Max Knives NO10W — StClaire Nano-Oil 10w lubricant, 8 ml bottle

Overview

Nano-Oil 10w is the middle grade of the StClaire range, supplied in an 8 ml bottle. Thicker than the 5w, it still flows well enough to reach a pivot without stripping the knife down, and it is the grade the brand calls the most versatile. Pocket knives are its home ground, but it also covers multi-tools and firearms. One bottle takes care of most of the mechanisms in a collection.

Three grades, three kinds of mechanism

Picking an oil is less arbitrary than it looks. The 5w, the thinnest, goes after metal parts that are hard to reach, the ones you cannot get to without opening everything up. The 10w sits in the middle: it stays put on the pivot of a folder handled every day and remains the versatile reference. The 85w, the thickest, is designed in particular for lubricating semi-automatic firearms. Three grades, three families of mechanism.

Technical specifications

Nano-Oil lubricating oil from StClaire, reference NO10W, 10w grade. 8 ml bottle. Middle grade of the range: thicker than the 5w, thinner than the 85w. Presented as the most versatile of the three and as the ideal choice for pocket knives. Stated uses: pocket knife, multi-tool and firearm. Sold as a single 8 ml bottle, it is the grade to keep on the bench when only one is kept.

Care

Keep the bottle capped in a dry place and it will last several seasons. On a folder, the oil goes on the pivot and the moving surfaces, then spreads through a few opening cycles. On a multi-tool, every joint deserves its turn: it is often the pliers and the screwdrivers, the least used parts, that stiffen first for want of lubrication.