When cleaning ones reel, do you disassemble your reel to do so? Or do you just do a basic cleaning? I always thought you had to disassemble your reel to clean it all the time. 

 And would you use the manufactures products to grease and oil your reels? Thanks ahead of time for your replies.

If it's a 'quick' clean - no. I just take off the brake-side plate, take out the spool, flush the bearings and put a couple drops of oil on. Quick flush of the level-wind pawl and a couple drops there too.

 

Yearly clean in the spring before the season opens (bass is closed here from end of February to mid-May) - I do a complete tear-down clean.

 

I've been using Abu Garcia grease and oil since my first reel (a Mitchell 320 spinner) back in the late 60s...haven't seen a need to change even though I don't own any Abu reels - Mitchell, Diawa, Pflueger is what I have.

I usually just service my reels in winter/early spring when I'm getting the fishing itch. If my reels get dirty throughout the season I'll just do a quick exterior cleaning/easy access lubrication areas. 

   Spinning reels I send in. I don't do spinning.

   Casting reels I disassemble once a year. Unlike some people, I use spray solvent (contact cleaner) as de-greaser. It works fine, and allows me to not quite totally disassemble the reel. I re-grease with Abu precision grease and oil with either TSI321 or Lucas reel oil.

   Word to the wise; don't use WD-40 or brake cleaner on your reel. Don't ask me how I know that.  ? ?

 

jj

Tear down and deep clean once a year. Lucas Red n Tacky grease for gears and TSI 321 for bearings. Great products, and $25 will buy you a lifetime supply of both.

I usually tear them down once a year during the my down time fishing. Unless they get submerged….. don’t ask.
I take some time off during spawning and, pull my boat and service it and clean it, do my rods too. 
I use liquid bearing for oil and super lube for grease. 

So I’m thinking about getting lews oil and grease today. Right now I’m using Reel butter by ardent, just oil for the bearings from Lubrication engineers. Just want to make sure I’m using the right stuff to keep the reels working at their best. 

3 minutes ago, Justbass11 said:

So I’m thinking about getting lews oil and grease today. Right now I’m using Reel butter by ardent, just oil for the bearings from Lubrication engineers. Just want to make sure I’m using the right stuff to keep the reels working at their best. 

Two products that seem to raise the ire of users and have them dump the products in the trash

Ardent Reel Butter

Quantum Hot Sauce

 

From my reading, almost anything else is better than those two.

11 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Two products that seem to raise the ire of users and have them dump the products in the trash

Ardent Reel Butter

Quantum Hot Sauce

 

From my reading, almost anything else is better than those two.

I’m so glad I started this post, I almost didn’t.  When I first got that butter I  used it a couple of time but just wasn’t sure about it. Now it’s going in the trash...

12 minutes ago, Justbass11 said:

Now it’s going in the trash...

 

   Don't throw it away! It works great on car and pickup hinges ..... just not reels.     jj

Reel butter won't ruin anything like Hot Sauce, it just doesn't hold up and has to be cleaned and refreshed more often.

I like Hot Sauce grease; it has the right viscosity IMO. But like others said, it is hard to get it off of reel parts when you're deep-cleaning. Once I start applying it to a certain reel, I guess I will just have to keep using it to that reel. 

You don't mind that it stains brass gears and turns brown?  I'd strip all that out with an industrial degreaser and use something else.

Well, in my experience, a little discoloring? Yes. Turning brass gear brown? Not so much. I normally just use Dawn and a toothbrush to give it a good scrub. It is harder to get it off of plastic parts though.

You're more than welcome to put the junk in your reels.  Everyone here warned you.  Good luck

4 minutes ago, J Francho said:

You're more than welcome to put the junk in your reels.  Everyone here warned you.  Good luck

 

Luckily, not all the reels. I only use it for a couple of reels. To be honest, I save my expensive reels for "safer" grease, like Shimano's, Daiwa's 104 and Cal's.

 

There’s no magic in lubricants and a reel is not at all harsh on them comparatively speaking. At the end of the day, regular maintenance is the key to longevity even if the least ideal products are used as long as they are appropriate. WD40 has no business inside any reel for example. 

WD40 used as a solvent during cleaning and subsequently applying appropriate grease/oil seems to work fine.  I use campagnolo (no longer available) and phil wood grease where grease is appropriate.  Stuff I already have from bike racing.

• During winter, strip reel down to frame and clean everything using diluted simple green. Bearings get soaked in mass air flow cleaner. 
• Sometime during summer, open up and regrease gears and pinion bearing but not a complete teardown. 
• Based on visual inspection or feel/sound, I will lubricate bearings, clean brake drum, etc. 

• Grease for gears/drag is Cals Tan.
• Oil for spool bearings is TSI 321.
• Oil for all frame bearings is gear oil. 

Please not yet. I’m ok with pumpkin spice in August. But not cleaning reels in September. I missed a lot of good days the last 2 months. I’m hoping for at least another 2 months before going on reel cleaning detail ??‍♂️

I tear down my reels once a year but I do oil the spool bearings once I see a little difference in casting or when I accidentally dunk a reel on my kayak.   As far as what I use on them, I like Shimano's drag grease on gears, bantam oil on a few moving parts, and now TSI 321 for bearings.  I use to use the Ardent stuff.  There grease wasn't bad but the oil was just not that great.  And my thoughts below on Quantum Hot Sauce.......

 

Does anyone here use Reel Scrubber.? I have a can from about 8 or 9 years ago, not sure if it's still good to go.

I oil and grease my reels a couple times a year.  Once a year they get a good cleaning.  The rods get a good cleaning too.

For baitcasters, I oil the spool bearings before I go out.  I use a really light oil for that (the stuff I now have is Abu specifically for spool bearings).  The rest of the reel only gets disassembled and relubed in the winter time unless there's a really compelling reason.  I use Penn grease and about any oil (3-in-1, stuff I use on bike chains, whatever is around) except for on the spool bearings where oil goes.  

 

Spinning reels are a once-a-year affair for me.  If I feel that the the reel needs disassembly all the way that requires removing the bail spring, etc., it goes to a tackle shop.  Same grease, pretty much same deal for the oil.

 

I do a routine cleaning after a few trips.