Knife Oil Shootout

O

OvercastEnthusiast

Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
39
With so many oils on the market, how do you know which is best at protecting your knife from rust? I decided to do a casual experiment to see how each of my knife oils would perform with regard to rust prevention. See the attached photo of the final results after 3 weeks. Details below...

Test:
I used box cutter blades. They were hung from thread and dipped in a salt solution twice a day for 3 weeks.

Rating:
1st: Breakfree CLR - ZERO rust
2nd: Speed X - Very slight rust as indicated by discoloration at salt buildup
3rd: Corrosion X - Slight rust at base
4th: Nano Oil 10wt - Rust at base and slight rust on face of steel
5th Rem Oil - Rust at base and face of steel
6th Super Lube - Rust at base and face of steel
7th Militec - Severe rust at base and face of steel (not heated)

The blade at the bottom of the photo is the control.

Photo:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zclCUftfGtpH97fyEorvcSyKKHL36L6W
 
Last edited:
fonedork said:
I heard WD40 is one of the best
Click to expand...
WD-40 has mineral oil. It’s Water Displacement batch 40.. it’s really for pushing out moisture /rust to break open rusted machinery .. I don’t use it because I also use my knives for cutting food..
 
I use EDCi and its food safe and keeps blades rust free, for lube I use nano oil 10 or pivot lube, I dont use oil on my blade
 
OvercastEnthusiast said:
With so many oils on the market, how do you know which is best at protecting your knife from rust? I decided to do a casual experiment to see how each of my knife oils would perform with regard to rust prevention. See the attached photo of the final results after 3 weeks. Details below...

Test:
I used box cutter blades. They were hung from thread and dipped in a salt solution twice a day for 3 weeks.

Rating:
1st: Breakfree CLR - ZERO rust
2nd: Speed X - Very slight rust as indicated by discoloration at salt buildup
3rd: Corrosion X - Slight rust at base
4th: Nano Oil 10wt - Rust at base and slight rust on face of steel
5th Rem Oil - Rust at base and face of steel
6th Super Lube - Rust at base and face of steel
7th Militec - Severe rust at base and face of steel (not heated)

The blade at the bottom of the photo is the control.

Photo:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zclCUftfGtpH97fyEorvcSyKKHL36L6W
Click to expand...


Sentry Solutions Marine TUF-CLOTH
Tuf-glide
&
KPL only for Pivots/Bearings/Washers
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
WD-40 has mineral oil. It’s Water Displacement batch 40.. it’s really for pushing out moisture /rust to break open rusted machinery .. I don’t use it because I also use my knives for cutting food..
Click to expand...
WD-40 is now the brand and not just the product. They make a WD-40 'specialist' that seems to be particularly good at inhibiting rust.

That being said, I use Ballistol for pivots, IIRC it's considered food safe in Germany and is non-toxic. It's largely mineral oil with some other things. However I don't coat my knife blades anyway, I just wash and dry. So far so good on the no rust front.
 
What about coconut oil?

It's what 99% of what the commercial product "frog lube" is made of.

Works great for me!!!

Obviously, food safe too!
 
CanadaKnifeGuy said:
What about coconut oil?

It's what 99% of what the commercial product "frog lube" is made of.

Works great for me!!!

Obviously, food safe too!
Click to expand...
I would never use Coconut or Olive Oil n any blade used for food.These natural oils can turn rancid and you just might be pooping like a goose for a week or two.:eek: I’ve had Sharpening customers that have shown me their cutting boards to me with a light foam like substance .. they were using olive oil because they thought that since it’s organic! It must be good! Nope. A light rub with Mineral oil works best & will not turn rancid..
 
Glad to see Breakfree CLP still going strong.
I've heard the formula has changed through the years, mine is from the 90's and I think still mil-spec at the time.
I did a lot of function testing with firearms back then and it was always better than any other oil on the market.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
I would never use Coconut or Olive Oil n any blade used for food.These natural oils can turn rancid and you just might be pooping like a goose for a week or two.:eek: I’ve had Sharpening customers that have shown me their cutting boards to me with a light foam like substance .. they were using olive oil because they thought that since it’s organic! It must be good! Nope. A light rub with Mineral oil works best & will not turn rancid..
Click to expand...

Never been a problem.

A quick Google search shows that coconut oil lasts 2 yrs before going rancid.

It's such a thin coat and it gets worn off sometime before the 2 yrs is up.

You should try it. I've seen tests with mineral oil vs coconut oil (frog lube) and coconut oil destroys thin, wear mineral oil.
 
I've always used brealfree CLP, I have bottles of the stuff and my guns love it too. Good to see it held up best. It does attract a bit of dust over time though
 
jpm2 said:
Glad to see Breakfree CLP still going strong.
I've heard the formula has changed through the years, mine is from the 90's and I think still mil-spec at the time.
I did a lot of function testing with firearms back then and it was always better than any other oil on the market.
Click to expand...

The bottle I used isn’t more than 5 years old, FYI
 
jpm2 said:
Glad to see Breakfree CLP still going strong.
I've heard the formula has changed through the years, mine is from the 90's and I think still mil-spec at the time.
I did a lot of function testing with firearms back then and it was always better than any other oil on the market.
Click to expand...
OvercastEnthusiast said:
The bottle I used isn’t more than 5 years old, FYI
Click to expand...
I see it's branded by Safariland now. The last time I got some, it wasn't available in aerosol form. I have about 1/3 of a 16 oz bottle left.
 
jpm2 said:
I see it's branded by Safariland now. The last time I got some, it wasn't available in aerosol form. I have about 1/3 of a 16 oz bottle left.
Click to expand...


I have like 6 aerosol cans in 24 oz and they're great. The little straw is useless but I usually just spray it on a cleaning rag or directly on my gun/knife then wife it dow . A little bit goes a long way. I also have a few small bottles for my range bags, they work as good as the spray, just a little more work.
 
CanadaKnifeGuy said:
Never been a problem.

A quick Google search shows that coconut oil lasts 2 yrs before going rancid.

It's such a thin coat and it gets worn off sometime before the 2 yrs is up.

You should try it. I've seen tests with mineral oil vs coconut oil (frog lube) and coconut oil destroys thin, wear mineral oil.
Click to expand...
Thanks but I don’t use ether. Mineral oil is fine for cutting boards. I personally wouldn’t use Coconut on a board or knife. I make 99% Stainless Steel Culinary knives & buy SS folders except for the Blade Forums 2017? & 2019 Folders which is 1099
 
I've used Breakfree since the military first adopted it back in the dark ages. It's not quite as good as it was back then but it still works awfully well. I used it for years on competition guns and when shooting matches in the rain and snow none of my carbon steel pistols ever rusted. At all. I also use Dexron ATF for lubing guns, knives, locks and precision machines. Dexron was developed back when sperm whale oil was taken off the market. Sperm whale oil is the best lube anyone has ever found for lubing machines. Precision watch and clock makers used it for hundreds of years. It was used in the first automatic transmissions ever built because it wouldn't break down like everything else they tried. Dexron is a fabulous lube.
 
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