line butter conditioner

[Hankzudd]

now useful is this stuff for braid? Mono?

just heard about it, didn't know i needed it.

one brand better than the other?

[Brewcrafter]

Realistically, and I may be in the minority here - I'm thinking it's snake oil.  Now, once upon a time (yeah I'm that old) lines, particularly fly lines, needed to be cared for and recieve maintenance (floatant, etc).  Modern lines - not so much.  Replace regularly as you should be already and you should be fine.  I don't think chemical treatments are going to do anything positive in that regard. - john

[oc1]

Line is cheap and it's easy enough to replace the working end.  If line looks like it needs to be oiled, then it's time to replace it.  Also, if you can rub it on then it can be rubbed off onto something.  The rod, reel, hands?

[quang tran]

I have been using wax for both mono and braid .These wax that we use at work for canning machine as food grade lubricate ,it help reduce line stick together and release from spool better .Also I use these on bicycle chain

[jurelometer]

Sounds like folks mostly use it for making the line more limp. More limp usually means less hard.  Less hard usually means less abrasion resistant.

Not a chemist, but from my experience with the fly line products, I would bet that these general purpose line products are most likely just a variation of silicone spray lube.

The actual form of silicone used is called polydimethylsiloxane, which is viscoelastic, meaning that it can act as both a liquid and an elastic solid depending on the environment (maybe heat related?)  The idea is that it will be in an elastic form after application, allowing it to stick to the line better.  I don't have a clue on whether any transition to liquid is happening when you are making a cast, or whether the product in the elastic form already has a lower coefficient of friction than the bare line.

Some questions to consider:

1.  Will it interfere with knot strength?
2.  Will it get where you don't want it (mist in your eyes when casting, contaminating clothing or your ham sandwich, etc.)?
3.  Is there a compelling need?
4. Is it toxic to humans or to aquatic life?

If you really want to try the stuff:

There are lots of products out there.  The ones packaged and marketed for fishing rarely have any ingredient information or a safety data sheet.

Aerospace 303 is a general purpose silicone spray product for plastics that is well regarded for fly line dressing (mostly for less friction helping distance casting performance) and is rumored to be the source of at least one fishing specific product.  And it has a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), so you can get an idea on the risks- which appear to be on the low side.  There are very similar competing products as well. I would consider trying something like this first.

And I would still just put some on a rag, pinch and wind for the casting portion of the line, and not go wild blasting the spool with a shot from the spray can.

Personally, I am in the less is more camp, and skip these kind of products.

Regarding waxing braid: there is the possibility that wax will help silt/grit stick to the line which could speed up the degradation of fibers, weakening the line and also possibly contribute to guide wear.  It probably depends on where you fish.

If you try something, let us know what you find out!

-J