Nano oil vs grease

jwh720

jwh720

Joined
Feb 21, 2016
Messages
1,560
Hey everyone, I just received my first CRK a few days ago, its a plain large 21. I have taken it apart and cleaned it a couple of times while "breaking it in" This last time I put it back together with 5w nano oil and it seems like it is a little smoother than with the flouro grease. Does anyone else use nano oil or do you guys strictly stay with the grease?


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I never disassembled my CRKs, but just squirted Nano around the pivot. It seemed to help quite a bit. YMMV.
 
I am no scholar in the benefits and disadvantages of the different lubricants, but I believe what you said makes common sense. The lighter Nano oil would feel smoother, while the grease would last longer. I use grease on disassembled knives and touch up locks with Nano from the exterior as I feel needed. I don't know if it is good to do this or not, but I don't disassemble some of my other brand knives and just use Nano from the exterior, so I do it on Sebenzas also.. If you do use the grease you don't need to glob it on. A little goes a long way
 
Avoid nano oil if you can. its expensive snake oil. stay away from snake oil. there is a history of this snake oil salesman. a comparison of other oils shows they do the same or better than nano.

any other lubrication you just want to treat the metal to protect it. so a drop or two then wipe off the excess with a qtip. you will think you wiped it all off, but there is a thin layer on it, that is all you need. grease is different... but a little goes a long way.

its also suggested to not use nano oil with CRK's.

use CRK grease or finishline. There is a concoction you could try here http://blades-blades-blades.blogspot.sg/2015/08/take-down-111-mrbs.html
he uses it for ball bearings tho. i havent tested it on any CRK's.
Anvil's F(x) 38 "Wasabi-Mayo" : 70/30 concoction of Shimano Durace Ace Bearing grease and Chris King Spline lube + a couple drops of ZX1 Micro Oil.
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Peter Hartwig said:
Could you elaborate a bit? Is this a statement from CRK?
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yes from what i recall. we had a discussion about it on Instagram between a few guys. i couldnt find the post again because Instagram doesnt have a way to search anything you have commented on. but one of the guys said that CRK said to not use it.
 
An old saying amongst mechanics and engineers is "if it works, don't touch it".
 
I guess this is blasphemy but , Once I open and clean a Reg or 21 family knife, I don't use any lube, but tend to wash frequently with warm water and dish soap, then blow dry. I use them in food prep daily... They always seem smooth and easy to open/close.
 
I used JUST Nano oil one time. Worked great for a little while (few months) and then the smoothness went away. I opened up the CRK and it was bone dry. I went back to using CRK grease
 
Thanks for the replies I think I will go back to the CRK grease, just putting it on lightly this time. I may have had to much before.


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I just recently got a Grayman Dua. Construction is amazingly similar to CRK 21 with the pivot bushing and bronze washers. I pulled it apart 2nd day I had it to clean and lube. Whipped off the "oil" on the insides. Not sure what it was, but it was a bit dirty and while it was fairly smooth... well, I just like taking them a part and making them my own. I used CRK grease when I put it back together, not a lot, but just a bit like I do on my CRKs. Wow, super smooth now. Not bad before, but really nice now. I like the CRK grease. I use it sparingly. I don't own any nano oil.
 
Peter Hartwig said:
Is that Canadian Bacon(you may not call it that) fat? :)
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Ha! I mix it with Canadian Club Rye Whiskey and a dash of Canada Dry ginger ale to get the exact blend.

To answer the OPs question the CRK grease is the way to go. I've tried a lot of things, but have decided it works the best for these reasons:

1-the carrier fluid evaporates and leaves the flouro-film behind so it doesn't attract lint or run out of the pivot.

2-the CRK grease is food-safe

3-the price is reasonable if you need to buy it (when compared to similar volumes of the Cristolube dive cylinder grease that CRK is repackaging). I've never needed to buy any mind you.

4- it doesn't smell

5- it is waterproof (designed for the diving industry). I wash my knife in the sink every day. The CRK grease stays put.

6-it is temperature stable (I often use my knife, outdoors, in very cold weather.....since it's not an "oil", it doesn't change viscousity and get harder to open)

7-you get pretty much a lifetime supply if you buy a CRK new.

8-the grease is designed to prevent galling and corrosion between dissimilar metals, so I don't have any concerns the different metals of the washers, pivot, and blade are going to affect each other.

CRK grease all-the-way for me.
 
CRK grease, and I actually use it on my other folders as well...

What I like about it is it lasts and lasts and...you get the point.

I am sure that there is some "magic oil" I could use that would initially feel smoother, but I've been there with other folders and that never lasts.
Not sure how much "smoother" I need my CRK to be anyway?!
 
The CRK supplied lube works great but i do find it a bit thin and runny. Too much applied will smear the lock face making my sebenza stick somewhat. It took me a while to realise this. Then I changed to thicker food grade bearing grease from SKF. Its smooth, stays put and doesn leak everywhere. It also helps to 'hold' the washers during assembly of my 21 sebenza.
 
buy a tube of finish line fluoro grease.... and forget anything else

(non-dealer link removed by bhyde)
 
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I have tried using oil with my CRKs, but always go back to the grease. Oils tend, as mentioned above, to simply not last long enough and the grease CRK provides works great:thumbup:
 
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