why two different greases? why not just one?

[alantani]

why two different greases?  why not just one?

i get this question alot!  i commonly recommend a pure teflon grease like cal's or shimano drag grease for drag washers only.  then i recommend the yamaha marine grease, or any other general purpose marine grease like omc, for other areas of the reel where a heavy grease is needed? 

so why not just buy a teflon (ptfe) grease and be done with it?  well, you certainly can.  for general purpose (not drag washers) it's less important what you use and more important that you just use something, anything.  i typically scrub the inside of a reel with an old toothbrush to give the inside a light, thin coat.  honestly, what's on the toothbrush is a blend of greases from the last 20 or so reels that i worked on.  the reason for using the yamaha grease is that it won't adsorb salt water (salt water resistant) and will not dry out and crack.  i have seen teflon greases change colors around saltwater (emulsifying) and here's a good example of the shimano grease drying and cracking. 

so, my recommendation?  really the bottom line, use cal's grease for drag washers, and use whatever you have for general purpose.  anything for general purpose is better than nothing at all. 

[Brewcrafter]

Great photo and great lesson, thanks Alan!

[philaroman]

how many yrs. does it take shimano to dry out like that?

mine, in old original containers, is separating a bit (little oil puddles on top)

seems OK to mix it up & use, albeit it never sits in a reel more than a couple years

[alantani]

how many yrs. does it take shimano to dry out like that?

not sure.  this is a pretty old reel!!!!!  i'm guessing maybe 10 years.  no big deal normally for us, but some guys have reels that sit around for 10, 20 or 30 years, maybe even longer!!!!!   

[Donnyboat]

Thanks Alan, good photos, very informative, cheers Don.

[Gobi King]

What just 2?

lol, I don't think most of us will be able to resist the urge to get a few more.

I have 2 Types, yes Sir, but I could not help myself and I probably have other varied brands of marine grease, mostly synthetic.

I use them on my truck, light brush on the parts that are prone to rust.
As I was walking back to my garage and took a dab of the marine grease and brushed it on to threads of my worm drive of my garage door opener, wow, the dang thing was pretty quiet after that.

[Benni3]

I got some Lucas marine grease for the truck has anybody used this on reels?,,,,,,

[Tiddlerbasher]

I like simplicity so I use a single grease. It used to be Mercury 2-4-C with Teflon. It worked fine but the price shot up and it used to split slightly in the grease gun.
Now I use a fully synthetic product called Teflube Plus 2, with teflon. It doesn't split so much. It is a marine grease as well so it gets used on everything including drags. It's been working well.

[oc1]

My understanding I that the Cal's or other teflon grease is used on the drag because it both lubricates and can handle the heat build-up.  Heat build-up is really a concern if you're after tuna, billfish, yellowtail and the like.  Then, there are those of us for whom drag heat build-up is just wishful thinking.  Some may be led to believe it is important to spend the extra bucks for Cal's to use on their pan fish rig when all they really need is a good lubricant.

My gripe about grease, any grease, is that it is difficult to remove.  You can slosh a bit of solvent on parts to remove old oil.  But old grease requires scrubbing, soaking, sonic cleaner, etc.  Going to all the trouble to remove old grease just so you can add new grease seems like busy work.  Personally, I'd rather apply a light oil on a frequent basis and forgo the grease all together.
-steve

[philaroman]

fully agree w/ the overall gripe, but let's play w/ semantics:

grease is easy to remove -- just wipe it off, LOL

on the other hand, various solid debris that the grease attracts, collects, congeals into an unknown substance of dubious chemical properties, solidifies, and eventually petrifies...  well, that's another story -- get the chisel out

what I'm waiting for, is a metal-specific lubricant -- something that sticks to a given metal/alloy group & repels everything else...  wouldn't that be nice?

[nelz]

Too bad about Cal's being prone to drying up. Mixing grease types can be a tough call sometimes though, because the marine grease can start to seep oils into the drag and affect the smoothness provided by drag grease. I have greased several reels with all Cal's, now I'm regretting it! Fear not, life must go on.

[alantani]

there is nothing to worry about.  the grease will hold up just fine.  using cal's grease all through a reel will never really be an issue.  it's just more expensive.

cost is one concern that i really didn't address.  a pound container of shimamo drag grease used to be $50-60 but is no longer available.  a pound of cal's grease is $34 plus shipping, and a 14 ounce cartridge of yamaha marine grease is $17 with amazon prime, half the price of cal's grease. 

[Tiddlerbasher]

A pound of this stuff (actually 400gm) is £10.75
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Synthetic-Multi-Purpose-PTFE-Teflon-Grease-High-Temperature-Water-Resistant-400g/371874087883?hash=item56956c43cb:g:RY0AAOSwKF1c1BVy

I think the most important aspect of this discussion is use any grease/oil rather than nothing.
I use what is available, to me, usually locally. For oil - TSI 321 - for grease Smith & Allan Teflube 2 Plus.
Mantra use something.

[MarkT]

Three 3oz cartridges for mini grease guns for $8.

https://www.amazon.com/Lucas-Oil-10682-Marine-Grease/dp/B00O7CLV1O/ref=asc_df_B00O7CLV1O/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312151579877&hvpos=1o7&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3149620435263250982&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031563&hvtargid=pla-569006610439&psc=1

[nelz]

Three 3oz cartridges for mini grease guns for $8.

Several reviews claim the Lucas tubes come half empty, have you experienced this?