So i know there are dozens of other threads about this and Ive read a bunch and tried some methods but none of them are working. The bearing on my Severe 2010 just won’t come off. Ive used pliers, put the yoyo in the freezer for 10 minutes, Ive tried the string method, nothing is working. I dont want to destroy the bearing. What else can I do? This is my favorite throw and I need to swap bearings…
The first method to attempt is always the “bearing removal tool”… in quotation marks because any 1/4" cylinder will do. I keep a 1/4" drill bit in my yoyo case and use the blunt end to remove bearings.
Insert the cylinder, wiggle gently back and forth and in all directions and it’ll start coming out, little bit by little bit.
Ditto on the drill bit method.
Duncan just released a combo yoyo-holder, string cutter, bearing tool, pretty sweet I just picked one up.
The bearing tool has never failed removing a stubborn bearing. Good luck!
Well, the pliers that I use has this cylinder on the end that i grip the bearing with but it doesnt budge… I assumed it works the same as the bearing removal tool, its worked for all of my other stuck bearings before, but its not doing anything on my Severe
http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh636/andy5692/image-41.jpg
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If it’s not a perfect fit, it’s not going to work nearly as well. With the 1/4" bit, you get no room on the inside, so when you wiggle it, you are transferring the pressure against the bearing seat, allowing the bearing to start wiggling free. With the least bit of space, you’re probably not making effective use of force.
You can usually get a cheap steel drill bit for pennies at a hardware store. Or if you need drill bits anyhow, a set of them for a few bucks.
Alright, I’ll go check the garage to see if my dad has some lying around, if not, I guess I’ll buy one
YYF has a reputation for “grip of death” syndrome on many of their metals, which they claimed was for performance, but it’s been proven that isn’t the case. YYF has since started making efforts to reduce this problem. Snug is good, needing to use a bearing removal tool is acceptable, but “death grip” is not acceptable.
Of all the methods described, patience is the only way to go. It may take an hour to remove a bearing, through gentle wiggling. I think someone else advised trying WD-40 or penetrating oil in inside race of the bearing and the bearing seat to help loosen it up.
So, you’re down to patience or just destroy the bearing, then sand the bearing seat down a bit so you don’t have this problem again and then pop in a new bearing.
Ok, so like Greg suggested I bought a yyf bearing removal tool and just received it today, I’ve been working at it for 15 minutes but it’s not budging… This is a stubborn bearing. To be honest I think the pliers I used were more effective but I’ll keep working at it… Anything else I could do? Would putting like thin lube or something inside the bearing seat help loosen it up?
I actually suggested a 1/4" drill bit, but the YYF tool will work just as well. Plus you get a YYF tool for your keyring or case! 
As mentioned in a PM, get that axle out of the way if it’s still in the same half as the bearing. Then freeze that half for what… 5 minutes? Should be enough time for the aluminum to shrink a bit compared to the steel. Too long and the steel will also shrink and the net benefit will be lost.
Then keep working at it with the bearing removal too. Put it in as far as it goes, and apply some decent force this way and that… back and forth, back and forth… go in circles, working it with some strength. With enough patience, it’ll eventually come out.
I removed the axle before i tried anyways, i put it in the freezer for 5, still working at it… 
if they haven’t made any changes then the yoyofactory tools don’t work on really stuck bearings. mine fits very loose.
I use a pb and j tool I got from greg and it works great because it has a taper that really seats into the bearing. a drill bit has a similar taper and works great.
a rhino tool is good for getting bearings, not sure how it would be on a “death grip” but yea, good luck with that…
Yup, im done… I AM DONE! THE BEARING WINS!
…so how do i remove the bearing by destroying it? Like what method?
My rhino tool actually failed out on me for a medium-tight bearing just yesterday. Had to use a friend’s YYF tool instead. I’m kinda disappoint.
Wow, mine always usually works, I wanna get the duncan multitool/holder and retire my rhino tool.
Never quit!! You must remove all the bearings!!!
In this video I am removing a bearing so stuck it is actually fairly hard for me to unscrew the yoyo. (you can see it in the video.) Its safe to say this is a death grip bearing.
If you watch at first I don’t rock it enough and pull too much(this was on purpose) and it doesn’t work.
But then I exaggerate the motion and the bearing pops right out.
Notice how stuck on the tool the bearing is when I am done. It takes a fair amount of force to get it off the tool. This fit is important if you want to remove a death grip bearing with out killing the bearing. If you can get a bearing off your tool with out force then the bearing tool isn’t the right size.