John Ando: kitty string and ?
Whatever strings and bearing fit their preferences.
Although Terrapin bearings are the longest spinning, making them the best choice for competition.
Many throwers: some bearing and YYSL Type X
YYSL Type X seems to be picking up quite a lot of favouritism lately. The other staple of a lot of players is Kitty fat polyester. As for bearings, it’s anybody’s guess.
Yuki
doesn’t matter what every one else is doing it what you find works best… me … twisted trifecta and twisted stringz type A1 string ;D
YYSL Type X is really really great string. And yeah, Kitty Fat is pretty popular as well.
Center Track
Kitty String
Mr. Kimmitt once told me he uses cheap Mexican string. And I would assume a stock bearing.
I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to use BYYS Type 3
I can’t speak for pros, I don’t go asking them “Dude,what you using?”
As for me, I know my skills are improving. Yes, I still suck, but that’s OK.
I’m finding I like a slightly thicker string but still has good bounce and long lasting. I picked up a 100-count of YYSL Type X for my trip to Vietnam to keep my yoyos tied to.
As far as bearings, there’s no secret I like Terrapin X and those products, and I do Terrapin X treat all my on-Terrapin X bearings as I get to them. As far as bearings themselves, I find that it’s best to find what yoyo+bearing combination works best for a particular player.
In my DM2’s, I have Terrapin X Wing Cut bearings. In my Code 2, I have the new 10-ball Terrapin X Ceramic. I have a Terrapin X A-bearing in my small bearing Bassalope. MyBeysick has a Terrapin X D bearing in it. Both my Burnsides have Twisted Stringz Trifecta bearings, but those have been Terrapin X Treated. My Speeder 2 has a KK in it, as does my Meteor, which have not yet been Terrapin X treated. All 6 of my Aquarius have been Terrapin X treated, as has been my Fiesta XX, Go Big, ReXtreme and Big Yo. So is my Jet Set.
I think players have to figure out from their various assortment of samples and spare parts what works best for them.
As far as things I flat out don’t like:
Sorry I’m not pleased with the YYF SPEC bearings. But that’s just me.
I don’t like thick Metz string, but I suspect due to my play style being kinda crappy, it’s just not an ideal fit for me.
I dislike YYE’s white 100% poly and Slick 6 in white. However, I suspect these have been redone since I got them over a year and a half ago. I think that the dye helps the string be more durable and hold tension better. It’s not that they are bad per say, it’s just that compared to YYE bulk colored string, the colored string just seems to perform better for me. At least that’s been my experience. I normally use YYE Neon Green bulk string for my yoyos. I like the stuff! I have it in yellow and orange too and plenty of it. I also have Slick 6 in yellow and like it a lot better than the white Slick 6.
You have to buy, try and be willing to learn, experiment and expand your horizons.
Also keep in mind that someone’s configuration might not be ideal for someone else. The same bearing and string combination might not translate well to another yoyo.
Czech top players use mostly Centracs, some chinese concaves. Strings mostly Yoyofactory or cheap 100% poly. Lately Fat kitty rise in popularity, Petr Kavka uses them now.
CT bearings cover 90% of the pro market, I’ve heard.
Keeps string away from response. No string pile-up. What’s not to like? Except they get loud.
But since they’re made of SS, you can just run them in water.
Only diluted water, stainless steel can still rust. I go from anything from bootleg kks to center tracs. I love center tracs whenever I actually get a working one that spins smoothly and isn’t ridiculously loud.
I believe you meant “distilled”. Diluting water would just produce… water… 
Distilled water will still cause iron to rust, including the iron found in stainless steel. However it’s free of other hard minerals and chemicals (in most parts of Canada, a tonne of fluoride) that could cause build-up over time, still making it a better choice.
Washing a bearing in water isn’t as bad an idea as some people think. We intuitively think to ourselves, “water plus metal equals rust” which isn’t entirely untrue. However, if dried immediately and put into service, they just won’t have a chance to have a layer of iron oxide build up on them. As soon as the bearing is dry, the perceived risk is over.
If I really need to clean out a bearing (for example, if I’ve used the turtle wax polishing compound to try to keep a bearing alive), I use water as the first step. Waste of acetone otherwise.
This is very interesting. I had no idea that CTs were so popular - infact, I thought they were rather unpopular.
I normally use Slix or Candy String produced by Big Yoyo String and a Trifecta Bearing or Center Trac.
I like center trac bearings quite a bit and is usually what I use but lately flat bearings as well as my wing cut terrapin and a few YYE ceramic bearings that for 11 or 12 bucks cant be beat. I also use Kitty string Fat but have a tub full of different types of toxic, YYSL, Quick 13, Big yoyo string, and a few others that I just havent been using lately.
Fat Kitty and KK for me, and I think that’s the choice for many Japanese/Asian players also.
Zen Yoyo String… (Coming Soon)