Which (if any) Lube do you prefer?

Hey guys, I THOROUGHLY cleaned my TK41. Cleaned all the lube right off in the process. Looking for what to replace it with, I found the Comprehensive Grease and Lube Thread. So here I am, 3 hours later...Wow. So much info. A lot of (somewhat expensive) options exist, and testing them independently of each-other would be more costly and time consuming than I'm looking for. I'm sure any of the "very good lubes" would work well, but I want to know which one you prefer and why. Maybe some others here at CPF will find this data helpful or interesting too.

Ground Rules

Vote once for your favorite or most used lube. I know many people use multiples lubes and greases, different lubes for different lights, etc. Let's just stick with favorites here.

Post the following information if you desire:

• Why you prefer that lube (least gritty feel, least turning resistance, recommendation, etc.)
• What lights you use it on
• If you chose "Other", what lube you use (if any), why
• Any backup or honorable mention lubes that aren't your primary choice

Because we are limited to 10 choices, I'm only itemizing the "Very Good Lubes" but will allow some vague selections for others. In those instances you can freely specify in a post which one you prefer.

I'm not really looking for a lot of debating about why Palmers Cocoa Butter may or may not be a good lubricant or how many Teflon PPM exist in Extreme Fluoro. It seems like those discussions are most at home in the sticky thread mentioned above. I'm just trying to figure out what the favorite is (for each light or flashlight material if possible) Thanks in advance guys!

None of the choices are good on skin....
Nano oil is what I use on ALL my lights, Even got a free tube of it when I bought a light.

I use Super Lube grease on anodized aluminum threads; Super Lube oil on the O-rings of those flashlights.
I use Krytox GPL-205 grease on titanium or if any of the aluminum threads are bare (e.g., 4Sevens); Krytox GPL-105 oil on the O-rings of those flashlights.

@fiberguy, like Yamabushi i use 4 lubes for my 20 lights:

1. silicone grease: the very best for sealing threads and o-rings, water-proofing because it is thick and sticky. even water sticks to it and doesnt flow past!
2. superlube grease: for anodized threads. very cost effective, only 6.50$ on amazon Prime, and great for o-rings and anodized threads of bigger lights.
3. superlube oil: the best for fine o-rings on twisty lights (1x AAA, ..). the oiler gets empty fast
   
   because it is a thick viscous oil compared to nanooil!
4. nanooil: much finer than superlube oil. the best of the 4 lubes for bare aluminum or titanium threads, although i am sure that there are better lubes for bare aluminum (abrasion! very challenging) or titanium threads (galling! very challenging). affordable, sometimes on sale, free shipping. the oiler lasts forever and can be applied to great effect on all kinds of household electric, semi-electric or mechanic devices, plastic, metal, ceramic gadgets, machinery, tools, knives, multi-tools, items, products, etc etc. a very satisfying experience :huh:. it's supposed to be safe on all kinds of o-rings, but i prefer superlube for o-rings anyway.

If i had to choose/use only 2 lubes, i'd buy a tube of superlube grease and 1 oiler of nanooil.
If i had to choose/use only 1 lube, i'd buy nanooil. Manufacturer's website states that it is harmless to o-rings.

I did not participate in the poll

I use Super Lube, beacuse when I asked my flashlight supplier what grease was recommended for the o-rings, its what he suggested. He stated something like it would at least be high quality an close to what the manufacturer would use and approve of.

shelm said:

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I still have not received your payment. Can you please check with your financial institution or resend it?



Thanks for all the input and feedback guys. I thought Nano-Oil would be more popular. In fact, I ordered some about an hour ago, then came over and checked the poll. I'm quite surprised..

Finish Line Extreme Fluoro and Krytox are my favorites. Super Lube is good (& cheap). Nano oil is useful for mixing with heavier greases. Super slippery. It's hard to pick one! I like my o-rings and threads well-lubricated. That would be especially true on twistys. The more you pay the better lubricant you get.

I tried Teflon grease (ok), Silicone grease (horrible), and finally Molybdenum grease. That is fantastic! I use it for everything now, and a €4 Cartridge from eBay will last me a lifetime.

I use Nyogel since it's the only lube I found after checking for months where I live.

I voted "other" the lubricating grease I use comes in the fix-a-tap DIY plumbing kits it doesn't kill rubber O-rings and it's water proof so that's good enough for me, I also use the same stuff in my Nerf gun (air chamber) rebuilds, door lock assemblies etc. you name it!



I guess Nyogel would be something I could try in the not-too-distant future...

I was using Nano oil, untill I my o-rings started to swell. I know that they claim that it is harmless to o-rings. My experience has been contrary. I have since changed back to Nyogell and Krytox. I still like the Nano oil, I just make sure it doesn't come in contact with any o-rings.

OKS 1110, silicone grease approved for food industry. Non-conductive, non-toxic, good on anodized threads and excellent on NBR O-rings.

Cheers

I use 'Teflon' which can be found as a bike 'Dry Lube' product.

Selfbuilt first mentioned 'Teflon' and I began to use it then.

Nyogel FTW! It's what Suefire uses.

I have tried different things like the finish-line teflon stuff but the Nyogel seems to work the best, smooth and not too thick. I guess 4Sevens recommends a conductive lube but I don't think that is required. If you want that though Nye labs makes a conductive nyogel version

Whatever happened to good old fashioned petroleum jelly? I applied some to my Maglites today.

I use Nyogel mainly because it was the most recommended and I had a good deal for shipping. I would like to get some superlube and will, if I ever see it in a store, but my 2 tubes of nyogel are already more than I need for the next twelve decades.

ericjohn said:

Whatever happened to good old fashioned petroleum jelly? I applied some to my Maglites today.

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That stuff can eat, dry and crack some materials (especially rubber), so I avoid it rather than do specific research on all my o-rings, but if it works so far...

I'd like to see a similar poll for each thread material, one for titanium, one for bare aluminum, one for anodized aluminum, then one for o-rings.

Hey guys, I am from Philippines and I'm wondering if all of these are available in our local hardware shops? What are the common brand names? Thanks!

I use FrogLube paste