lithium grease, and it worked pretty well.
you can find it in just about any automotive store.. over even places like OSH, home depot, etc.

 

[rookiedaddy]

i use this hehe :naughty: on some of my lights, Nitecore included, with very "smoooooth" result. I still do a thin coat using McNett's 100% silicone grease on the o-ring thou... :nana:

I've lately been trying the Dupont's Multi-use wax, seems good, smells good too

 

[TranceAddict]

use only silicon based or soap based lubricant, avoid using any petroleum or mineral based as it will crack down rubber.

 

[Henk_Lu]

use only silicon based or soap based lubricant, avoid using any petroleum or mineral based as it will crack down rubber.

I've heard this for 999 times now and have to believe it.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any silicon based grease here, but as I have a Liteflux, I have a little special grease. Some time ago, I had the bad idea to grease all my lights with that stuff. Liteflux speaks about the o-rings, but I put it also on the threads, with the result that nothing was smooth anymore, far from that. I had to clean all the threads thoroughly and grease them again - with normal household oil.

Probably there are greases like Nyogel which actually work on threads, but the result with only one drop of oil is very smooth. So, I take the risk and pay attention to swap away unnecessary oil, if it comes up to the o-ring we'll see what happens. My oldest Mags have 20 years now and I always greased everything with that oil, the o-rings seem quite fine.

You should think that today they can make o-rings which are resistant to a drop of oil. As I hardly use my lights in really wet conditions, I don't think that I will run into big trouble and most lights come with some spare o-rings, so, in the worst case, I'll have to clean everything again and loom for some Nyogel on the Net to save the new set of o-rings!

 

[StarHalo]

Modern o-rings are designed to handle petroleum lubes, but be aware that a lithium-based lube like the one you're mentioning is volatile - should the lithium vapors get to your lens, it could fog it (or possibly damage your LED).

The three most popular flashlight-specific lubricants are Nanolube St Clair (http://www.nanolube.com/), Sandwich Shoppe Krytox 50/50 (http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=710), and Nyogel 760G (https://www.lighthound.com/NyoGel-760G-10-gm-tube_p_1343.html).

And don't mix more than one kind of lube on the same place, otherwise the less viscous lube will "float" on the other one, making things way too slick and/or messy.

Also, don't fret over o-rings, they're supposed to be like windshield wipers on a car, replaceable and disposable. If you see that an o-ring has an issue, just go ahead and replace it.

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

I use straight krytox grease, as it's provided the best results for me. If I need a little smoother action, I add a drop of Krytox oil to the o-ring.

 

[CaNo]

What is the difference in results have you guys found between normal silicone grease and the nyogel? Is the nyogel just smoother? Is it really that much of a difference?

Also I had purchased the "red" deoxit... is that harmful to the threads?

 

[Creecher]

I've definitely 'found my brand' with Eaton-Fuller silicone lubricant. It comes in a small tube that can't be re-sealed so needs to be transferred to a container. It's very smooth, for vehicle transmissions, and not viscous like Nyogel. It's also very cheap. I get mine from Ebay, I can't work out how to hide the huge link so you'll have to search Ebay.

 

[Yucca Patrol]

I use a silicone grease that is meant to be used to treat 0-rings in waterproof scuba camera housings. I use this mainly because it is something I already have and is appropriate for 0-rings.

 

[lrp]

After having done quite a bit of research on this I decided to go with Krytox grease from Tekno Cowboy, I think this will be the best available imho!

 

[StarHalo]

Also I had purchased the "red" deoxit... is that harmful to the threads?

Deoxit is not specifically a lubricant; it's for use on electrical contact points that are "non-critical", meaning not a part of the physical structure of your device, such as threading. You'll need actual lubricant for your flashlight threads.

 

[burntoshine]

Deoxit is not specifically a lubricant; it's for use on electrical contact points that are "non-critical", meaning not a part of the physical structure of your device, such as threading. You'll need actual lubricant for your flashlight threads.

Yeah, I didn't think deoxit was a good lubricator; that's why I was confused when 7777 recommended it. Don't get me wrong, I like 7777, but they pretty much ignored my question and pointed me to something they sell, which isn't even for lubrication.

...Thanks for the suggestions and input everyone! :wave: I'm giving up on trying to get that mobil stuff, for several reasons; one being the petroleum additive. After having read other lube threads/posts, I've decided to give krytox 50/50 a try.

One of the reasons I made this thread was to let Nitecore smart PD owners know what is (at least recently) being applied to their piston o-rings from Nitecore. Apparently Mobil XHP 222 contains petroleum.

Nitecore wrote me back in less than 24 hours, which I found rather awesome.

cheers

 

[Rexlion]

I got some Krytox recently and it seems fine. But it didn't help the too-tight o-ring on my Romisen RC-C3 as I had hoped.

I read that Krytox is not good for bare aluminum, and some of my lights have bare threads (ITP mainly); so I also got some of Gary123's lube (No-Ox-Id) which is wax based, and that works fine too.

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

Where did you hear that Krytox is not good for bare aluminum?

Every dealer I've talked to says it should be perfect for bare aluminum.

 

[StarHalo]

Where did you hear that Krytox is not good for bare aluminum?

The theory is that the teflon particles will abrade the aluminum over time, but after using SS 50/50 on bare aluminum threads for many months with good results, I don't see how it would apply for this particular application; it would make sense in a high-speed/-heat machine scenario, but so little movement goes on with flashlight threads that it's not really an issue.

But it didn't help the too-tight o-ring on my Romisen RC-C3 as I had hoped.

The o-ring may simply be too large, or is made of silicone and became swollen from exposure to silicone-based lube. Either way, again, don't fret over o-rings; at the first sign of any issue or hassle, simply replace it.

 

[LightWalker]

Radioshack's Precision Lubricator works well.

 

[rockz4532]

Radioshack's Precision Lubricator works well.

Oh man, that stuff has been a pain in the *** for me.
Put too little and it isn't very smooth, and put too much and you hear a lot of noise when pressing the piston. I think its because the lube is very runny...
I think it's good for O-rings, but not pistons.

 

[LightWalker]

Oh man, that stuff has been a pain in the *** for me.
Put too little and it isn't very smooth, and put too much and you hear a lot of noise when pressing the piston. I think its because the lube is very runny...
I think it's good for O-rings, but not pistons.

It is pretty runny, perhaps a thicker lube would be better for the piston.