[Redlg155]

Lately I've been using Miltec grease on my frame rails of my SA1911, a departure from using oil exclusively throughout the entire pistol. Prior to this the only thing I used grease for was to quiet the spring on my AR15s. All of my other weapons use standard gun oils for lubrication.

Although I've only just begun using it It seems to be working very well. I guess time will tell as to how well this holds up and if it provides any additional lubrication/protection properties. My main concern was the grease picking up powder residue particles and/or dirt and acting as a "carrier".

Anyone else use grease and any pros/cons noticed?


Good Shooting
Red

[Tropical Z]

Depends on which gun it is,but in general i use a thin film of grease especially on my 1911.

[dfariswheel]

I use grease on the rails.

Slide rails are actually pretty well protected, and don't seem to pick up fouling from firing much, and unless you're rolling around in the dust, they don't pick up dirt much either.

Oil's main problems are they tend to dry out, run off, and get pulled out by gravity and capillary action. It's not unusual to see lighter colored holsters that have the toe area soaked with oil that came out of the rails.

Whatever potential fouling problems grease might have, failure to stay put and lubricate aren't one of them.

[Sean Smith]

Some food for thought...

http://www.pistolsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=11402&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=grease&start=0

[Andrew Wyatt]

As was pointed out before, grease is not good for guns with tight slide-to-frame fits; it will gum them up. At least, it does on my SIG P210 beater.


A man who has a sig p210 as a beater is a man who shouldn't be messed with.

[B27]

My Wilson Combat and Kimber Gold Match 1911's, S&W model 41's and High Standard Citation and Victor have extremely tight slide to frame fit and all run better on Wilsons Ultima Lube Grease than anything else.
All firearms grease is not the same.
Modern light gun greases are not the same as WWII surplus rifle grease.
On a tightly fitted gun I especially want an effective lubricant that stays put.
These modern greases do that and I have seen no indication that they cause problems with functioning.
In fact, my experience has been the exact opposite. :)

[CWL]

Grease, because it will stay where put. Grease also does not have the tendency to splatter nor move to other places via capillary action like oil will. Grease is also better for long term storage of weapons.

Gumming-up of grease should not be an issue with well cared-for defensive weapons.

[SelfProclaimedExpert]

Keeping in mind that grease is basically oil suspended in soap, I don't think you can expect the oil part to not leach into a holster, like straight oil does. Body heat and capilary action will move some of it out.

Grease seems like a fine idea to add some frame-life saving buffer to a range gun. However, I wouldn't complicate the inside of a gun I'm carrying with anything but the lightest oil for the temperature. It may effect reliability more than running dry could.

[Mike Irwin]

I've been using grease, normally DSX, but also a generic molybdnum sulphide grease, for over 10 years on over 30 firearms, including rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and semi-autos.

The ONLY problems I have ever had have been when I have put too much grease in the actions and left the guns in the car in sub freezing temperatures for long periods of time. A different grease, with a different physical property, would be unaffected.

A thin film is all that is needed.

Greases tend to stay put, meaning that your gun will still be lubricated after one treated with oil is dry.

I tend to open my S&W revolvers for thorough cleaning only after several thousand rounds at a minimum. That may be as long as several years, depending on the gun.

Guns that I've opened after a year or more have still be properly lubricated when I applied grease.

Those lubricated with oil often come away with complete lubrication failure after as little as 4 months.

[Monkeyleg]

Because I clean my guns after every shoot, and only shoot 100 or so rounds per outing, I used to just oil the rails. Then last year I took the LFI course, and had several FTF's on the first day due to the oil having got gone. I got some Tetra lube that night, and had no problems the next day.

[Ky Larry]

I use BreakFree CLP or RemOil on all my guns. If I'm going to the range,I'll put a little Lubriplate grease on the rails. What you clean and lube with is not nearly as important as cleaning and lubeing regularly.

[George Hill]

I've conducted some tests of all the major lubes and greases for 2 factors... corrosion resistance and friction reduction. The winner in both catagories was FP-10. That's what I use now in my guns and my knives.
If I could pour it into my Jeep's engine, I would.

[Sean Smith]

A man who has a sig p210 as a beater is a man who shouldn't be messed with.

:D

Actually, the gun was a "beater" in the sense that it was already beat up on the outside when I bought it. That's how I was able to get it for under four digits. Stooopidly accurate and the trigger was like black magic. Wish I still had it.

BTW, I use FP-10 CLP now too. Works great and even smells nice.

[Sven]

Grease. Stays put.

[1911Tuner]

For carry guns...a couple drops of a good oil twice a week in the
frame rails, and a drop in the sear/hammer hook area once a month or
so.

For heavy use range beaters, a fairly liberal dose of Lubriplate in
the rails, locking lugs, disconnector/cocking rail, slide stop pin,
and in the barrel bushing lug recess. A thin film of the stuff on the
barrel OD, and a dab on the hammer face.

New pistols get a dose of the Magic Goop. Makes'em feel like
they're runnin' on buttered glass. CLP Breakfree and J&B Bore
Cleaner mixed into a thin paste...coated heavily on all the areas
named above plus the link and lower lug. Hand-cycled 200 times,
rinsed out with Carburetor cleaner, and reapplied lightly for
200 rounds live-fire. Try it!

(The mixture should just sag on a screwdriver tip, but not drip off)

Cheers!
Tuner

[Dr.Rob]

Grease. I have some hi-temp blue stuff that works really well.

1911: Some on the rails, some on the barrel bushing, some in the locking lugs.

BHP: rails, shmear on the top of the barrel, locking lugs.

[stevelyn]

Grease until the weather starts turning cold. Either Militec-1 or Brownell's Action Lube Plus, whichever is within reach at the time.

[WonderNine]

I use Break Free CLP and I've never had a problem. My guns almost never jam.

[Selfdfenz]

Grease on the rails and on some models in the trigger sear area,
Oil everywhere else.
I don't overdo either and have no problems.

Seems like there would be better thinkeners than soap for firearm greases.
That might be great in an automotive application but I wonder about firearms.

S-

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Although I've only just begun using it It seems to be working very well. I guess time will tell as to how well this holds up and if it provides any additional lubrication/protection properties.

There are several different tests (including several hosted on Militec's site) that show what kind of protection properties it has - none at all. Militec seems to be OK as a dry lube; but it fares very poorly at corrosion resistance.

Thought you might want to know before time told on that SA 1911.

[1911Tuner]

For an all around, go anywhere oil, it's hard to beat plain old
LSA...Available at your friendly neighborhood Army surplus store
at about 3 bucks for a 4-ounce bottle.

Cheers!
Tuner

[10-Ring]

I've used both w/ really good results. For me, as long as I clean & lube my guns after ever range session my guns work very well. I've never really torture tested any of my guns to find that point where I can tell the difference.

[El Tejon]

For FA, I like grease. For carry guns, I use Kellube. Great stuff, highly recommended. However, any fresh lube will do the trick.:)

[Redlg155]

Militec seems to be OK as a dry lube; but it fares very poorly at corrosion resistance.

The samples that they sent me were a standard gun oil type lubricant and a container of their grease. You kinda lost me on the dry lube thing. This is what miltec claims their grease will do.

Reduced maintenance, extended lubricating intervals, increased equipment life
Reduction in operating temperatures - typically 10°F to 25°F
Extended bearing life - as much as 35% to 50%
Reduces corrosion, wear and galling
Stays in place and lubricates in the most severe conditions
Extremely wide variety of applications
Compatible with other lithium complex greases
Versatile temperature ranges
Bearings remain lubricated even after the grease is used
Prevents rust and oxidation
Excellent water washout resistance
Superior shock-load protection

Some pretty good claims, but I don't think their grease will do anything more than anyone elses lithium type grease.

It was free..so I'll use it until it's gone. :D


Good Shooting
Red

[themic]

used to use militec oil only but nowadays i use militec grease on the rails and militec oil everywhere else it needs it.

[Jeeper]

Slide glide.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Here is Militec's own Brad Giordani discussing the issue of corrosion resistance in an email with Commander TACOM:

http://www.militec-1.com/Thompson32.html

"Next, you state that, "When Militec attempted to pass the CLP specification, the product did not meet the preservative requirement." (p. 1, para. 2) This is true. However, the point is irrelevant. New weapons specs require manufacturers to coat guns for corrosion resistance adequate to meet soldiers' needs before the gun is even lubed.

Here is a Google cache of a corrosion test at GunZone that tested Militec:

http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:lzP_1NbYbwYJ:communities.prodigy.net/sportsrec/gz-rust.html+Corrosion+Test+Guns&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

The original link is dead now; but the relevant part is:

"Unsatisfactory:
Arms Cote: >50% rusted.
Miltec-1: Significant rust along bottom; rust freckling on top.
Kroil: >75% rusted."

There is also a third test out on one of the gunboards. I think it is in the archives at AR15.com. I'll add it when it comes back up.

EDITED TO ADD:
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/UltraBoard.cgi?action=Read&BID=28&TID=6042&SID=1585654

Nice link with pictures. Test by Cruffler.

[22luvr]

I use ordinary white lithium grease by applying a light coating with a toothpick. It stays put and doesn't drip down into a holster like too much oil.

[JohnKSa]

I use oil for corrosion protection and very light lubrication.

I use grease for heavy sliding friction.

Grease on slides, sears, and pivots under spring tension.

Oil on springs and pivots that aren't under stress.

[newman32]

What's the concensus on synthetic oils like Syntec or Mobil1? I know some people love it, others think its blasphemy.

[Bren]

I use grease on all hard working parts.

[JohnKSa]

What's the concensus on synthetic oils like Syntec or Mobil1? I know some people love it, others think its blasphemy.
My take.

When you REALLY need a lube, you need more than oil.

For corrosion protection, there are MUCH better choices than what you listed.

Engine lubrication is a very different problem. You have a big reservoir of oil and a pump to keep spraying oil up over the parts that need lubrication to keep up with the oil that keeps dripping away from where it is needed.

In a firearm, you want your lube to stay put. You don't have any way to keep reapplying it during operation, and you also don't want it to end up where it doesn't belong.

[Tropical Z]

I pretty much stopped using "gun" oils with the exception of some limited use of RemOil.I started using FULL synthetic Havoline 5w30 and have found it to be superior to the "gun"oils i had previously used.Im not looking back.:scrutiny:

[Redlg155]

Hmmm..now that I'm thinking about it, that Miltec oil looks pretty much to have the same viscosity as a 5w30 weight oil. It's pretty thick as oils go and definitely thicker than Rem oil.

B Roberts,

Thanks for the links. I got a good look at the tests and for the life of me I can't figure out why or how Breakfree and Eezox fared so well at the test when Miltec fared so poorly. I did find it a bit strange that there were links on the site for both Breakfree and Eezox on the site but not for the other products.

Anyone happens to know what makes these two products fare so well as a rust preventative? As I understand the Miltec stuff also contains CLP.

Not trying to drift this thread towards the virtues or failures of Miltec vs Breakfree, but I am curious.

Ohh..back to the grease. :D

I'm not sure how well grease should fare on any salt fog test, but we did use GAA routinely on our Artillery peices for just about everything. When I changed my MOS to transportation due to an injury we used GAA on our fifth wheel to prevent it from rusting as normal lubricants would just wash off. Guns in long term storage are stored in Cosmoline, which as I understand is also a type of grease, so grease should have some preservative qualities to it. I've got a beautiful M44 that was made in 1946. No doubt it stayed several decades in cosmoline. The bluing is extremely nice with zero traces of rust. Of course some of this can be attributed to the conditons of the storage facilities.

Good SHooting
Red

[Quartus]

Bear grease.


;)

[CZ-100]

What are you guys using on Polymer guns?

[Blackhawk]

FP-10, period.

However, I also treat the metal parts of my guns with MolyFusion.

[ShaiVong]

Astroglide.

[JohnKSa]

Astroglide.
There's a man who REALLY loves his guns... :D

[Chris Rhines]

I use Slide-Glide on the frame and slide rails, locking lugs, barrel pivot, and recoil spring guide and bushing. Pretty much every moving part in the upper gets a thin coat of SG#1, also the trigger bars of my CZ.

Hammers and sears get wiped down with a bit of FP-10.

- Chris

[Cthulhu]

Oil is superior to grease when it comes to mechanical wear properties. Period. Grease is base oil, additives, and a thickening agent. It is the additives (and to a lesser extent the base oil) that determine the mechanical properties. Other than the increased viscosity which allows it to stay put compared to an oil, grease has no increased ability to fight wear or shear or sliding friction. In fact these thickening agents tend to diminish the properties of the additives and oil. This is not voodoo or opinion, but textbook Tribology, covered in various engineering disciplines, and the foundation for the whole field of lubrication engineering.
Saying that "for high wear points, you need grease" is simply untrue. Thats not to say that grease isn't extremely useful in certain circumstances; it is indeed. However, most of these conditions are not found within the operating mechanisms of personal smallarms. I use it sparingly, for places like choke tubes, or inside the mainspring housings of 1911's. It is also handy for storage purposes, where its resistence to evaporation over long periods of time is actually useful. I can see arguments for using it inside the mechanisms of revolvers, where dirt and grit are less able to contaminate it.
For most weapons and environments, however, oil will give superior lubrication properties. Despite the fact that the best oils leave a unseen boundry film that protects the metal, many people need to see their lubricant in order to believe that it is effective. Instead of using grease, increase the frequency of your maintence and lubrication regimen until your weapons appear satisfactorily clean and lubed (this doesn't include bare metal guns dripping oil though).

That being said, I use and recommend MPC FP-10 on frame rails (almost everything else too). Aside from lubrication and cleaning abilities, informal tests have shown it to be one of the best at preventing rust too, followed by Eezox and Breakfree CLP which I would recommend (in that order) if FP-10 was unavailable. When I need grease, I use MPC lithium grease or <gasp!> tetra grease. Despite modern theories to the contrary, FP-10 has yet to cause an explosion due to incidental contact with Tetra grease. I've been very impressed with Slide Glide, but there seems to be little test data out on it and it is,after all, still grease. ;)

[harrydog]

Quote:
"I've conducted some tests of all the major lubes and greases for 2 factors... corrosion resistance and friction reduction. The winner in both catagories was FP-10. That's what I use now in my guns and my knives."


I also conducted a test and found that when comparing FP-10, Militec-1, and Wilson's Ultima-Lube, the FP-10 was the worst in terms of reducing friction. Of course this was a very unscientific test, but I repeated it a couple times with the same results. I really wanted the FP-10 to do well, as it would be awesome to be able to use just one product for all my needs. But such was not the case.
I know that Militec-1 is not the best for corrosion protection, but I've never really had a problem with corrosion anyway. It's lubrication that I'm looking for.
If it's an all-in-one product that I want, like in the field, FP-10 would be my choice. But I don't mind using a separate cleaner and lube. There is no way a product can be made to act as a cleaner, protectant, and lube and do all three as well as a product designed to do just one of those things well.
Anyway, I like grease for the rails except for maybe in sub-freezing weather.

[VaughnT]

Cthulhu, your thoughts on oil are interesting, but I wonder why my 1911 doesn't feel as smooth in cycling when I use oil on the slide rails as opposed to grease? If oil leaves an invisible barrier wall when the visible oil has drained out, how thick is it and is that enough to offer realistic lubrication under typical IDPA competition settings (i.e., hot, dirty, rapid fire)?

I know that when I put brake caliper grease on my rails, lugs and bushing, the pistol cycles very smoothly and can go through a meet without a hitch. After cleaning, the grease is applied and the weapon cycled by hand with all excess grease being wiped off. The grease will still be there and visibly evident after a match. Where's the oil?

The only problem I've had with the caliper grease is that it seems to congeal in the winter time and can slow the slide considerably. For that reason, I'll be looking for a lighter grease...or thinning what grease I have left with some CLP or the like.

[Cthulhu]

The boundary film is extremely thin, about 3 microns. Human hairs are 80-100 microns. The protection of boundry films comes into play only when existing conditions prevent the formation of normal hydrodynamic films that seperate the bearing surfaces. This includes conditions of extreme speed and load on the surfaces, as well as when the conditions are "parched" and their is no lubricant resevoir to constantly replace the oil. Under normal lubricating conditions, a thin (but much thicker than the boundary layer) film of lubricant holds the two surfaces apart. The boundary film uses the same action, but the layer is formed just above the surface, after the lubricant has filled voids in the micro-imperfections of the metal.

Most 1911 rails are not even close to what I would call smooth. Surface imperfections are easily felt with the fingernail if not visible to the naked eye. Even if they are carefully surface honed, the nature of the metals surface means the surface is still contains voids and imperfections. Lubricants fills these voids on a surface, providing a fluid surface for the layer of lubricant on the opposite surface to slide on. Grease is typically applied thicker than a coat of oil. At least initially, its hydrodynamic film is thicker and its viscosity is higher. This in effect tightens tolerances, and reduces play in the slide. It might feel "smoother" than when oiled due to the increased but consistent drag, but the protection mechanism is effectively the same. The hand isn't the precision gauge for coefficients of friction that we'd like to believe it is. The greases have lower stability and mechanical resistence to shock, shear, and temperature due to the thickening agents, so while they may persist better, they don't necessarily protect better.

If you need to see your gun slathered in grease to believe that it is adquately lubricated, continue to do so. Just don't purport greases to be better under extreme stress, shock, shear, whatever than oil of similar base and additives. This is simply incorrect. I don't care what Brian Enos, Todd Jarret, or Bill Wilson say about grease vs oil. They are not lubrication engineers and modern science does not support their claims. They run grease and their guns run in competition, thats great! They also tear down the gun often, clean them often, and use grease tailored to the temperature and conditions. Just about anything would work under those circumstances. Is grease ideal for this use? Depends on the conditions and the needs of the mechanism.

For a carry gun that is inspected every day or so, (or should be) oil gives superior lubrication characteristics for most applications in a wider range of conditions. An IDPA match has a relatively low round count, despite quick bursts of fire, and the gun should be adequately protected even by parched oil conditions.

[Redlg155]

I don't care what Brian Enos, Todd Jarret, or Bill Wilson say about grease vs oil. They are not lubrication engineers and modern science does not support their claims.

Modern science may not support their claims, but they win matches don't they?

I vaguely remember something about a bumble bee can't fly........


Good Shooting
Red

[DBR]

After much experimenting I've settled on Ezzox for CLP. It is also one of the very best corrosion inhibitors that is also a lubricant. And, TW25B grease for places such as slide rails where a very thin non migrating lubricant is needed. My corrosion tests of FP-10 were very disappointing and it does migrate.

[Cthulhu]

Those of you interested in the ongoing grease debate should probably skip towards the bottom.

I vaguely remember something about a bumble bee can't fly........

This is an old wives tale, still dredged up and misquoted by the uninformed (not that I'm implying anything towards Redlg155). Attributed to many great names in the scientific community, it has been most consitently attatched to M. Sainte-Lague, a lab assistent of the famous French entomologist August Magnan. It appears as a note in his 1934 (!) book about insect flight. It seems that his assistent did some off the cuff calculations based on photo studies of tethered insect flight and contemporary theories of rigid, smooth-winged flight, determining that the flight of bumblebees is an impossibility. Apparently the tiny wings don't develop sufficient lift to support their relatively massive bodies. With its publishing, a legend was born. As anyone who has seen a bee will note, they can indeed fly. So science proves incorrect what we can plainly see with our own eyes to be true? Not in this case.
Bees wings are not fixed, so calculations assuming rigid wings do not accurately model them. Nor do their wings follow conventional bird flight dynamics (flapping flight)? The aerodynamics of insect flight is hot area of research, and you can bet that the flight characteristics of bees is one of them. High speed photography and computer simulations have brought us a long way from the back-of-a-napkin calculation of an obscure lab assistent in the 1930s.
Modern theories suggest that the flexible airfoil design of the wings allows small but powerful vortexs and fluid wakes to be generated and captured to provide lift out of proportion to the area of the wing. The wings motion constantly changes their angle of attack, generating rotational lift as well. Think of it more like swimming in a light fluid than flying in air, and it becomes clearer. Most importantly, any scientist who still believes that bees cannot fly has most likely been hiding in a cave for 70 years.

Sorry to digress from grease, but the perpetuation of antiquated science legends irks me almost as much as modern misuse of the facts. Don't even get me started on "Muscle Memory"....

From bees to grease:

I think Brian and the others won matches before they had settled on using grease, and would continue to win matches regardless of their lubricant choice. Their tremendous skill gained through constant effective practice is more a factor than selection of grease vs oil. Plus IPSC competition is about as close to real life as NASCAR is to real driving on the street. Facetiously extending that reasoning, I should turn in my car for a paper-thin skinned frame with wheels, powered by a 60's-era carbureted pushrod V-8, because thats what works for the pros.

[Redlg155]

I won't debate too much on what we consider to be "Modern Science". Each time a generation thinks that they have "arrived" a successive generation proves that they have not quite done so. What seems impossible today becomes possible tomorrow, often destroying well known theories or physical barriers previously thought to be the limit. (Not that I'm implying anything towards what Cthulhu had said).

The experiences of users, and I see many here, cannot be discounted simply because modern "lubrication engineering" does not support their claims.

To keep things civil I shall refrain from any prolonged discussions towards what I think about modern science and theories, much of which I believe will be proven wrong by a certain great event coming in the future. ;)

Now back to the grease. :D

I just purchased some Tetra Gun grease to try on a couple of weapons that I own. I'll try using both Miltec and Tetra and see how they compare to each other.

Good Shooting
Red

[harrydog]

Really the whole debate is somewhat academic since just about any lube will keep a gun running. Some may work marginally better than others, but unless your running thousands upon thousands of rounds per month through the gun, those differences will not likely manifest themselves.
In theory, in a perfect laboratory setting, perhaps oil does lubricate better than grease, because it closer to being 100% comprised of the base stocks than grease is. But in the real world, there have been many people who have had excellent results, virtually 0 wear after countless rounds, with good grease.
I certainly know that with Militec-1 grease on the rails of my 1911, it feels smoother than with anything else I've tried. And after a long range session, it still feels just as smooth, unlike with oil.

[Mute]

I use FP10. Haven't had any problems yet.

[Chris Rhines]

I don't care what Brian Enos, Todd Jarret, or Bill Wilson say about grease vs oil.....They also tear down the gun often, clean them often, and use grease tailored to the temperature and conditions. This is exactly the opposite of reality. I had an interesting phone conversation with Brian Enos about a year and a half ago (while I was waiting for the charge on my credit card to go through.) In it, he mentioned that his pistol often goes four or five thousand rounds between cleanings. It seems pretty obvious why - while greases may have inferior lubrication properties (and I'm not convinced that this is the case, at least with synthetic greases,) they have far superior adhesion and tracking properties, tending to stay in place long after oil has either cooked off or been removed manually.

- Chris

[Cthulhu]

As I said in my first post and restated in my second, my main beef was people purporting that you "need" grease in high stress points, as if it is somehow better at handling stress/shock/wear than oil. This is as untrue (to the degree that anything can be untrue, which is better left to debate by philosophers), as perusal of any lubrication engineering textbook will verify, and unless serendipity had a very good quarter century, the same texts were consulted to concoct these modern high tech greases and lubes. As to "synthetic grease", most modern greases of which people are talking about here (lithium complex, sodium complex, other non-petroleum complexes) are "synthetic" greases. SAE standard tests specifically designed to test properties of greases and lubes indicate that they do not perform as well as the synthetic oils when it comes to lubricity, shock resistence, temperature stability, wear resistence, film strength, etc. Do they work? Yep. I like and use tetra grease, and am becoming increasingly fond of "mid-weight" slide glide.

Actually while discussing this topic at work someone recalled Enos saying the same thing about his cleaning regimen in a phone call. I guess I picked the wrong greaser pro-shooter to use as an example, and I wish I would have heard that earlier. I've read a lot of these grease vs oil debates, and those names are among the most common that pop up in defense of grease. Oh well. Besides, I'm merely discounting what they say about what they say about grease properties, not the experiences of the users who here post. Grease may work better in their guns, but it won't be due to any increased physical properties of grease other than its resistence to displacement/dispersal. Until someone can explain the mechanisms that make grease superior to oil in terms of stress/pressure/load, and can create experiments that repeatably produce these results, I will side with the engineers.

Is it possible that greases in the future might surpass the best oils of today? Certainly, and I hope that they do, as that will make them even more useful.

To keep things civil I shall refrain from any prolonged discussions towards what I think about modern science and theories, much of which I believe will be proven wrong by a certain great event coming in the future.
Ooooh. Spooky! :-) Besides I believe that my bee example expounded on the lack of barriers to science and the dangers of perpetuating falsehoods.

As harrydog said, its all academic really. Both will do the job, provided proper selection and maintanence. Just be careful of the "it works for the competitors, therefore it must be the best for me" argument. Or you might end up like me, still waiting for my Air Jordans to improve my free throw shooting.