Grease false advertising

Joined
May 18, 2021
Messages
1,588
Location
central europe
my problem is that when you read about various thickeners, all mfg say their product is great/best on water behavior...(marketing crap):rolleyes:
i looked into this matter, and iso 6743-9 was helpful.,i went throught few typical products on market
DIN-ISO_09-EN.jpg

i saw that li/ca soap, li complex, alu complex,polyurea are often -e(h) rating
or producers are shy and do not show any iso 6743 rating :D
what i could see on some ca sulfonate they are often full i-rating

so the question is-- why false advertising?
if many greases (except ca sulfonate) are just for humid (or sometimes washing), and fresh water only.

i dont understand hype around polyurea, it may last long, but if system is not watertight i doubt it will provide longlife and protection.
Another factor in favor of Calcium Sulfonate is flexibility. It’s easy to switch to Calcium Sulfonate-based greases from Lithium-based greases due to the high compatibility factor shared between the two thickeners.

Calcium Sulfonate grease has consistently outperformed lithium and lithium complex greases in field applications and tests. One endearing feature of calcium sulfonate grease is that it does not require performance additives to meet higher performance levels.

Calcium Sulfonate greases feature enhanced shear and mechanical stability when compared with lithium and lithium complex greases.
This ensures less runout and leakage in industrial environments. Calcium Sulfonate greases also possess a high temperature life and an enviable dropping point. High anti-wear and extreme pressure properties further cement the popularity of calcium sulfonate as the right thickener for multi-functional grease.

Another positive is that sulfonates are renowned rust inhibitors and this attribute has been passed on to calcium sulfonate greases. They possess superior water resistance and will not disintegrate in if water is present.
Infographic-Website.jpg

 
This reads like an article I wrote years ago. 😂

But all very true information. I won’t blanket say that calcium greases are the end all be all, but especially with polyurea out of the picture, they’re available and moderately priced.

However, you have a much higher percentage of error in calcium grease blends, then lithium. Calcium greases are significantly harder to manufacture properly. If you’re a large quantity user, chances are you’ll get a bad batch eventually. I’ve seen it happen with 4 different grease manufacturers just this year.

But trucking, construction, farming, general automotive, and general industrial applications. It’s the way to go. I’m currently putting a 460 #1 into a steel mill Auto grease system.
 
nice
my reasoning is that (for example) parts which are not 100% water sealed, pressure washing and grit will actually come inside.
so far i have seen only ca-sulphonate being water strong enough.
or are there any other thickeners up to the job?
 
Last edited:
nice
my reasoning is that (for example) parts which are not 100% water sealed, pressure washing and grit will actually come inside.
so far i have seen only ca-sulphonate being strong enough.
or are there any other thickeners up to the job?

In a high water washout situation you really have two choices:
Calcium sulfonate complex (As discussed above) or Aluminum Complex grease.

The problems with Calcium are mostly additive based ones, so it comes down to your application. Calcium is hard to make stable, can have pumpability issues as well.

Aluminum complex greases can have oxidation issues., however have superior water wash out situations.

If it's a high load, high temp, low speed, dirty environment with lots of water - probably want to look at an Aluminum complex grease.

If it's a moderate speed application, lots of water - a Calcium based grease.

STLE Grease selection

I have a personal tendency to lean more towards CA based greases, unless it's in a large, open, slow moving operation. Such as dredging, Mining, open gear applications in steel, or paper processing. So, I would need to know more about the application.
 
If it's a high load, high temp, low speed, dirty environment with lots of water - probably want to look at an Aluminum complex grease.

If it's a moderate speed application, lots of water - a Calcium based grease.
Both of these situations sound like an average day Jeeping 😂
 
I typically use a moly fortified lithium complex like valvoline synpower, or currently their palladium, for vehicle applications. Any benefits switching to a calcium? Any that use moly or is that not required due to the different thickening agent?
 
I typically use a moly fortified lithium complex like valvoline synpower, or currently their palladium, for vehicle applications. Any benefits switching to a calcium? Any that use moly or is that not required due to the different thickening agent?
Yeah, read the link posted by @sk_pete earlier. Good comparison between calcium and lithium bases.
 
Back
Top