I know the ENDS of the spool shaft should have a dot of oil on them, but does the shaft itself require lubrication? I've heard conflicting opinions on this, but lubing it seems like the free spool would be affected. Thanks.

I put a very thin coat of grease on mine.

NONE.... It slows down the spool. Keep the shaft clean and free of oil, and grease.

I put a very thin coat of grease on mine.

NO NO NO!

Go out of your way to run them dry!

NO NO NO!

Go out of your way to run them dry!

why? Less friction metal to metal, less wear. Also, dont see any gain to run them dry.

The tolerances are too close for oil to benefit it and it will slow the spool down.

Yes, keep the spool shafts dry and clean. Only a speck, and a speck of oil on the spool tension pads in the covers. I also periodically run a pipe cleaner through the pinion gear to keep it clear of anything. The comment above is correct in that the tolerances for spool shafts and pinion gears are so close that any oil, or grease is only going to slow down the spool. The bearings provide the RPM. Any professional reel cleaning/tuning service will agree on no oil/grease on spool shafts.

Dry. The tolerance and finish on the pinion and shaft do not require lube.

Thanks!

Check this out, it's worth the time.

Dry. The tolerance and finish on the pinion and shaft do not require lube.

X2

Good info. Thanks guys