Spyderco Forums

What's the preferred product to lube Spydercos?
Thanks.

I like Nano-Oil for pivots.

Hi DJD!


My first response lube is the Nano Oil as well, for metal liner folders.

For no liners, or for FRN I don't use any lube.

I prefer FP-10 lube for my knives. Not only does it work well on pivots, etc., but it also has a pleasant smell. :) It works well on firearms too.

I would think that some type of dry lube, such as Rem-Dri, applied parsimoniously with a cotton swab, might work well. It won't pick up lint, dirt, etc. the way that oil will.

As Trout Hound mentioned....have the oils mentioned ever seem to collect lint or dust?? Just curious if anyone has experienced that and gone to a dry lube.

DJD wrote:As Trout Hound mentioned....have the oils mentioned ever seem to collect lint or dust?? Just curious if anyone has experienced that and gone to a dry lube.

No, I've not noticed that, but I think the key is to use any type of lube very sparingly.

Nano oil works well, I also use a graphite based lube called Dri-slide bike aid, I started using this on my throttle cables some time ago and have found it works great for knives also.

Just Use It...seriously use it / open it a lot...

My EDC is a Spderco gray Calypso Jr. ...

It has never seen a drop of oil...

I wash it with soap & warm water then dry with a blow dryer as needed...

Still opens, closes, & locks up as good as the day I bought it...

Not trying to be a wise guy here, but oil & lubes can invite & retain grit / gunk if over-used...just use it as is out of the box...

Nano oil is a good choice if you must use a liquid lube...but go very easy as SpyderNut advised...

Frog Lube if you want a dry lube...good luck!

Thanks for the replies!

Just having bought a new Spydie I was wondering the same thing.

So far I have not put any oil on mine because of all the dust and dirt where I am. Plus I figure it will help break in what for me seems like a very stiff knife.

What if you use your knife for food prep? What lubricant then?

Mineral oil? Wax? Vegetable oil? Bacon grease?

Bolster wrote:What if you use your knife for food prep? What lubricant then?

Mineral oil? Wax? Vegetable oil? Bacon grease?

Mineral oil, of those you have listed...

The other two will go rancid...

FrogLube is paste that you melt on with a hair dryer, it then "seasons" the steel (think: like how you prep a cast iron skillet), & then dries on it leaving behind a slicker surface...

Plus it's food safe, I've had good luck with it

+1 on mineral oil for food prep. I use it to oil my carbon Mora for that reason.

I most all times use M-Pro7.
Sometimes, I'll use Weapon Shield w/ its needle applicator. Its from the same inventor as FP10. And, it smells good too :)

FP-10 here as well, must be a Hoosier thing? :D I love the smell.

I've used it for years! Good on garage door rollers and patio door tracks too.

Another vote for MPro7 LPX. Also, Breakfree CLP is good stuff too.

WireEdge Roger wrote:FP-10 here as well, must be a Hoosier thing? :D I love the smell.

I've used it for years! Good on garage door rollers and patio door tracks too.

Haha! It must be a Hoosier thing is right. I've been using FP-10 on my guns/knives for the past 16-18 years. Like you said, it works well in many different applications around the house too. Plus, the smell is very pleasant. :)

i tried many sorts of american oil products and never liked any of them.

so i use the same lube as i use to my fishing reels.
cals universal reel & star drag grease on some knives.
but for most i use TG´s rocket fuel red label.
good stuff.

Keep them clean. That's the most important thing. You don't need to take them apart to clean them either, just work the pivot in soapy water then work the pivot under running water, blow out with compressed air and drop in a few dops of pretty much any kind of lubricant you have access to. Lots of people over complicate this topic, and the lubes being used are so overkill for such a simple mechanism. While some lubes will no doubt be silkier than others, you can drop some common 3-In-1 household oil and get a smooth action. Dry lubes have their pros and cons just as wet lubes do. I've found that White Lightning make both types and they all work very well for knife pivots and can easily be found at Walmart for cheap and a bottle will last you years.