i am almost(?) sure that my dad's got similar stuff in his garage or workshop but i guess i prefer to import my own mini original tube Made in USA and keep it neatly in my personal drawer. and i am not interested in any further experiments. Any synthetic lube with added teflon will do the trick i am sure, be it cyclist's lube, fishing's lube or gun oil. They are also more expensive than Superlube. Superlube is brand name stuff and yet the cheapest of all teflon-based lubes.
Looks and feels like milk when applied. You have to let it dry before using the lubricated parts, which then get a thin coating of lubricant that indeed doesn't attract dust as much as common grease. Not quite "dry", though, something between grease and wax, I'd say.
I took a look at the Weldtite TF2 you linked to, appears to be similar to White Lightning. I am not a fan of this for bike chains, prefer wet oil based lubes, but some cyclists in dry climates prefer it. My only caution on using it in flashlights is once the milk dries, it has a tendency to flake off - so it could work it's way into other parts. I'd test it on a cheapo flashlight (sparingly) and see if it works for you.
For one, it would be messy with flashlights. It's very thin (runny), with the dispenser orifice much too large for that (lack of) viscosity. You have to be very careful not to get it all over the place. Then there is the wait to dry. Then there is the potential teflon buildup...
I use it to advantage on machine guide rails. Have still to try it on feeding tables, like the planer's.
I saw a single reference to it on CPF with supposedly good results, would be nice to hear from others before I purchase. It's quite expensive for what it is!
i have finally applied the superlube OIL on all of my 10(?) flashlights and i've come to the conclusion: this is the exact kind of lube that i was looking for, it works perfectly well and it gets the kreisler's shilly two thumbs recommendation:
kreisler's Overall Rating: ★★★★★
it works really well on:
+ o-rings (silicone, rubber, i dont know, i mean who cares, wtf)
+ anodized aluminum threads (e.g. Tank E09, Lumintop Worm)
+ non-anodized, bare §$%&! aluminum threads (e.g. Quark X AA)
In all above cases, the stuff works much much much better than the Nextorch Silicone Grease C*ap. What else can i ? Since it's liquid, it easily flows into all grooves and slots with little external movement (e.g. twisting action). For example there is no need to lift or remove the o-rings; the oil would get there anyway. And now i am seriously wondering en quoi the superlube GREASE is superior for our application on flashlights. Maybe the grease is superior maybe it isnt, i dont know. I only have the OIL, and it does a fantastic lubing job: it effectively reduces the friction (drag/resistance) on the o-rings, makes the o-rings wet and "juicy", and also reduces friction in the threads, for two reasons: because it is non-sticky oil/liquid and because it contains teflon particles.
As mentioned earlier, the superlube oil is typically applied in fine rotating machinery, such as watches, clocks, and photo cameras. And since grease isnt commonly regarded as "liquid", i would assume that greased machinery parts produce more friction than fine oiled ones.
The only fear with OIL is/was: Isnt it too liquid, too messy and doesnt it run away?
My answer is: Yes, it is liquid (and viscous like liquid glue) but it doesnt run away. And no, it's not messy at all. ( *real oil* like the edible oils from your kitchen, *those* are messy stuff. surprisingly the superlube "oil" has not very much in common with what you would expect from a substance called "oil". not messy, not sticky. and easily cleaned/wiped away with kleenex )
I am not going to look any further. I know that there are even better flashlight lubes than superlube grease and superlube oil.. but i am satisfied already: reduced friction in the threads and on the o-rings!
Merely the performance on Ti-Ti threads (and SS-SS threads?) is questionable. My iTP A3 Titanium squeaks as if the threads were bone-dry: While it's better than bone-dry or the horrible Nextorch silicone grease, i am sure that there exists much better performing lube on Ti-Ti threads. Just a matter of price. As always. Because the more pricey option would be Nano-Oil, for US$ 16.00 shipped:
I have noticed that on certain lights the unanodized threads turn grey with in a short time no matter what I use - heavy viscosity chain oil or SuperLube grease. I think it is the ones with cheaper grade aluminum. On some I am curious about your experience with this phenomenon is with all your different lights. Can you watch and report back in a few days?
i can report already. after 3x twisting, the threads are all grey! To a similar extent as with the silicone grease. sigh. what can i say. the Quark threads simply **ck. too soft, and no anodization. i dont want to play the smart ***ck again but now i am thinking that no lube on planet earth is able to inhibit the fast abrasion of the **cking Quark threads. i am *already* using oil (which is better than grease or sticky lube) and i am *already* using a teflon-based lube (which is better than silicone-based lube because silicone-based lube does not contain teflon haha) and nevertheless i get the grey cr*p after a 2-3 twists.
i am glad about the low resistance: twisting is easy (o-rings are well-lubed). But the Quark threads decompose thru the minimal friction anyway.
and here comes the point:
Before i invest 15 or 20 bucks in an aluminum protective lube, i would prefer to invest the money in a new torch. With anodized threads. Never again a Quark!!
i still recommend the superlube oil .. but for nonanodized aluminum threads and titanium threads it doesnt fully do the trick. 3 stars out of 5.
I think it is a combination of soft alloy aluminum plus poor machining or threads that are too thin. I suspect the grey is bits of aluminum that flake off when you twist and mix with whatever lube you use. Not a problem with annodized, but also not a problem on several thick thread bare aluminum ones I have. Seems to be a symptom of cheapo flashlights.
Next up? I'm going to test shredder oil. I used to work for Fellowes and I forgot I have a bottle of fine machine oil used to lubricate cutter blades.
I am thinking that the Quark threads were flaking from the very beginning (bone-dry state) and i didnt notice it because the aluminum powder was dry and mixed with the o-ring abrasions, dry too. i had been using a toothbrush to scrub the threads (and the brush got grey/black instantly). When the grey powder gets mixed with *any* substance (grease, oil, ..), then the abrasion becomes more apparent and visible: grey cr*p!, which should be removed the sooner the better before it does self-damage and accelerate the abrasion.
Quarks are not known for wear-resistant top quality machined threads (Sunawayman). If the Quark threads were anodized, there would be no abrasion -- no matter how poor and cheap the machining is.
If i ever buy another torch in future .. i will pay attention to this detail: all threads *must* be anodized!!
their suggestion is listed on their website: Deoxit
no way i am gonna use this. i had already trusted in buying the Quark "quality", that's enough.
from what i can tell, the Nano-Oil.com stuff should be the best .. but before i spend another 16$ on lube, i better buy a new anodized flashlight for this kind of money ;) Another Romisen or so. Apart from the choice of lubing product, the Quark's threads and machining is indeed "not on a quality level with Sunawayman or Klarus" .. to phrase it extra mildly.
If the threads themselves were thicker and top-quality stuff, then i would look into buying the Nano-oil; it would be worth the efforts and investment.
Since the Quark threads are the way they are (you named it, i didnt!!), there is definitely no point in buying even better lube than the Superlube. I will continue to observe and report back. So far my observation:
Superlube oil kills the friction (mainly caused in the fat Quark o-rings) but the Quark bare aluminum still gets eaten up with the twisting action and you dont feel it because Superlube kills all friction. This makes one wish for a Titanium Quark (too expensive and heavy!) or anodized threads!!
? Since it's liquid, it easily flows into all grooves and slots with little external movement (e.g. twisting action). For example there is no need to lift or remove the o-rings; the oil would get there anyway. And now i am seriously wondering en quoi the superlube GREASE is superior for our application on flashlights. Maybe the grease is superior maybe it isnt, i dont know. I only have the OIL, and it does a fantastic lubing job: it effectively reduces the friction (drag/resistance) on the o-rings, makes the o-rings wet and "juicy", and also reduces friction in the threads, for two reasons: because it is non-sticky oil/liquid and because it contains teflon particles.
a Quark!!
mildly.