Hi all, I have a quick question. Bearings! When one buys a new throw online from, it doesn’t matter but let’s say a new “Japan technology” or a new “offset”. Where does these different manufacturers get their bearings?! I mean do they all make their own or do they buy ones online and put them in their various models they sell so we’re unaware. May seem a weird question but I’m drying to know. Thanks In advance.
They generally buy them from a supplier like the rest of the material they use.
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So besides a $200 throw Bearing, you think their bearings are superior to, say a NSK or I find Crucial bearing to be amazing too.
People will argue about bearings all day but my opinion is parts is parts. A number of years ago Nathan Crissey posted on another forum about an experiment conducted at one of the major contests where they did a blind comparison test of various bearings and basically no one could tell one from another.
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Appreciate you.
If it isn’t NSK it’s 99% chance it’s made by Runstar. This is an assumption on my part, but it’s where I source all my bearings from and I have noticed some patterns that make me think they supply most bearings. You can find them on alibaba.
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With that said what are your top three aftermarket bearing you’d buy?
I understand we could talk all day about bearings, but this was my only burning question about them 
My top 3 favorite bearings in no particular order:
One Drop
NSK
Original Throw
It’s true, most of us likely couldn’t tell the difference in a blind test and sometimes I forget what I have installed on certain throws. Having said that, all 3 of those brands have always been very smooth, quiet, and spin real good right out of the box.
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ive had success with zipline concaves and clyw pixels and haven’t needed a third option
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Ziplines grooved concave is smokin’! Got one in my Summit 2
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The bearings I like the most are ceramic hybrid with nylon cage.
They are very quiet and smooth.
After that, there is ABEC-5, which I think is the best quality yoyo’s bearing. ABEC-1 and 3 are standard quality, good but a bit low. ABEC-7 are very high precision bearings, good for competitive sports and/or skateboard… ABEC-9 are super, ultra precision. To be honest I don’t know what use this bearing, maybe medical/dentist tools…
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ABEC-7 bearings were part of the blind test I mentioned above. That was the initial impetus for the test. Some people were touting them as far superior to anything else available at the time. Again people could not discern a difference.
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As long as I can deshield it and it has some kind of concavity to it I am happy. Konkaves are the best for me but I also love a good flat bearing too. I left a flat in a yoyo that I like to play horizontal on and didn’t notice for a while until I looked in the gap. It didn’t make a big difference either. A little bit but not like, “oh its unplayable now” more like “hmm better play just a little cleaner”
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Some yoyo brands simply use generic/non-branded high quality bearings supplied by the factories that manufacture their yoyos for bulk quantities, unless they specifically state which bearing brand they use (e.g. NSK, Minebea, or Dif-e-Yo).
But if you want a bearing that is worth it, I suggest these
- NSK Concave Platinum
- W1ld Bearing
- YYR DS Bearing
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Any leads on where to source? Would love to try them. Thanks.
Seconded, couldn’t agree more with these exact recs. In my experience it really does make a difference and I wouldn’t be throwing money at bearings like I do if there truly was no discernable difference to me. I’ve probably tried every last available bearing (via US yoyo retail at least) out there, as well as several ones that aren’t made anymore and those are my top 3 as well.
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Has anybody who primarily uses NSKs tried a Minebea bearing yet?
Minebea is a Japanese domestic bearing manufacturer that has started producing yoyo bearings. Basically the same boat as NSK. Been kinda curious about if they’re good enough for NSK diehards to use them.
Personally though bulk aliexpress bearings are good, and considering people will recommend them being marked up and repackaged individually by other brands, I’m guessing it’s the same for a lot of people lol.
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I’m planning to get one when I travel to Japan this September to test it out with my two prototypes
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Right now, they are actually pretty hard to find standalone, which is exactly why I’m currently working on sourcing and manufacturing my own batch of high-quality hybrid ceramics with nylon cages for my shop. I just placed the order for the first production samples to test them out!
In the meantime, if you want to try a great bearing with a nylon cage right away, check out G2 Yoyos. Their ‘Ripper V2’ bearings use a nylon cage (though I believe they are full stainless steel rather than hybrid ceramic, but they still feel and sound amazing).
I’ll definitely keep the community updated once my own hybrid/nylon batch lands and passes quality control.
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I’ve never tried NSK unless the yoyo came with it without me knowing. For replacement bearings I get the concave or center tracks from Hollywood Modern/Ross. They seem as good as anything else I’ve tried and the price is decent.
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