Welcome E,
There are two basic oil types out there that I'm aware of, polymerizing and non-polymerizing. The non-polymerizing oils are the ones that will stay liquid, pretty much no matter what. These include most of your vegetable oils and mineral oil. They're good for salad bowls, cutting boards, and other items that will need to be washed and reoiled.
Polymerizing oils, on the other hand, will harden into a solid over time and with exposure to air. These include Tung oil, Walnut oil, Linseed oil (boiled), and the various eurythane oils. Some, such as Linseed, will only partially harden, leaving a fairly easilly scratched surface if used alone. Others, especially Tung oil, are often not what they're named and are, instead, eurythane oil.
Personally, I use pretty much only eurythane oils in all their various forms. This includes most of what is called Tung Oil, Danish Oil, Waterlox, etc. Makes for a nice finish, very consistant, etc. True pure Tung oil is a bit finicky and not that hard, by my experience. Takes forever to build up a good finish. It was the best until eurythane oils came along but, by my opinion, has been somewhat eclipsed by them.
As for differences between brands, they are all pretty similar so try a few until you find what you like. Base your decision on color, speed of drying, etc. and you'll be happy.
So, that's what I knows.
Next?
Dietrich
P.S.( All polymerizing oils heat up as they cure. This heating up increases the curing speed, which causes more heat, which increases the speed, etc. If you wad up a rag soaked in linseed oil or tung oil and throw it in the garbage, you stand a fair chance of starting a fire. Best practice is to hang them up till the dry before throwing them out.)
