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An intense game of foosball gets adrenaline gushing. But slow rods can prevent that. Lubricate your rods with these 5 best lubricants for foosball tables.
When a foosball game is going good, the action is fast-paced and downright heart-stirring. But that won’t happen if the rods move too slowly.
What you need is good, regular lubrication of the rods and bearings of your table. We bring you the 5 best lubricants for foosball tables in the market.
Comparison Table
The following comparison table contains the five products we are reviewing in this article:
| Product | Check on Amazon |
|---|---|
| Game Room guys | check price here |
| Tornado | check price here |
| Essential values | check price here |
| Spot On FoolsJuice | check price here |
| Super Lube | check price here |
Best Lubricants for Foosball Table Reviews
1. Game Room Guys Foosball Rod Silicone Lubricant – No Odor
If looking for a good lubricant to help in the maintenance of your foosball table, consider this silicone lubricant. Silicone helps keep foosball rods clean and in good condition. Furthermore it enables the bearings to last longer. Applying silicone lubricant improves the speed and performance.
This lubricant consists of 100% silicone. Unlike oil-based lubricants, silicone does not damage the bearings and bumpers. It is a liquid silicone, much better than a spray silicone since it has the ability to go inside the bearings to properly lubricate them.
Furthermore, this lubricant does not give off an odor. Some lubricants can make your table smell awful, and of course that severely impinges on your ability to enjoy your foosball game.
Spills are wasteful and are a chore to deal with. This lubricant will not cause you those problems, since it comes with a built-in applicator tip to ensure you do not cause any mess on the table when applying.
It comes in a 4-ounce bottle.
The stopper is somehow loose and can come off, which would cause a spill, so be careful when handling it.
Pros
-Can go inside the bearings
-No odor
-No spills
-Does not damage bearings and bumpers like oil-based lubricants
-100% silicone
Cons
-Stopper not firm in place, can come off, cause spill
View price on Amazon
2. Tornado Foosball Rod Silicone – Long Lasting
This bottle of Tornado rod silicone does not include any fancy packaging – that helps keep the cost low.
When playing competitive matches, speed really counts. To have an edge on your opponent, you have to play faster and with more vigor. The rods have a big impact on how fast you play. For that reason, you have to take good care of the rods, maintain them. This Tornado rod silicone will help.
Applying rod silicone directly impacts on the speed and performance of your foosball games. If you leave the rods and let them deteriorate, your games will suffer. Silicone application also ensures that bearings do not wear out prematurely. The Tornado rod silicone has a thick viscosity and does a good job on rods and bearings.
After applying, one notices a huge difference in how the rods move. Everything glides with ease. You only need a few drops to clean and lubricate the rod, so you will use the lubricant for a long time.
Furthermore, as a liquid silicone rather than a spray lubricant, it has the ability to go into the bearings.
The applicator cap comes off too easily, though.
Pros
-Thick viscosity
-Long-lasting
-Does not damage bearings
Cons
-Applicator cap comes off too easily
View price on Amazon
3. Essential Values Foosball Rod Lubricant –Non-Toxic
Silicone is the best type of foosball rod lubricant. This bottle of lubricant contains 100% silicone. Since rods have a high impact on the speed and tempo of a foosball game, it’s important to pick the best maintenance products.
Since this is a liquid silicone lubricant, it has the ability to go into the bearings to lubricate them, unlike spray silicone lubricants. Well-lubricated bearings will last longer as they won’t get worn down by the friction caused by the rods.
Furthermore, silicone lubricants are safe to use, unlike oil-based lubricants which can damage the bearings and bumpers of your foosball table.
This USA-made silicone rod lubricant does not produce any odor. Some lubricants give off a smell that tends to linger on the table, making play uncomfortable.
In addition, the Essential Values lubricant is safe for use because it’s non-toxic.
You can use it for both home and commercial foosball.
Pros
-Non-toxic
-Odorless
-100% silicone
View price on Amazon
4. Spot On FoosJuice Silicone Foosball Rod Lubricant – Application with Dauber Top
The Spot On FoosJuice comes with a dauber top, which is a different application approach than the typical one. Most lubricant bottles feature an applicator cap that applies lubricant in drops like an eyedropper.
The dauber top is a better innovation as it enables easier lubrication of rods, with absolutely no risk of drip, spray, or causing a mess. Eyedropper-style bottles run the risk of the applicator cap coming off and all the liquid spilling out, causing a big mess on the foosball table. The dauber top guarantees no messes. It applies a thin even layer of lubricant.
The lubricant has a high viscosity and will work well on most modern foosball tables. It’s a formula you can use both at home and on heavy-duty commercial tables. It lasts long too.
Furthermore, the lubricant is safe for your table as it will not cause any damage to the bearings and bumpers like oil-based lubricants.
It’s also non-toxic and odorless. It can be rather sticky, though.
Pros
-No messes
-Doesn’t damage bearings and bumpers
-Non-toxic
-Odorless
Cons
-Sticky
View price on Amazon
5. Super Lube for Foosball Tables – Environmentally-Friendly: Biodegradeable
This lube is great for lubricating foosball rods. Seeing that rods help increase the pace of a foosball game, proper maintenance of rods is a critical responsibility for anyone who owns a foosball table. Well-lubricated rods and bearings make a game go smoother and faster. The rods glide smoothly, and you can play aggressively.
This rod oil is slippery. It makes the rods slide and glide with ease, enabling the tempo and speed of the game to increase and make the game truly thrilling.
In addition, it is non-toxic. If you love foosball fanatically, you probably spend a lot of time playing. A non-toxic lube ensures you can play as much foosball as you like without fearing for your safety.
And if you love the environment, you will like this lube because it is biodegradable. That means that it can be decomposed by living organisms such as bacteria. You can therefore relax in the knowledge that this lube will not harm the environment.
The application mechanism makes it difficult to over-lubricate, so you can apply the exact amount you have in mind.
The lubricant consists of a blend of premium oils, PTFE, and powerful additives. However, a silicone lubricant would be better.
Pros
-Environmentally friendly
-Non-toxic
-Application mechanism helps reduce wastefulness
Cons
-It’s not a silicone lubricant
View price on Amazon
Tips for Applying Lubricant to Your Foosball Table
As you use the foosball table over prolonged time, the friction of the rods and the bearings eventually starts affecting play. Game play slows down significantly. You have to apply lubricant to the rod and bearings to get them gliding again. The following are things you should know about lubricating your foosball table’s parts:
- Clean the Parts before Lubricating
Prior to applying lubricant, clean the rods and bearings of your foosball table. If you start applying directly without cleaning first, the dirt and debris mixes with the lubrication and this gives you a counterproductive effect as it results in increased friction rather than reduced.
To clean the rods and bearings, moisten a rag with a solution of water and rubbing alcohol. Wipe down the table parts with the rag. After cleaning, dry the parts.
- Use Silicone
Silicone is the choice lubricant for foosball tables. You see, unlike oil-based lubricants, silicone does not cause damage to the bearings and bumpers (WD-40 dries out the bearings and bumpers).
Don’t make the mistake of using WD-40 on your rod and bearings. WD-40 has volatile and penetrating effects that can harm the rods and bearings, making them wear down.
WD-40 makes the rods too slippery. Over time they degrade in quality and malfunction, leading to low-performance during play.
Liquid silicone has an advantage over spray silicone. Liquid silicone can go inside the lubricants to keep them lubricated, but spray cannot.
When your rods need silicone, they move slower and it gets harder to slide them in and out of the table.
If you are a heavy player, schedule the silicone lubrication process as a weekly maintenance. You can go for longer periods if you don’t play often – for instance, use a monthly lubrication schedule.
- How to Apply Silicone
The process of applying silicone lubricant first to the rods and then to the bearings should go as follows. Take a clean piece of cloth or a paper towel. Spray or drip a small amount of silicone lubricant on the side of the cloth. Using the cloth, apply the silicone to all the rods of the table.
Finally, take the bottle of liquid silicone and drip a drop or two at the end of the rod next to the bearing. Slide the rod into the bearing and start to spin it around slowly.
- Liquid Better than Spray Lubricant
You can get silicone lubricant either in liquid form or as a spray. We recommend the liquid. You see, liquid silicone can penetrate into the inside of the bearings and lubricate them properly. Spray lubricants cannot manage that.
However, liquid lubricant has its limitation too. You have to be careful and keep it from spilling on the playing surface. Silicone spills on the playing surface will affect both playability and appearance.
To remedy this, find some sort of plastic cover you can place over the playing surface to protect it while you lubricate the rods.
- Move the Rods to Spread the Lubricant
After applying lubricant on the rods, you can spread it upon the rods into a coat by running the rods back and forth through the bearings.
After completing the task, remember to carefully wipe off excess lubricant to ensure it doesn’t drip onto the table’s playing surface.
Other Foosball Table Maintenance Tips
Lubrication is just one of the maintenance tasks a foosball table requires. The following are more tips that will help you keep your foosball table in mint condition:
- Keep Away from Direct Sun
This applies even when you own an outdoor table. Direct sunlight can cause damage or fading of the table surface.
- Air-Spray the Corners
Dust gets trapped in the corners, food particles in the nooks and crannies. Those hard-to-reach places accumulate dirt and dust. Use a can of compressed air to spray and clean out the dust and dirt from the crevices.
- Wipe Down the Table
Using a clean cloth and a small amount of 70% to 80% rubbing alcohol, wipe down the foosball table from top to bottom. If you are a regular player, do it weekly. If you don’t play often, a monthly schedule will do.
- Keep the Foosballs Clean
If you notice black spots or dirt on the foosballs, use a clean cloth with some rubbing alcohol to wipe them clean.
If this doesn’t work, put the ball in a white sock and machine-wash. Afterward, let the ball air-dry – don’t put in the dryer.
- Keep Food and Drinks at Bay
If you value your foosball table, we cannot recommend this strongly enough: don’t have food or drinks anywhere near the table! Drinks spilling and food particles greasing up the table won’t do it any good. If It happens, clean up immediately before it causes any damage.
- Gluing Broken Parts
In the life of a foosball table, many parts may break off, chip – typical wear and tear. Have some commercial superglue in the house, so when a part breaks off you can immediately glue it back. If you wait too long to glue it, the part might not fit as perfectly.
Remember that using broken parts may cause even more damage to the table. If you can afford it, it’s even better to replace the broken parts with new ones.
Conclusion
The two top spots have stiff competition. We chose the Essential Values silicone lubricant as the best and the Spot on FoolsJuice as the runner’s up.
Both products comprise 100% silicone. Both are odorless and non-toxic. The main difference is that the Essential Values is a liquid lubricant and has an applicator while the Spot on FoolsJuice has a dauber top that enables to apply a thin, even layer of lubricant on the rod.
While the liquid silicone can spill, you should remember that it has the advantage of being able to go into the insides of bearings to properly lubricate them.
Which lubricant attracts you?
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