Is This the Best Lube for Fishing Reels?

Wondering what the best lube for fishing reels is? Over the last few months I’ve been forced to try and answer this question for my own selfish needs (especially for my BFS baitcasting reels)...

Why did I start researching the best lube for fishing reels?

Basically, I caused myself some problems and had to admit I needed to invest in some new product(s) to fix and protect the (pretty hefty) investments I'd already made in my BFS reels. For instance, I recently fell in the river and dunked my Daiwa Alphas Air TW 20 – so it needs a clean out and some TLC to keep the performance sweet (and stop future damage). Since that involves a range of different functioning parts inside the reel, it’s unlikely that one single lube can do it all.

However, the very first thing which prompted me to research the best lube for fishing reels was when I stripped down and then added tuning components for my old 1977 Abu Ambassadeur 2500C. I was a bit worried that the new carbon drag washers were putting the ultralight honeycomb spool at risk…

So I started looking for what people used for Drag Grease – and two things came up. First of all, the most established and well known seems to be Cal’s – but then I started to hear some really interesting things about the new kid on the block; Deuthlon…

Cal’s Drag Grease

This is one of the widely known and respected grease products – particularly when talking about application to Carbontex drag washers. It contains a version of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) – a fluorocarbon which, as a solid has an exceptionally low coefficient of friction (it's what makes TEFLON non-stick). More on PTFE later...

Users report good performance for consistent drag (particularly in saltwater applications) with Cal's drag grease – while some also note that Cal's tends to “blacken” up a bit more quickly than some other greases. Again, more on that subject further down in this article...

My particular challenge was that I knew that, as well as treating my carbontex drag washers, I’d need reel lube products with different characteristics for the best performance of other parts of my reels. If possible, I’d want to avoid going to multiple different suppliers for each component. So I held off from buying the Cal’s…

That was when I became aware of Deuthlon.

I’d just managed my first ever successful strip down and rebuild of my Ambassadeur and posted a short video about that when the folks at Deuthlon contacted me and said “Have you tried our Starter Pack?”. I’d just started to see some of their product photos appearing online and I was very intrigued.

Though, naturally, I was also highly suspicious of new “miracle” products. More often than not, it seems that sensational promises turn out to fall far short of reality...

Now, before I go any further, the Spoiler Alert is that I actually ended up being so impressed with the results from the Deuthlon products that I am now very happy to promote their reel maintenance products. The rest of this article, then, explains the reasons why I feel that this selection of products is the best lube for fishing reels for me. At the same time, I realise that I run the risk of you thinking "he's only saying it's good because of commission".

All I can say is that I hope it's obvious how dumb it would be for me to burn my credibility to the ground on the back of saying something I don't believe (and which turns out to be crap when you use it yourself). However, the cost of finding out whether my praise is misplaced has been cut down by a quarter by the folks at Deuthlon if you use my link below for your First order only:

As mentioned above, the challenge in finding one single best lube for fishing reels is that there are different properties needed for different functions…

Best Lube for Fishing Reels: Bearings and “Light-oil” Applications

When it comes to lubrication of bearings, there is a real risk (particularly with micro-bearings for BFS fishing) that adding any thick, viscous liquid or grease will actually reduce casting performance. That means, as well as only ever applying the tiniest pin-drop, the lubricant needs to be a really light, low-viscosity oil.

The flip-side of this is lower viscosity lubricants may be easily washed (or rubbed, or spun) away.

Here’s where it gets interesting; check out this demo video of Deuthlon’s Cast Lube compared to other leading brand light/bearing oils:

The above video actually demonstrates the Trademarked “Aqua-shield” technology (rather than Dust-Shield, which we’ll get to). The powerful water-repelling behaviour is super important in preventing the Cast Lube being washed out of your components. It is also key in protecting against internal rusting. Deuthlon also incorporate another trademarked technology in their “Dust-Shield” formulation. Again, repelling dirt and dust should significantly reduce the wear and increase performance of your reel components.

This is what Deuthlon have to say:

Now that all sounds pretty impressive, and perhaps a bit too good to be true...However, my experience with using the Cast Lube on my Ambassadeur would seem to bear this out...Having also dunked that reel in the river while trying to photograph fish recently! 

Here's a before/after video demonstration with an easy-to-see bearing (on a fidget spinner!):

The biggest difference I've seen between Deuthlon Cast Lube and other (main brand) light oils is by rubbing on sheets of paper. With conventional oils, the maximum lubrication happens when the lubricant remains wet and oily (which stands to reason). However, as the oils and other ingredients evaporate, the paper sheets start to squeak as the friction increases.

The big contrast is with Cast Lube - where only 20% of the total lubrication and friction reduction relies on the lube being liquid; the remaining 80% of lubrication is due to the dried formulation. 

The major problem with relying on wet lubricants is that they gather dirt and dust - turning them into a kind of "sand paper" - that is the function of the Dust-Shield technology. Unlike the lubricants which become grimy and darken over time (as mentioned above in relation to drag grease), the Deuthlon products resist the accumulation of grime.

Best Lube for Fishing Reels: Reel Gear Ceramic Grease

Applying Deuthlon's "ceramic" white Reel Gear Grease (blue label tin) to to the 40-year old brass gears of my Ambassadeur legitimately transformed the reeling action from gritty to buttery smooth.

The manufacturers claim:

Since my experiences exactly match those claims, I was keen to hear some of the reasons behind it. This is what the makers replied to my questions regarding the Ceramic Reel Gear Grease:

Best Drag Grease

In common with the Cal's Drag grease, Deuthlon Power Drag grease contains a type of PTFE as an active ingredient. This ensures a creamy smooth drag release even under extremely high pressure, high load, and high temperatures with little to no fading.
The special features of Deuthlon Power Drag Grease include the fact it is polarized for superb bonding on substrates while providing excellent protection against corrosion (even when in regular salt-water contact).

Here's a summary of the Power Drag Grease Features:

Here's how it achieves those features:

From my own usage perspective, this drag grease transformed the drag-release to an exceptionally smooth start-up. I'm far more comfortable with using the honeycomb spool without worrying that a hard hit from a fish is going to deform it.

Deuthlon Semi-Fluid Grease

Greases are known for their durability in lubricating bearings but have a poor coefficient of friction, which make bearings heavy to operate. Oil based lubricants provide a very low coefficient of friction for bearings to operate as light as possible but offer poor durability...

Deuthlon's Semi Fluid Grease strikes a balance between durability and low coefficient of friction for use in bearings and light load gears found in fishing reels. I found it brilliant for applying to the plastic "idler" gearing in the Ambassadeur - as well as the clutch-release mechanism (previously the button to engage "free spool" was pretty janky and stiff)

The lightest film applied to the worm drive also helped the pawl glide smoothly along the drive thread. 

As well as the polarized/adhesion properties and extreme water/washout resistance, the semi fluid grease features:

Best Lube for Fishing Reels: Roundup

It's pretty obvious that, after my initial doubts, I have to admit that all the components of the starter-pack actually did deliver on their promise - and they can realistically be judged as the best lube for fishing reels on the market. Since Deuthlon have created a "one-stop-shop", it's very convenient to sort all of my initial pain-points. Whether it's restoring youthful functionality to old reels, taking pre-emptive measures to protect new reels against corrosion - or even making up for an accidental dunking (guilty) - then you've got everything you need in this range.

If you're a power-user, there are larger individual containers available to buy separately. For more occasional use, the starter pack has plenty to keep you going while you discover the jobs each lubricant is ideally suited to.

You can find out whether these products are what your reel needs for 25% off the regular price on your first purchase using the button below.

You'll need to register an account so that the 50% discount code is automatically applied from my link when you go to the final checkout page.

Paul