Different types of grease

[FatTuna]

Do you guys prefer using different types of grease for different types of reels? For example, is it preferable to use Penn blue on freshwater reels? I did some tiny 1000 sized reels and the reels are smooth but the handle is hard to turn. My instinct tells me that the grease is too viscous. Should I just cut it down with some reel X?

All I use for all of my reels is Penn reel grease and Cal's for drags.

[johndtuttle]

Do you guys prefer using different types of grease for different types of reels? For example, is it preferable to use Penn blue on freshwater reels? I did some tiny 1000 sized reels and the reels are smooth but the handle is hard to turn. My instinct tells me that the grease is too viscous. Should I just cut it down with some reel X?

All I use for all of my reels is Penn reel grease and Cal's for drags.

After a time you get a preference for certain greases for certain reels and tiny spinners are notoriously sensitive to grease.

Cutting with Corrosion-x works perfectly, or you can just use oil. I remember panicking once when I dropped a rod/reel in a stream...and then I realized that being fresh water it really wouldn't harm a thing once the reel dried.

Point being, the freshwater environment is very benign and simple oil is probably fine for tiny spinners.

I like Penn Blue for larger spinners, but at the other end of the spectrum if you find some heavy, tacky, generic marine grease it is perfect for large SW conventionals. They don't even notice it and you want maximum adhesion to the gears etc.

You just got to tailor your choices to your taste and balance that with protection as indicated.

[LTM]

X2 on what John said,

I use the blue yamaha marine grease and slowed down ALL of my penn ss spinners. So, for future maintenance to these reels Im introducing a drop or two or three of TSI oil to the enviroment and brush around until a major service and clean. Since then Ive made a seperate small jar of CUT yamaha marine grease with about 25% TSI oil (not solvent). I use this on my level wind and any spinners going forward. I would like to find a very small container to put some of this in that I can put a needle/syringe tip on and use for spinner bearings and level-wind reel bearings. Just make sure you use a straight oil and not an oil with solvent added.

Leo

[FatTuna]

Do you guys prefer using different types of grease for different types of reels? For example, is it preferable to use Penn blue on freshwater reels? I did some tiny 1000 sized reels and the reels are smooth but the handle is hard to turn. My instinct tells me that the grease is too viscous. Should I just cut it down with some reel X?

All I use for all of my reels is Penn reel grease and Cal's for drags.

After a time you get a preference for certain greases for certain reels and tiny spinners are notoriously sensitive to grease.

Cutting with Corrosion-x works perfectly, or you can just use oil. I remember panicking once when I dropped a rod/reel in a stream...and then I realized that being fresh water it really wouldn't harm a thing once the reel dried.

Point being, the freshwater environment is very benign and simple oil is probably fine for tiny spinners.

I like Penn Blue for larger spinners, but at the other end of the spectrum if you find some heavy, tacky, generic marine grease it is perfect for large SW conventionals. They don't even notice it and you want maximum adhesion to the gears etc.

You just got to tailor your choices to your taste and balance that with protection as indicated.

Thanks for that write up John. I will open her back up and add some oil in with the grease. They are freshwater reels but they will be used in the salt for squid "fishing". If it still feels too heavy I will clean it out. Would the Corrosion X alone be adequate in a saltwater environment?

[johndtuttle]

Do you guys prefer using different types of grease for different types of reels? For example, is it preferable to use Penn blue on freshwater reels? I did some tiny 1000 sized reels and the reels are smooth but the handle is hard to turn. My instinct tells me that the grease is too viscous. Should I just cut it down with some reel X?

All I use for all of my reels is Penn reel grease and Cal's for drags.

After a time you get a preference for certain greases for certain reels and tiny spinners are notoriously sensitive to grease.

Cutting with Corrosion-x works perfectly, or you can just use oil. I remember panicking once when I dropped a rod/reel in a stream...and then I realized that being fresh water it really wouldn't harm a thing once the reel dried.

Point being, the freshwater environment is very benign and simple oil is probably fine for tiny spinners.

I like Penn Blue for larger spinners, but at the other end of the spectrum if you find some heavy, tacky, generic marine grease it is perfect for large SW conventionals. They don't even notice it and you want maximum adhesion to the gears etc.

You just got to tailor your choices to your taste and balance that with protection as indicated.

Thanks for that write up John. I will open her back up and add some oil in with the grease. They are freshwater reels but they will be used in the salt for squid "fishing". If it still feels too heavy I will clean it out. Would the Corrosion X alone be adequate in a saltwater environment?

Yes, no....maybe. Can you repeat the question  ?

That's what I meant by being vague and saying "as indicated".

Corrosion-X will protect anything, it just depends on how long you go between re-application. It won't protect as long as grease.

How much protection you need will vary tremendously. Your average reel gets practically nothing for lube but still holds up for years because it practically never gets used.

Other reels get unlucky, get salty on one trip and a year later are frozen up.

Guys fish some spinners completely packed with heavy grease because they fish the reels underwater etc etc etc and only replace the grease at the end of the season... So uses can vary tremendously. I would not try this with corrosion-x alone.

So, you can use just corrosion-x, at the cost of continual vigilance and frequent re-application. But grease lets you fish without concern for far longer.

You just have to find your comfort zone, pay your money and take your chances. 

I do think that generic marine grease with corrosion-x thinner can be made very light and is tremendous protection.

[Three se7ens]

Ive been using Rem-oil to thin blue marine grease here lately.  Its a very light oil, much lighter than corrosion x.  I also sometimes use rem-oil by itself on spool bearings.  It gives great freespool, but its doesnt stay long.

[FatTuna]

Ive been using Rem-oil to thin blue marine grease here lately.  Its a very light oil, much lighter than corrosion x.  I also sometimes use rem-oil by itself on spool bearings.  It gives great freespool, but its doesnt stay long.

Thanks Adam. I'll definitely look into that.

[Reel 224]

The three lubes that I have been using are Cals for the drag washers.Yama-Lube on the interior gears. 301&321 on the spool bearings and Bail system on spinning gear. All recommendations from Alan and Brian and a few others here. So far seams to be working just fine.