What works well to lubricate your reel looking for any easy solution. Vaseline? Wd40?

Gears get "reel grease" and bearings get "reel oil". I am no expert but I would keep vaseline and WD40 away from you reels. Are you working on spinning gear or baitcasting gear?

Spinning

here is a youtube video going over basic spinning reel maintenance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJcNgunOhrU

Oil! Household oil. The stuff u add to hinges to stop squeaking. For a simple answer there it is. Wd40 is not a long term lubricant. Vasiline I think will goo up after it collects dirt. In a pinch when I was camping and dropped a reel in water...I've used motor oil on my spinning reel. Applied with my finger.

I don't really see any reason to use oil on a spinning reel. The only oil I use on any of my spinning reels is maybe a drop on the line roller in between cleanings.  Everything else gets grease. 

 

The only place I use oil on casting reels is the spool bearings and worm gear. And possibly a tiny amount on the brake drum and AR collar. 

Super lube is a great grease for reels and it's cheap compared to the tiny amount you get with most reel greases. 

 

Wd40 is worthless for anything! 

You don't need anything fancy or expensive but Vaseline and wd40 are not lubricants. On the cheap: sewing machine oil for spool bearings, marine grease for gears, gear oil for sliding parts, level wind and support bearings. 

6 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

You don't need anything fancy or expensive but Vaseline and wd40 are not lubricants. On the cheap: sewing machine oil for spool bearings, marine grease for gears, gear oil for sliding parts, level wind and support bearings. 

That's interesting, what type and weight gear oil do you use for non spool bearings? Any issues with the thick gear oil in cold weather? 

 

I've been using a spray grease on the worm gear in my stradics and it works really well. It's an automotive lube made by wurth, I think it's called hh-s hinge lube. 

I use 80-140 gear oil precisely for the range of temperature. It's easier to get into a bearing than packing with grease and gives a more free feeling. The spray grease is not a bad choice for the level wind. The idea there is that regular grease attracts contaminants and gums up in the exposed application .