Bearing Preferences?

Hey! :slight_smile: So I’ve been reading reviews of for the past few days and I eventually ended up with deciding whether I should buy the YoyoJam Surge and the Duncan Flipside. Aside from the good reviews, one of the reasons as to why I chose these two were the bearings (Kon Kave and YYJ Speed Bearing) that came with them. That and they are VERY cheap. Now, I’m basing my decision on the bearing because from the reviews I’ve read between the two, they seem kind of on-par with each other. So, I wanted to see what your preferences are and why you like one better than the other. If you can, please do say your preference among those two then state why. Thanks! :slight_smile:

Honestly, get the Ripple or Whipple Buddha bearing. So smooth and unresponsive, it makes any yoyo a floaty cloud. Ripple bearings are $8 and Whipple bearings are about $5-6 a piece.

Any cheap yoyos that come with those? Of course, I also want to buy these two for the yoyos themselves. :wink:

KK destroys everything else out there, its by far my favorite bearing. It centers the string, so it makes any yoyo more stable and longer spinning, and the bearing itself lasts a really long time, it can be as quiet as a OD 10 ball if lubed, and its just awesome all around.

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Thanks for the reply! :slight_smile: My friend says the same too, actually.

Yeah, KK bearings are pretty cool!

Unfortunately, yoyo’s don’t come with these bearings, but it’s real worth it to buy one!

I don’t have a real bearing preference. Most stock bearings work fine for me. Not always.

When I feel something isn’t right, it’s time to experiment with bearings. In such situations, I have a fairly good assortment of bearings to try out, which includes KK’s, CenterTracks, the complete Buddha line(simple, dimple, ripple, whipple) and more. When I find the bearing that seems to provide the best fit for me, that’s what stays in the yoyo.

I put KK’s in my Speeder 2’s and Meteor. In contrast, I tried everything in my Chaser(including a KK) and ended up back to the stock bearing. My Shutters use Buddha Dimples, which are CenterTrac copies. My Burnsides both have Trifectas. My HEX is using a Terrapin X 10-Ball ceramic Wing cut in it. My King Yo Star Hop King wasn’t very playable until I put a KK in it(darn import laws).

My advice is to let the yoyo and your play style guide you as to what should go in there. Now, I know there are people who “standardize” on a specific type of bearing, and that’s fine. There’s people who are “if it ain’t flat, it ain’t needed”, and while a bit strange, that’s fine too. Some people are “stock bearing only”. Whatever. There are different bearings on the market for a reason, so use them if you want to.

To the OP:
I find the Surge just fine with the stock bearing. I also find the Flipside just fine with the C-sized KK in it.

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Best advice yet. Thanks man! Have you tried a KK or a Center Trac with a Shutter before? Cuz’ I’ll be getting a Shutter for Christmas.

I use CTs in my YYF because I can get one for 5 bucks. I have a couple extra flat bearings now. Most of my stuff is just with the stock bearing, since I don’t bother to change it.

Get a center trac. Comes with a lot of throws and plays AMAZING. It centers the string giving the yoyo more stability and making the yoyo as unresponsive as it gets. It’s 10.00

Put the center trac in the shutter. Once you do that It’ll will play even more amazing than it did.

I pretty much use the stock bearings that come w/the yoyo. In some cases I’ve replaced them w/a Difeyo KK, which I have a few of. I like how they play. I’ve replaced bearings in “previously owned” yoyos because they were abused. In those I’ve used a nice quality bearing purchased elsewhere.

Same!

I have replaced the stock YYF Spec bearing in my two Shutter yoyos with CenterTracs. I greatly prefer how they perform with the CenterTrac. I have not tried a KK in either of them, nor do I really want to. I’ve found YYF’s really shine with CenterTrac bearings in them.

in yoyos i buy retail i just use the stock bearing unless its an actual grooved bearing (modern anti yos)

if i buy a OD yoyo on the bst and it has some random bearing in it i put a 10ball in out of principle. if i buy something else on the bst and it has a good non grooved bearing i just leave it alone.

i loved 10balls and terrapin sc wing cuts forever and hated on kks and cts but i get along just fine with them now and more than happily play them in the throws they come stock. only bearings i still actively dislike are grooved ones, might just be my bad play but they seem to open up for suicides pretty poorly pretty often.

i used to buy/try all kinds of different bearings, at this point i wouldnt be surprised if i never bought another separate bearing

I prefer any of the Buddha Bearings.

Thanks for all the responses, guys. I really do appreciate them. Please do remember though that I AM just choosing between a YYJ Speed Bearing and a Kon Kave. The Shutter I’m buying will come from a pack already includes a Center Trac bearing, so that’s kinda solved. I just want to have bearing options for any yoyos I might buy in the future. I’m pretty sure all these other bearings are awesome as well. But, I’m also on a tight budget. That’s why I wanted to buy yoyos that had those bearings with them. I’m from the Philippines. So like, 5 bucks can tear away my weekly allowance. I just saved enough money to buy either a FlipSide or Surge and I don’t want to spend that money on just the bearing. So, YYJ Speed Bearing or Kon Kave?

I’d go with the Koncave. The “YYJ Speed bearing” is just another flat bearing, and if you’re gonna get a flat bearing then you might as well get a Onedrop 10 Ball. I had a YYJ Speed Bearing and I couldn’t tell the difference at all between it and the bog standard stock bearing that came with my YYF’s.

For me I use anything that isn’t flat. CT/Buddha/KK/Trifecta, it really doesn’t matter to me much as long as it’s string-centering.

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I personally like center trac bearings but I also have a lot of kks and they r nice too. Buddha bearings r next on my list to try tho!

I would recommend a 10 ball (the only thing i like from OD)