Ballistol vs Hoppes 9 vs RemOil

[YetAnotherKnifeEnthusiast]

Admittedly this is more of a gun post than a knife post, but it certainly bleeds into the knife world (especially for the OTF folks).

I've always been a Hoppes 9 guy myself for gun oil, and I do like KPL for Spyderco folders, and RemOil spray for OTFs. But I recently watched a Hickock 45 video where he heavily endorses Ballistol and if Hickock endorses something, I tend to buy it. So I ordered some and it's on it's way. I think this would work great on OTFs and firearms alike.

For those of you that use it (or have used it), do you like it better than Hoppes? The same? Do any of you use it on knives? OTFs?

Looking forward to the poll results and responses.

 

[Blues]

I use a number of cleaners and lubricants, among them Ballistol. It doesn't have any magical properties, fragrance aside. It's primarily a mineral oil base with some additives.

I do use it on knives and firearms, but will use Slip 2000 EWL for more precise and long lasting lubrication needs. Everyone has their favorites.

I have cans of Hoppes which are probably older than lots of members here.

 

[beeinak]

CLP is my go to for firearms and knives I won’t be using for food. The CLP Frog Wipes are super handy for wiping down a dirty gun or knife, then putting the wipe back in a ziplock when away from home. I use it sparingly for lubricating moving parts, mostly out of habit due to extreme cold not bring nice to some lubricants. Lucas gun oil is pretty great too.

 

[SharpBits]

I use Slip 2000, Ballistol, KPL, Lucas, TWB25b, Gunny Glide, or mineral oil depending on the phase of the moon and presence or absence of crop circles.

 

[AntDog]

CLP is my go to for firearms and knives I won’t be using for food. The CLP Frog Wipes are super handy for wiping down a dirty gun or knife, then putting the wipe back in a ziplock when away from home. I use it sparingly for lubricating moving parts, mostly out of habit due to extreme cold not bring nice to some lubricants. Lucas gun oil is pretty great too.

I swear by Lucas CLP. Works great, never gums up, even smells great.

 

[Ozmose]

I use a bunch of different products, but I've always found RemOil worked best for a quick clean job. Ballistol works good, but dear god does it have a stink.

 

[nettle]

I use dedicated lubricants, cleaners, and protectants. About everything these days has CLP on the label. CLP's are a jack of all trades but master of none. CLP's just smear things around.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I have one that I'm working on right now that uses a special purified grade of jojoba. The stuff is almost chemically and functionally identical to "winterized" whale oil, and actually outperforms it in several key metrics. It's food safe, and is even more resistant to oxidizing/gumming than mineral oil is, while being thinner than food-rated grades, and is technically a liquid wax ester rather than an oil. The regular grades of it have a strong golden color and a bit of a vegetable odor, but the grade I'm working with is highly refined with multiple filtrations through fine clay to greatly clarify it and reduce the scent, and I have a few additional possible beneficial food-safe additives to experiment with. However, the purified jojoba alone is phenomenal for most applications as-is, and I have some nifty luer lock dispensing bottles on the way to make application a breeze. The first industrial use of jojoba was originally as a machine gun lubricant!

 

[jfk1110]

I have one that I'm working on right now that uses a special purified grade of jojoba. The stuff is almost chemically and functionally identical to "winterized" whale oil, and actually outperforms it in several key metrics. It's food safe, and is even more resistant to oxidizing/gumming than mineral oil is, while being thinner than food-rated grades, and is technically a liquid wax ester rather than an oil. The regular grades of it have a strong golden color and a bit of a vegetable odor, but the grade I'm working with is highly refined with multiple filtrations through fine clay to greatly clarify it and reduce the scent, and I have a few additional possible beneficial food-safe additives to experiment with. However, the purified jojoba alone is phenomenal for most applications as-is, and I have some nifty luer lock dispensing bottles on the way to make application a breeze. The first industrial use of jojoba was originally as a machine gun lubricant!

Cool...best of luck with this endeavor...

 

[jfk1110]

Ballistol. For me.........Smells like black licorice..... ......What's not to like.......Doesn't taste like much of anything else though

 

[oldmanwilly]

Didn't vote as I couldn't choose. Ballistol and/or Rem Oil for guns, Mineral Oil for knives (and could be used on guns too, I suppose).

 

[Alone]

Break Free CLP on my firearms and 3-IN-ONE on the knives that I oil/lube.



*I just re-read the original post and wanted to mention that I have, and do use, Ballistol on some of my knives.

 

[guy g]

Rem oil and Tetra Lube.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

WD 40, Latama Quick Release, Break Free.

 

[Tensaw]

I voted Ballistol, but also use Kroil on both guns and knives, primarily as a cleaner.

 

[conan11]

Slip 2000 for firearms and knives. Mineral oil for knives.

 

[navman]

Hoppes #9...because I like the smell.

 

[Blues]

Here ya go, Josh. Get a whiff of the good stuff...aged in the can for a few decades.

 

[SharpBits]

Hoppes #9...because I like the smell.

Looks like you need one of these:

 

[Blues]

I think I have an old bottle downstairs...let me check...