Tom, Others,

Anyone that uses grease, how do you apply it? How can you get it on the pivot without disassembly?

I've tried a number of lubes, but I seem to always go back to dry teflon/graphite lubes. I fiddle with my knives enough I don't have to worry about rust, except on a very small number.
Anyone have a reason to avoid the dry lubes?

Other than the fact that they don't really penetrate much, I can't see a reason to avoid them,. Especially if you have the knife disassembled. If you don't, I can't see how the dry lubes would ever get to the places that need them.

Phil

I dunno.
The few knives I've bothered to fully disassemble that I use the dry lube on, always have it in every crevice.
My point, it's cheap, and worth a try. Not food safe though. Assuming thats an issue.....

Just my 2 cents: Food safe is not a concern for the pivot. (I am OCD paranoid about getting anything other than lint in the pivot). When I do care about food safety I have Mineral Oil USP to wipe on the blade. I don't use it on the pivot. This is supposed to be food safe and won't spoil. (like canola, olive, etc.). Even then I only use on M4 and 1095 for rust prevention.

PhilipPasteur wrote:


You're completely right. It's a mineral oil with additives. What I meant is that the pivot remains smooth for a long time, much longer than I'd expect for a pure oil that "wears out". (My comparison here is Ballistol, which IMHO is great for rust prevention, but less for lubrication.)

In case anyone is interested, here is a long thread on nano-oil at the Spyderco forums.

And, like Curtis, I only use oil on a pivot when I feel it is necessary. The majority of my folders are still without any lubricant at all.