I’ve heard the buzz around the cooler about how YYF’s “next generation SPEC” bearing is a ripoff of the Dif-E-Yo KonKave(KK) bearings. I don’t know about all the legal mumbo jumbo behind this kind of thing, and that’s not what I’m here to share anyway. What I want people to know about the new bearing is that it’s not just a copy of the KK.
Yes, it does the same general thing in the same general way. For me, the difference is all in the end result. With a KK, you have a bearing that is constantly trying to center the string in an attempt to keep it off the response of the yo-yo. This is GREAT, and many players truly enjoy the benefits it provides.
Now, before I go on I want to mention that everything here is my opinion and/or observation while playing with these two different bearings. While everything I say is true for my style of play, it might not hold true in yours.
The YYF Center-Trac doesn’t waste time trying to keep a string centered. All it’s concerned with is keeping the string layers away from the sides and the response with no restrictions in between. For me, this gives the same feel as a well-played SPEC that we all know and love. Personally, I love the way this bearing feels, and I hope YYF continues to use them!
Feel free to post your opinions about the situation, either of the bearings, and final thoughts in comparison.
Agreed, and I hope your post helps enlighten some people who have made statements without thinking everything through. That’s definitely the separating factor between this new bearing and KK’s, and they play noticeably differently.
Personally, I still feel it plays with far less freedom from any SPEC/flat bearing, but I’m probably among the pickiest out there when it comes to how a bearing feels.
Well, my best guess is that it’s different enough not to raise an eyebrow about it. The only other thing I can think of is that Dif-E-Yo may own a patent(or something similar) for KonKave bearings, but I don’t think they can register one for concave bearings if you know what I mean.
Plus, the Center-Trac really isn’t concave either. Oh well…who knows (besides YYF and DIY).
I’ve never played with a KK but I do find the play of my center-trac bearing is quite smooth… I have no beef with it other than the fact that its loud. I fell deeply inlove with the Spec in my G5 (Man you should’a seen the dates… ) Its super smooth, really unresponsive and fairly quiet, and I get similar play with my Center Trac but its just… Loud
