what is the difference between a ceramic bearing and stainless steel bearing? what are the pros and cons to each??
I don’t have any ceramic bearings, but supposedly, they are lube free, smoother, and quieter.
Personally, I have no problem with my Buddha and Center track bearings, but that’s just me.
I recently started using the MFD REvolution bearings that have ceramic balls inside a SS cage, and I must say that I really do like them. Smooth and silent.
But in general I am ambivalent towards SS or Ceramic bearings. One thing is for sure in my mind: I don’t believe you need to spend more than $10 on a bearing in order to get good performance.
They’re not inherently quieter, though I believe some probably are (the CORE bearings that Northern Spin used to sell were pretty quiet!). I’ve had some downright rattly ceramic (full or just ceramic balls) bearings. Quietest bearing I ever played is the NSK Platinum concave bearing.
Just sayin’, the material isn’t going to guarantee smooth and silent operation. Quality and performance characteristics will vary between vendors.
I also do not prefer them overall. I like to lightly lube my bearings (for smoothness and lower volume!) and there doesn’t seem to be too much point getting ceramic/hybrid if I’m just going to throw a drop of lube in there. 
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My ceramic bearing (Terrapin X) are a little louder than most of my SS bearings, center trac excluded as its the loudest of the bunch. I also prefer dry lube which can also add to the noise a bit, but a drop of acetone and and quiets downs and spins for days. On a dry flick test the terapin out spins ALL my other bearings by nearly double if not more. After cleaning and bone dry, the ceramic outshines them all. After a lube job on both my SS’s and Hybrids they perform very similar, but I still prefer the Ceramic in my most favorite throws. Also really like the “wing” cut that centers the string but allows it to slide around as needed even though it looks and plays like a flat.
My personal favorite list goes as follows.
#1 - Terrapin X Ceramic Hybrid- Wing cut
#2 - Buddha Ripple (or Center TraX (is this new formula?))
#3 - OneDrop 10 Ball
#4 - KonKave
#5 - Center Trac (stock on shutter)
Some people love em, some people hate em, but the spin test for me is enough. after all, thats what a bearing is supposed to do, is spin really well, right? So the one that spins the longest for me, under my own form of testing tell me that some things may be worth the price tag. One just has to try it for themselves to see. While i dont like the sound, I do like A sound. OneDrop 10 Balls are leathally silent and while thats good for practice when the wife is sleeping, I dont like that at all. Not hearing it makes me feel disconnected. Like I have to guess more when I should bring it back. On a splash, sure, but a solid is invisible to the eye.
anyway I digress…
I love my ceramic bearing, and while not all of my throws have them, I do not regret getting one, and will like get a couple more at some point in the future for my most used yoyos.
Ceramic
Pros-
No lube required (but still a good idea from time to time)
Great Performance and impressive spin times on the bearing remover tool
Longer life (Hybrid doesnt “pit” like SS does over time)
High ratings for sustained RPM over long time (honestly, a bit overkill for yoyo)
Cons-
Expensive (sometimes ALOT)
more fragile to sharp shock (try not to drop them)
can be Noisy
less options for side shapes (centering)
Stainless Steel
Pros-
CHEAP
easy to find
Great Performance
many vendors and makers to choose from
usually quiet (drop of lube and shhhhh)
wide variety of side shapes (centering, flat, grooved, etc)
Cons-
may wear out faster
QC may be lacking due to massive production numbers
May be noisy or buzzy
must be lubed sooner and later
thats a rough outline. its late and im sleepy. hope that helps some tho
So far stainless bearings have been very reliable for me I don’t see any reason to go with full ceramic, especially not with the price although I can see myself getting some if they cost the same as stainless. Probably the only noticeable difference play-wise is it makes the yoyo a little lighter, and sounds slightly different.
id never go full ceramic, but im gonna go ahead and pick up 2 more ceramic hybrids (terrapin x-wing cut) just cause they just do so dang well!
edit
Bought and shipped!
I must point out that the Center Trac bearing that came with my shutter, was awful. It was shielded, loud, buzzy and never did very good. it “worked” but that was about it.
But the Center Tra(X?) bearing that came with the Orca is pretty sweet actually. Non-sheilded, smooth as glass, and spins nearly as good as my favored ceramics.
I use ceramic bearings, way smoother. Highly recommend them
Again, not by material. You might have a particular brand that was smoother than particular brands of stainless you have used, though. Which ceramic do you use? Mine have universally been less smooth than the NSK or OD 10-ball, both of which are just stainless.