Lubricants. Are we all flipping nuts?

PURPLEDC

PURPLEDC

Joined
Apr 4, 2007
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So I was using a well known super lube from one of the countless providers of the stuff lately and I noticed some very close similarities to Mobil one engine oil. The color, smell, viscosity all identical. Then I did some digging and found I'm not the only conspiracy theorist about this. And it sorta makes sense. Mobil one has properties that would work well in a car and those same conditions are found in many guns. And just like some of these gun oil super lubes Mobil one has anti wear additives that are activated by heat and "bond" to metal surfaces. I know Mobil one has detergents that are said to be harmful to certain metals and this was also a big concern over certain gun lubes. Thinking about it how many incredibly gifted geniuses have seriously developed a brand new lubrication technology as well as the carrier substance. And wouldn't this material have a broader application than knives and guns? Sometimes I really do think some guys are watching the latest infomercial on the latest synthetic oil or oil additive adapting their jargon for their application and buying squeeze syringes on fleabay whilst hiding under the guise of a proprietary secret formula. Anyone else think some companies might be selling us some slick 50 at a 1000% up charge?
 
I do think that all lubes function pretty much the same. Sure there are some differences, but if a Ford Taurus engine will run 300,000 miles on plain Jane 10W40, my Spyderco will flip open for a couple of weeks with a squirt of whatever. I hunt out and collect a lot of the supposed super lubes because its fun, but honestly its pretty much a waste of time. But $49 for 24cc of NanoLube? I don't think so.
 
A lot of rifle competitors use Mobil One is their ARs. Why? The conditions in shooting an AR are very similar to what goes on in an internal combustion engine. Heat, friction, carbon, etc.
As power noodle said, it's fun to mess with super lubes, but from the practical standpoint, it's a waste of time and money. Really, is opening a folder a dozen times a day going wear it out?

I have a 14 year old small Sebenza that has been through the washing machine at least once a year. (Accidentally) It has never seen a drop of lube and is as tight and smooth as the day
it was made. Of course, this is knife forum, so it attracts people with OCD. :D
 
I agree with the op .I personally think there's a lot of " snake oil" out there to thin out our wallets. I think Mobil 1 is good enough for my knives and guns also. I use mineral oil when they might contact food , but if my knife has Mobil 1 or whatever on it and I need to cut food , I'll just wipe the blade. I'm sure in the end it won't be .000001% of synthetic lube that I left on my knife when I cut a steak that contributed to my demise. :cool:
 
I think what I was really asking wasnt whether any of the "super lubes" are worth the price of admission but rather do you guys think any of them are being less than honest with what is actually in the bottle they are selling. In other words how do I know that brand X super lube isnt really just a vial of mobil one that some dude poored into a syringe and told us all that its the latest greatest lubricant? I have asked a couple of these "manufacturers" and they one of them claims they use a sythetic oil with an additive to achieve the high lubricity. So even that could simply be synthetic motor oil with one of those bottles of prolong added to it. Im just wondering If any of these so called "armament lubricants" are really anything more that readily available items that any of us could blend ourselves and get the same results. It seems like these companies sprout up out of nowhere and from people who have no real education in the fields they would need to have to develop such items. I think the only reason we havent seen purple gun and knife lube is because everyone would know its just relabled royal purple.
 
If you're looking for a good gun oil, I've heard that Mystery Oil is amazing. I haven't used it on mine, but a good friend said it was the best he's ever used.
 
I teach and coach kids in action pistol. I've been lucky enough to rub shoulders with some adult champions, all sponsored by gun manufacturers. Synthetic motor oil is a big favorite of theirs for lubing their "must work" semi autos. But they get a couple of new guns every couple of years and they clean obsessively. So I'm convinced motor oils lubricate great. I'm less convinced they have proven long-term corrosion protection. So for a gun or knife that is very valuable and will get put away for years I might choose something else.
 
I buy a can of tri flow and use it for everything...
Gun, knife around the house and car
works fine
Just my .02
 
Gun oil seems to do the trick for me.
The apostleP has a YouTube video comparison.
 
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For lube....lots of products work just as well as the "super lube". BTW "Super Lube" is a GREAT product. Corrosion protection is a different story. And good ole Break Free comes out close to champion!!!!
 
I know a guy that does a LOT of shooting. For quite some time, he and other enthusiasts he knows have been using Mobil One instead of "gun oils" and have had no problems at all. They are good about maintenance though, so they are lubricating when the weapon needs it, etc, especially with ARs.

For a while (I think an entire year?) he decided to run his primary pistol with vegetable oil as the lube. He reported that it smelled like popping popcorn, but other than that, it ran the same as with other lubricants and again, he noted no unusual behavior.

When you think about the cost per ounce compared to a high tech gun oil, Mobile One really does seem like a steal. It would be an almost lifetime supply for people that don't shoot much and way more than a lifetime supply for even an enthusiastic knife collector.

Brian.
 
I use Mobil 1 in all of my firearms. Zero problems. I used to use it on my folders as well. Now I use Remington drilube. This seems to repel pocket lint a little better.
 
I just don't think you would want to put it in a gun that is going to be stored for any amount of time. I knew a gunsmith who made a lot of money off a guy that had been lubing a revolver with motor oil, and it was gummed up bad.
 
To insert my hypothetical inexperienced knife .02 into the equation, I know that certain engine oils have phosphorus and zinc added which are metal lubricants. These additives used to be in all of the conventional oils used prior to catalytic converters. They were found to clog the cats up over time and engine manufacturing got away from flat tappet technologies so the additives were no longer beneficial.

Now I know many knife manufactures use a phosphorus/bronze thrust washers. So obviously makers like benchmade and others have noticed the Benifits of these metal lubricants.

I say all of that to say this...

I have several quarts of brad penn 10w30 high zinc/phosphorus oil out in the garage. Thinking about trying some out. If anyone is into cars whether it be flat tappet v8 or high revving turbo 4 banger, you may enjoy reading this.

http://store.forcedperformance.net/...Performance Recommendations for Motor Oil.pdf

I am thinking about disassembling my new mini ritter and throwing a dab on the washers

I should have mentioned that I currently use tri flo. Not super impressed with it but it's the first lube I've used on a nice knife. Custom mini barrage about a month ago and now a mini ritter a few days ago.
 
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I just want to mention Balistol: http://www.ballistol.com/

I started using this stuff on my guns (I shoot USPSA competitions) and it has been incredible as both lubricant and cleaner. My barrels have become seasoned by the balistol and tend to soil less quickly and become easier to clean with time.

I also use this oil on my knives and to maintain leather/wood tools. It is really good stuff, and can be used for basically everything.

available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=balistol&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=34345072069&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4939075756048783616&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2c4dke36jh_e
 
Fluid Film for the win for an all around lube and corrosion resistance. I've been at this a long time and I have never found a better bang for the buck item.
 
I used the Nano. I used the Quick Release and another Big Name one. When I bought my first Emerson I read a thread where Ernie spoke of what they used and More Importantly What they use and why.

It made sense what he said so I put it to the test. I took apart and cleaned four of my most used folders and replaced the oil.

I haven't had to add anything to any of those knives since that night and the CQC-7bw and the Super7 were with me when I went swimming more than a handful of times and they are now smoother than the night I changed it up. Big plus is that I don't have to worry about salt water anymore. There will be a handful of occasions in this upcoming year where that would have been a concern.
 
While we are talking lube, what are people using to polish their washers and blade where the washers come into contact? After disassembly of my mini ritter, it looks like those surfaces need to be polished. It's a stone washed blade so there is much to be desired there. I added the brad penn and it is much smoother than with the tri flo. I think the tri flo is almost too thin. I haven't even used this knife yet so they may break in but I would rather polish and know then to wait.
 
Many years ago at the Grand American trapshoot I asked Perazzi what I should use for lube on my new shotgun they had just finished hand fitting to me (a process I don't recommend anyone faint of heart watching), at that time and probably much worse now there were dozens of high priced grease, oil, combo lubes etc., even some Perazzi sold under their own name. The translator (the guy working on my gun only spoke Italian) said "Motor oil" I asked again to make sure, and he explained they preferred oil over grease to prevent galling and as long as the gun was cleaned and lubed now and then any oil would work fine, but they liked motor oil because it tended to stay in place and migrate to any place you missed lubing.

It's not that I don't think there are better lubes for certain applications, say for example a mountain bike chain that not only needs to lube but resist attracting dirt/dust, but I think in most cases these super expensive fancy lubes are not significantly better except for under the most extreme conditions. None of which are likely to be encountered in a pocket knife.
 
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