Personally haave never bought a shimano casting reel but just recently bought a quantum metrix which i am in love with not the lightest reel on the market but in a 7:0:1 gear ratio its good for everything and i didnt notice any excess oil problems. Past purchased reels though i have used q-tips and they work but you gotta be careful not to get the little fibers in the gears and the bearings. Just a suggestion but what about one of those little microfiber lense cleaners for sunglasses/glasses im sure it would work well and it definitely wouldnt leave any "fuzz" in the innner workings on the reel