I recently purchased a few of the Buddah “Ripple” bearings. Additionally, I also have purchased a few of the Twisted Stringz “Trifecta” bearings as well.
After looking at both of these bearings under a magnifying glass, I can not discern one bit of difference between these two types of bearings !!.
I made a similar observation with the General Yo “AIGR” bearings against the YYJ speed bearings…No difference at all.
Can it be safely assumed that there are but a few manufactures of bearings that produce the majority of all the bearings we use?
I made this observation when I sat down and attempted to sort all my bearings by manufacture.
It’s almost impossible with a large percentage of the bearings I own to discern the differences.
I realize that there are a few boutique type bearings available that are truly unique. The KK & the KK Ceramic come to mind, but I have a nice collection of bearings and the more I compare them to one another, the less of a difference I am finding. Of the dozen or two different choices in bearings that are available for YoYo’s, it just seems like they all come from the same two or three manufactures. Or are they?
When the industry comes up with that standard, you’ll let us know what it is, right?
I find that with the Terrapin X bearings, you’re often paying LESS and getting more.
At any rate, I say “play what you like”.
JeiCheetah
(J̵̡̥̦̳̗͎̤̯̟͓̞͔͔̻́͛͐̒͋̔̈́͂̃͝ͅͅ E I H W Δ N̸̢̢̡͙͖̝̩̟͎̹̻͔̳͕̙̗̈̆̆͋̈́͛̀̑̒̂̀̈́̇̚͘͠ͅ)
5
Industry standard being standard type c bearings that many yoyos come standard with.
Terrapins are probably one of the biggest jokes on the market today in my opinion, and speaking with many others, they tend to agree. But each is entitled to their opinion.
I’ve found some bearings equipped from manufacturers suck. Didn’t like the one who came with the Royale AT ALL. Hated it. The stock CT equipped with CLYWs have a tendency to clog up on me. Some types of bearings tend to just be more faulty than others.
I’m not all in for the Terrapin/Ceramic stuff, mainly because i think a regular steel-bearing with good tolerances will do anyone more than good enough. However i don’t see any reason not to change your stock flat 8-ball to a KK or a CT or a Trifecta and so on because these bearings actually, because of their shape, change the overall play of the yoyo. Curved bearings tend to give better stability though they’re not so good for string heavy, multiple-layer play. They also make some throws feel more solid. Look at Mickey, his play is fast and very… “Asian”, for a lack of better words. If you slow it down you’ll see that it’s not super complicated nor especially layer-heavy play, it’s the speed that makes it complicated. That’s when a curved bearing can help you out giving you less sleep loss and a bit better stability.
I do agree that buying a treated bearing straight from Terrapin isn’t the most cost-effective thing you can do to get a top-notch bearing, but Haru’s stance that Terrapin bearings are a “joke” is a bit offensive.
There are many, many examples of Terrapin’s Dry Lube and the pre-treated bearings themselves out-spinning standard dry and lubed bearings by between 10 and 30 seconds on a flick. I know that doesn’t translate into very much when installed in a yoyo, but I can guarantee that there are a bunch of people who want that performance and several who can actually take advantage of it.
Haru, you preach acceptance and always talk about the “soul” of the yoyo. Why call something that can help a yoyo’s performance “the biggest joke on the market today”?
JeiCheetah
(J̵̡̥̦̳̗͎̤̯̟͓̞͔͔̻́͛͐̒͋̔̈́͂̃͝ͅͅ E I H W Δ N̸̢̢̡͙͖̝̩̟͎̹̻͔̳͕̙̗̈̆̆͋̈́͛̀̑̒̂̀̈́̇̚͘͠ͅ)
11
^ Cause I’m not going to lie so others can hear what they want to hear.
Basically there is a greater variation between individual bearings (of a particular shape/size) than there are between bearings of different brands. That, plus the fact that the constant and ongoing chance that some foreign object is going to get into the race means that trying to generalize bearings based on brand is futile.
The value in Terrapin’s bearings is not the ‘bearing’ itself or the lube treatment. It’s the fact that he:
Screens all the bearings by hand and makes sure you get a decent one.
Warranties the bearing so that if it goes bad, you can exchange it with him.
For the above two benefits, he charges a premium.
Honestly, I would prefer to just buy a pack of value bearings, clean them myself and then replace them with another identical, cheap one when the first wears out. Others may feel Terrapin’s services have more value and they would be justified in feeling so.
Jason
PS. And yes, almost all bearings come from a handful of factories in China. There’s very little difference between them. China did not become the economic powerhouse by handcrafting parts one by one. They did it with massive economies of scale… producing the same thing more cheaply and most consistently than anyone else.
It’s not like they’re very expensive though. I spent more than that on my breakfast this morning and I’ll literally be flushing that down the drain in a few hours. =P
I don’t think that KK bearings/CT/Trifectas are a scam because they do what they say.
Crappy throw on a flat bearing = string flies to the edge and rubs on the response.
Crappy throw on a KK bearing = string stays in the middle.
“Work on your throw”
Yes, I am, but having a KK bearing is like having drivers assist on a car. You still need to learn how to drive, but it can make certain parts of driving easier.
Are they essential? No. But I wish people would stop saying “they do absolutely nothing”. Because they do. They keep the string centered and away from the edges. This is what they are designed to do and it is what they do.
Do they have any direct impact on how the yoyo performs on a good throw .vs. a flat bearing…? Not really, no. But they DO make a difference by design, and that difference is that they keep the string away from the edges.
Still with this bearing BS.
LOL, ALL yoyo bearings are bought from a manufactureer in Asia. 100%.
The bearings made in America are simply too expensive, and go into HighEnd equipment that needs really really good bearings that dont fail. That is where the American bearings go, not into your yoyos, they are all Asian.
I laugh at all you guys spending all this money on bearings, hoping to get that super sleeper…lol… its such a waste of your time, order a tenpack from VXB and your good for a long time, cost around 2.50 each. Same quality as any of the aftermarket or stock bearings, and yes aftermarket and stock are the same beaings.
Your paying for the same beaing in a fancy package, dont you feel stupid now ?
I don’t know if you have ever tried to Dry Play treat your bearings, but I find when I do it, it takes a long time, and the odds of it coming out as good as the Terrapin X bearings are about 1 in 10. I find myself redoing the treatment 5 or 6 times before I get a bearing that actually is up to standards. I do agree though somewhat, because having a Dry Play treated 10 ball that turned out good is absolutely, positutely the best thing in the world
The more time that goes on, the more I prefer a bearing that I don’t have to fart around with. I care less about whether it’s flat or profiled, and more about whether I like the way it sounds (very important to me!) and spins. I honestly couldn’t tell you what bearing was in the yoyo I used for my last video.
I’ve bought $2 profiled 10-ball bearings, and they were awesome. Speed and AIGR (shouldn’t be surprised they’re similar or the same!) are favourites, too. I already know that Trifecta-style bearings are available elsewhere for less money. But when I placed my last order with Twisted (who makes great strings, as well!) I just went ahead and added a Trifecta to my order. I didn’t feel “ripped off,” because Jen has awesome customer service and cares about details. If she sold a non-profiled bearing, I’d probably buy one of those, too (or instead). Remember, she brought this to market when it was unique to her company… she saw a need, sourced a product that filled a gap, and has had great success with it.
The market will eventually dictate whether she needs to lower her price. People like me who just find it more convenient to add one to an order instead of looking elsewhere, may keep the price up. Sorry.
I really don’t get this, “You’re an idiot for liking profiled bearings” rage… and it’s not like enjoying a KK means I don’t also enjoy a generic flat 8-ball. If it sounds good and plays good, it IS good, and that INCLUDES so-called specialty bearings.
