Superlube is good stuff. price is reasonable. safe for everything. conductive. low viscosity. it's what i use. check eBay.
Vaseline or any other petroleum based lubes shouldn't be used on rubber. petroleum will cause latex rubber to harden and become brittle. if your o-rings are made of something else, like silicone, i think it's okay. i think Maglite is the only flashlight company that recommends Vaseline.
Silicone lube is safe for rubber, but not on silicone o-rings. silicone lube can cause silicone o-rings to soften and expand.
if you don't know what your o-rings are made of and don't want to have to find out every time you get a new light, a synthetic lube like Superlube is the safest.
i have cancelled my DX order because they didnt have the silicone flashlight oil in stock for weeks/months. let's see how fast they process the refund.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I WANT MY 02.00 US-DOLLARS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't know if they have Ace Hardware in Canada, but that's where I was able to find Super Lube. A couple of dollars for a little tube that will last forever. Looks like vaseline.
Thanks very much for the link...I will go to the Walmart tonight for the SuperLube and if its not there I will order that one in your link. Price looks good and its easy to order.
i'll get the nextorch stuff! ( ordering the original superlube from AmazonUSA or ebay costs lotsa shipping. nextorch shipping is free. says the budgeteer. *ggg* )
I was going to suggest Harbor Freight, but then I checked and didn't see Harbor Freight with any stores in Canada. That's where I bought mine. I actually bought it for another purpose, but when I came across a thread where atbglenn posted about using it on flashlights I was glad I already had it!
If the grease says dielectric, it is non-conductive (electrically). I'm not sure if that's important to you or not. You may not want to grease the crap out of your threads with a dielectric grease or you're going to be creating problems with your tailcap connections.
Dielectric grease is a nonconductive grease. As such, it does not enhance the flow of electrical current. Dielectric grease is, however, often applied to electrical connectors, particularly those containing rubber gaskets, as a means of lubricating and sealing rubber portions of the connector.
The widest use of dielectric grease is in high-voltage connections associated with spark plugs. The grease is applied to the rubber boot of the plug wire. This helps the rubber boot slide onto the ceramic insulator of the plug. The grease also acts to seal the rubber boot, while at the same time preventing the rubber from becoming stuck to the ceramic. Generally spark plugs are located in areas of high temperature, and the grease is formulated to withstand the temperature range expected.
Another common use of dielectric grease is on the rubber mating surfaces or gaskets of multi-pin electrical connectors used in automotive and marine engines. The grease again acts as a lubricant and a sealant on the nonconductive mating surfaces of the connector. It is not recommended to be applied to the actual electrical conductive contacts of the connector because it could interfere with the electrical signals passing through the connector.