Trumpet/Baritone/Tuba valve oil works just fine, but doesn’t last nearly as long as actual thin lubricant designed for bearings.
I recommend V4M over YYJ and YYF’s offerings, but they all work just fine. If you’re actually in need of lubricant, save yourself a lot of trouble (and money) by just buying lube made for yoyos. Each bearing costs about $10.00, so a $5.00 bottle of lube is much less expensive than the new bearing you’ll need to buy when you fill your current one with some random substance and can’t play it anymore.
buy some 3 in 1 or some gun oil if you dont think you can afford the real stuff ;)… but also lube is needed IMO cause it doesnt mess up the bearing performance and it makes the bearing last wwwaaayyy longer and its much quieter.and a small thing of yyj v4m or yyf lube lasts forever too.
Don’t run it dry, it destroys the bearing and isn’t worth it. I use shredder lube from either staples or some store such as. It really works great and you can get a big bottle for nothin’, or at least I did.
Bearings are fairly inexpensive. If you want to run them dry, run them dry. Lube won’t reduce friction, it just reduces wear, unless you use Dry Play, which seems to do both reduce friction and reduce wear.
I prefer Dry Play. That’s what I like, that’s what I use.
If someone likes a touch of lube, then so be it. If they want to run their bearings dry, then hey, if it gives them the performance they want, then who am I to say otherwise?
Maybe I just have bad luck with bearings, but when i run them dry they turn black and eventually freeze up. Nothing lasts forever, especially if it’s the throw you most use. Bearing are generally inexpensive, but why have to buy new ones when you can just take care of the one you have and put that extra money towards a new throw? It is all preference just do what you like I’m just throwing out my opinion and my past experiences.