Originally Posted by froze
Sorry but true marine grease is too thick and gummy; you can say applesauce all you want.
I sent an e-mail to Phil Wood's service department in regards to you saying that their grease was essentially the same as marine trailer bearing grease today, so we will have to wait for their reply which I will post here.
What exactly do you think they're going to say? 
How do you think they'll spin it?
Phil's isn't big enough to have specially formulated grease made exclusively for them, but anybody can put their name on a cheap tube and sell it at a profit.
Originally Posted by Jobst Brandt
From: (Jobst Brandt)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Grease! (Non Olivia Newton-John type)
Date: 12 Feb 1998 02:35:02 GMT
Carl J Gonzalez writes:
> Auto grease, commonly called "cup grease", in it's purest form is
> oil and soap. So, when water is introduced, the soap breaks down
> and the oil runs out. The gel binder in Phil's and other modern
> type grease tends wo ward off the separation. Grease, like Phil's
> hangs in pretty tough, in my view.
Although lubrication engineers refer to the matrix in which oil is
suspended in a grease as soap, is not hand washing soap but a compound
that chemically has a soap structure. It is not soap. Phil Wood
grease is just grease and has no magic qualities greater than its
color. It is no more tenacious than other automotive greases of the
same consistency.
Automotive wheel bearing grease is an excellent lubricant for all the
bearings in a bicycle. (Marine Trailer Bearing Grease has the added benefit of being waterproof just like "Phil's") A one pound can costs about as much as a small
tube of "bicycle" grease. However, because it is not liquid it can't
enter a chain. The 'soap' in which the oil is suspended does not
soften like lard when heated, it largely retains its consistency until
it breaks down and flows. Most greases do not return to their
original state when cooled, so you can't reasonably lubricate a chain
by heating a grease.
Jobst Brandt
Now Mr. Brandt has been doing this a lot longer than most of us here and I tend to believe him a lot more than some customer service flunky paid to make the company look good.
Now if you want to continue paying for boutique brand name grease by all means do so. I'll stick with my $3 a pound Trailer Bearing Grease and you can have your $5 for three ounce tubes.
Last edited by Raiyn; 10-07-05 at 11:50 PM.