JD Spydo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:19 am
Many of those newer gun lubes have come a long ways as far as lubricity>> they just seem to get better each year. I was told by a friend of mine that Frog Lube is food safe. And I've seen that claimed by quite a few people on certain websites as well. But again I mostly just use fixed blade knives on food so any type of lube is not an issue with me at all. I just want to use what has the best lube properties.
Re: the "newer" lubes and claims of advanced lubricity, remember that some well-regarded lubes, most prominently Froglube, are just dressed-up fatty oils. If they're claimed to be food-safe, it's likely because they're food-based, and you could get similar performance with oils from your pantry.
Froglube specifically is based on an old rollercoaster "tracklube," and it's almost certainly just coconut oil with a wintergreen scent additive.
See analysis here. See
a broader survey here. See
one lube "manufacturer" suing a blogger and chemist over the truth about their soybean-oil-based gun lube here.
I point this out because I think more people in the gun/knife community should be skeptical of the "specialized" claims of lubes. It's not that I think any of the top-dollar lubes won't do their jobs, just that they aren't doing the job any better than a similar oil (similar weight, specifically) that's easy to find at much lower prices. It's not a bad product, but it is deceptive marketing.
For a knife pivot, the two things I really care about are:
- Oil weight (thinner is better on knives that flick open, but not so thin that it just wicks away)
- Rust prevention
Nano oil gives you the option of buying different weights, and I respect them for that. Their hype about lubricity is almost 100% baloney. Any oil of a similar weight will give similar results. Identical? I can't say that for sure, as there are too many variables in the actual use of the product, but I'm confident that you could refill most nano-oil applicators with motor oil or ATF of the same weight and nobody would notice.
CRK's fluorinated grease (probably re-packaged Krytox by Chemours/formerly DuPont) is basically the highest-lubricity substance you can find. But it's too thick to use as a grease in many knife pivots. Lower friction coefficients do not always make better lube.
On the list of things that matter for a well-functioning knife pivot, things like alignment of the scales/liners, lockbar pressure and dirt getting trapped in the pivot are infinitely more important than the additive package of the lube.