I'd agree that WD40 is better than nothing, and like most households, we have cans of the stuff in several places - heck, I've even got a WD40 radio! I like the new can with the folding spout - long overdue and a neat innovation.
But I've lost count of how many posts I've read in forums from people who have said 'I've left it soaking overnight in WD40 and it won't budge'. Of course it won't - it isn't and never was designed to be a penetrating fluid - it's for water displacement and to leave a film on the surface to repel water. It's good at doing that, but it's not very effective at penetrating deep into threads simply due to its make-up - its viscosity is too high. For that, purpose-designed penetrating fluid like Plus Gas or Penol is called for.
I'm pleased that they've branched out into producing other products rather than selling WD40 as some kind of 'snake oil' miracle cure and the mythology that's grown up around it. (There are those who even swear by it for medicinal purposes - massaging arthritic knees and such like. I guess the dermatitis that ensues takes their mind off the pain!
Even WD40 themselves now seem to know and admit that the game is up. If WD40 is so effective and freeing up seized nuts and bolts, (as compared to using proper penetrating fluid), why then have they brought out a Rust Release Penetrating Spray? I think we know the answer. They proclaim:
“Need to loosen rusted parts? WD-40® Specialist® Rust Release Penetrant Spray penetrates rust 50% faster than the leading competitor”. If you read what the test consisted of, it’s not very convincing. (IE, how long it took for the products to climb 2cms up a nail compared to a a competitor product). Errm hello? Hardly an objective scientific test, but the mere fact that they’ve now brought out a penetrating fluid rather suggests a tacit admission that the ‘one size fits all’ product has over-promised and under-delivered:
http://www.wd40specialist.com/
There’s an interesting article from Popular Mechanics which ran some trials with WD40 up against proper penetrating oils. Here’s a quote:
One of the more dispiriting facts of consumer life is that panaceas don’t routinely live up to their promises. Sure, sometimes you get penicillin, a product that needs no introduction, but other times you get Dr. Ebeneezer Sibley’s Reanimating Solar Tincture, an elixir alleged to restore life in the event of sudden death.
And then there’s WD-40, a putative fix-all that boasts uses ranging from driving moisture from a flooded motor to killing roaches to breaking in baseball gloves to reviving drowned cellphones. Such is its pop-cultural ubiquity that it even co-stars in a well-known handyman apothegm: “If it moves and it shouldn’t, you need duct tape. If it doesn’t move and it should, you need WD-40."
But is WD-40 really toolbox penicillin? Or is it the snake oil of lubricants?
To find out, we culled various products recommended for use in five common DIY jobs and pitted them against WD-40.
Read more: WD-40 Oil Alternatives - The Case Against WD-40 - Popular Mechanics
End quote.
Not trying to start an argument Lawrence – just agreeing to disagree.
WD40 is a strong and highly regarded brand, and even has its own fan club so I'm sure that these new products will do well, though of course to an extent, they will cannibalise the sales volume of WD40 because more of the other purpose-designed products being used, means less usage of the basic WD40. It will be a bit confusing now, because the basic WD40 will be the only product in the WD40 expanded range that has no name other than the WD40 brand name, which is now being stretched. Maybe they should rename the basic product 'snake oil?
But I've lost count of how many posts I've read in forums from people who have said 'I've left it soaking overnight in WD40 and it won't budge'. Of course it won't - it isn't and never was designed to be a penetrating fluid - it's for water displacement and to leave a film on the surface to repel water. It's good at doing that, but it's not very effective at penetrating deep into threads simply due to its make-up - its viscosity is too high. For that, purpose-designed penetrating fluid like Plus Gas or Penol is called for.
I'm pleased that they've branched out into producing other products rather than selling WD40 as some kind of 'snake oil' miracle cure and the mythology that's grown up around it. (There are those who even swear by it for medicinal purposes - massaging arthritic knees and such like. I guess the dermatitis that ensues takes their mind off the pain!
Even WD40 themselves now seem to know and admit that the game is up. If WD40 is so effective and freeing up seized nuts and bolts, (as compared to using proper penetrating fluid), why then have they brought out a Rust Release Penetrating Spray? I think we know the answer. They proclaim:
“Need to loosen rusted parts? WD-40® Specialist® Rust Release Penetrant Spray penetrates rust 50% faster than the leading competitor”. If you read what the test consisted of, it’s not very convincing. (IE, how long it took for the products to climb 2cms up a nail compared to a a competitor product). Errm hello? Hardly an objective scientific test, but the mere fact that they’ve now brought out a penetrating fluid rather suggests a tacit admission that the ‘one size fits all’ product has over-promised and under-delivered:
http://www.wd40specialist.com/
There’s an interesting article from Popular Mechanics which ran some trials with WD40 up against proper penetrating oils. Here’s a quote:
One of the more dispiriting facts of consumer life is that panaceas don’t routinely live up to their promises. Sure, sometimes you get penicillin, a product that needs no introduction, but other times you get Dr. Ebeneezer Sibley’s Reanimating Solar Tincture, an elixir alleged to restore life in the event of sudden death.
And then there’s WD-40, a putative fix-all that boasts uses ranging from driving moisture from a flooded motor to killing roaches to breaking in baseball gloves to reviving drowned cellphones. Such is its pop-cultural ubiquity that it even co-stars in a well-known handyman apothegm: “If it moves and it shouldn’t, you need duct tape. If it doesn’t move and it should, you need WD-40."
But is WD-40 really toolbox penicillin? Or is it the snake oil of lubricants?
To find out, we culled various products recommended for use in five common DIY jobs and pitted them against WD-40.
Read more: WD-40 Oil Alternatives - The Case Against WD-40 - Popular Mechanics
End quote.
Not trying to start an argument Lawrence – just agreeing to disagree.
WD40 is a strong and highly regarded brand, and even has its own fan club so I'm sure that these new products will do well, though of course to an extent, they will cannibalise the sales volume of WD40 because more of the other purpose-designed products being used, means less usage of the basic WD40. It will be a bit confusing now, because the basic WD40 will be the only product in the WD40 expanded range that has no name other than the WD40 brand name, which is now being stretched. Maybe they should rename the basic product 'snake oil?
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
