I actually think some can get too quiet for me but i really like the quiet sound of a spinning bearing and i love the sounds of the string ringing on the anno
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DS bearings are fantastic. I’d run them in almost everything if I could afford to lol They play a lot like KK imo but better. And they spin for an eternity.
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I definitely debated if the cost for one was worth it. I went into the order with the concept of blinging out a pink Obsession for my EDC. Gold bearing, tan response pads, Mowl gold string. Just somethin’ that looks nice.
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Atmos bearings are my favorite, very quiet even bone dry and I can say they’re very consistently good after buying a lot of them cough pixel bearings. They’re also the most affordable of the good bearings I’ve tried.
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Ive been wanting some gold string but couldnt find some! 
I discovered them recently, I prefer them even more than the DS bearings. I love the shape of the DS but I found the Atmos one is even more consistent.
Wish the shops all over the world sell them
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Zipline Business Class Goldeneye
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Oh hell yeah!
There is something special about pink and gold, no doubt. I have heard that the gold plating just flakes off eventually and, for that reason, I’ve never tried a gold bearing. I do think they look cool though.
Zipline exec lite used to come in gold and it was the closest to actual gold string that I’ve seen. Not sure if they still make it though
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They do. Same colors in business class and ecl just bc is 100% poly and ecl is the nylon w/poly core
Ill have to look for some whenever im doing yoyo shopping. Im cut off right now 
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I really want some gold for a few of my throws thouugh! They will look so classy.
To be honest, I don’t really feel much of a difference between all of the centering bearings. I generally prefer DS but I don’t exactly know why. When it comes to flat bearings, they’re good in some yo-yos (like the panorama or bolt 2), but I wouldn’t use them in everything. The One Drop 10ball ones work good for flats.
Maybe try the Hollywood bearings, I’ve heard good things!
I prefer concave because its spin is more stable
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WARNING! EXTREMELY LONG WINDED POST! Not for the Reading impaired or those that already know Everything. If you feel that, even in the realm of possibilities, there is not a single chance that you may learn anything from reading this long-winded story, please stop now before you start. You do not have to respond by telling me that it was too long to read. Or that you’re just too lazy to read it. Or that you did read it and it gave you no information that you could actually find functional. I would like to think that somebody could get something from my experience. But at the same time, I understand that people have lives to live and can’t die or fall asleep reading long posts… You have been Warned…
There seems to be an endless amount of circumstances that contribute to one bearing configuration being favored over another one.
I certainly, even though I’ve been at this for years, and probably tried less than half of the bearings that are available today or in the last few years.
But I do understand the differences and how they contribute to either helping you or making things worse, which is partly dependent, and what yo-yo and string are using and a few other factors.
I’m sure a lot of you guys already know this. But for those that aren’t aware of the differences, I’ll give a slight overview and understanding of why they are the way they are.
Flat bearings…… No nonsense, no surprises, nothing special When considering the flat outer race surface.
…The flat bearing allows, the string easier movement from side to side as you layer string into the gap. For those players that stuff a lot of string in the gap, as they’re blazing through combos, a flat bearing can give him more consistent feeling because the string can move across the surface of the bearing with ease.
… But that being said, it must be understood that string tension Cannot be too tight. Because if the tension is too tight in the loop on the bearing will have more of a grip and may resist moving sideways as string segments, it pushed into the gap.
… In the case of flat bearings like the ones from one drop, it’s just as important that the guts of the bearing Be more precision quality to give the bearing a good balance in features.
The KonKave bearing was an interesting departure From the standard flat bearing format.
The KonKave bearing, with its smooth curved outer race, keeps the bearing centered simply because the shape directs the loop to the dead center. Obviously, this contributes to a minimal amount of yo-yo, slowing, normally do to the string, touching the inside walls of the yo-yo. Also, it should be obvious that how effective this is has a direct bearing on whether the yo-yo has no walls, medium wall or high walls. The effect of the concave bearing on spin time and response can vary from yo-yo inner shapes.
If you use a clean concave bearing in a yo-yo with low response pads in a thin string formulation that may be on the slick side, you better know how to bind If you want to get that yo-yo back to your hand. Also, with the set up like the one I just mentioned, when you throw the yo-yo down, it may not achieve as much power because the yo-yo will have a tendency to fall down the string than roll down the string.
… That being said, if you crack the code and figure out the proper set up for a particular yo-yo a good Difeo style bearing is hard to beat.
Difeos patented KonKave bearing had a good run in popularity with just about no competition. People seem to respect his design, and he sold as many bearings as he could produce. As nothing good last forever, there came a point where two things happened. Frank could not keep up or just declined to keep up production of his bearing. He knew that the respect that he got for his design would only last so long before others were inspired to come up with similar designs, tweaked just enough so they could explain that their concave type designs may even have slight advantages over the original.
Some of the newer designs added a couple facets to the concave. A few new designs added multiple facets to the concave.
The descriptions for the newer designs gave Creative, explanations, as to why the various configurations may create an advantage in doing what Frank’s original design did in the first place… To direct the string to the lowest point at the center of the Outer race.
Some of the newer designs, also sold very well. And some of the newer designs also performed very well. Frank was somewhat disappointed that people made an exerted effort to skirt around his patent by simply altering the surface one way or another.
Fortunately, a reasonable number of people, still preferred the original KonKave and Frank continued to make and sell his bearings for years.
The center trac bearing is very interesting in design. It basically consist of a flat outer race that kicks up in the corners to keep the string from literally touching the response pads or walls of the yo-yo to greater than lesser extent. Obviously the strength formulation and the thickness and the string tension will be contributing factors in the performance of a center trac bearing.
… The center trac. The basic design is supposed to address those two factors in minimizing friction in helping facilitate string movement.
… The outer edges of the race keep the string away from the sides of the yo-yo. The fairly flat center area allows the string segments to move the loop from side to side while still discouraging the actual loop from touching the response area of the yo-yo. If you understand the advantages and limitations of a center trac, It can be an excellent choice.
Another option is the grooved bearing. Actually there are two types of groove bearings when you sell them see but they are out there.
One groove bearing has a flat outer race with a groove in the middle obviously.
The more available option has a slightly curved outer race with a groove in the middle.
Many years ago, I was probably right at the front of the line that laughed at the groove bearing because I thought it was pretty stupid. I immediately thought to myself, why would you want a string loop locked on the center of a bearing effectively dividing the gap Into three parts? The side to the left of the string, the string in the groove, and the side to the right of the string. So basically as you’re stacking string into the gap, if the tension on the string is snug enough the loop isn’t going anywhere so the string segments either have to go to the left or the right of the string which is locked in the groove. I just couldn’t wrap my head around that it seemed kind of dopey at the time.
Then one day, I bought a yo-yo from one of the guys on the board and it came with a groove bearing. First thing I thought is oh boy lucky me. Now I need to find a bearing to swap out with this sucker. And all of a sudden I had a brainstorm. I know, I know, but it happens now and then.
I decided to just throw the yo-yo around with that grooved bearing in it to see how much it would bother me. Just to see how much I wouldn’t like it. Just to see how dumb it was and who would be the genius that would come up with something as goofy as that?
Unfortunately, my theory was off by a mile. I still really can’t explain it. I’m not kidding, I really can’t explain it. I guess I’m not good enough at yo-yoing to actually distinguish why it works as well as it does? I’ve never gone out of my way to order grooves bearings. With that being said any yo-yo that I get that came with a groove bearing I leave it in there and probably haven’t changed out one yet. In every groove bearing yo-yo that I have I like the way it plays. It just doesn’t seem to be as limiting as I thought it would be but as I already said two or three times, I can’t effectively grasp how well the grooved bearing seem to work?
I have learned one thing over the years if nothing else when it comes to bearings. All the bearing choices have strong and weak points.
All the bearing choices turned out to be good or bad investments, depending on how good of a bearing you get in any of the configurations.
I’ve had a few gold faced concave bearings that locked up on me less than one minute. At the same time I’ve got a couple 15 or $20 yo-yos with bootleg con bearings that spun so well I literally took them out and put them in higher price yo-yos, and most of them are still there, it’s amazing. I bought whole yo-yos for less than the price of a single bearing that turned out to be a dud anyway. When it comes to bearings, you just never know what you’re gonna get no matter what configuration or how much you paid or who you got it from ?
The other thing is that certain yo-yo configurations just seem to work better with one bearing type or another. And the one a certain yoyo works with the Best is not necessarily your normal bearing of choice.
When you get beyond a certain skill level, it doesn’t seem to matter a whole lot from what advanced players have told me.
That’s one reason I think that one drop just sells all their yo-yos from the factory with flat bearings. They use very good quality 10 ball flat out race bearings in some pretty darn good yo-yos. And as much as I like the various configurations other than flat, when I buy one drop yo-yos, I usually just keep the flat bearing in them And they seem to work just fine.
So…. To directly answer the original question whether center trac or concave?
I would say that would be dictated and/or indicated by the performance of either in a particular yo-yo. What I mean by that is you get a yo-yo it grows on you and you really like it. Maybe it starts off with a center trac? Maybe you got it with a concave?
Whatever it comes with or whatever it came with, get some money together and buy one with a different configuration. Throw it in the same yo-yo give it a good chance to impress you and then decide from there.
So the question shouldn’t be one configuration or another.
The actual conclusion is easier drawn after using both bearing configurations in a specific yo-yo.
To arbitrarily decide that a concave or a center track or a grooved bearing or a whatever bearing is the only bearing style you will use is simply cutting yourself short of maximum performance in your yo-yos
Almost all yo-yos play differently. And almost all yo-yos will play better Once you find the correct bearing configuration for your favorite yo-yo.
Just think of it this way… Your grandpa gives you an old Chevy and when he passes away, you inherit his garage. He was a mechanic a master mechanic and he leaves you a whole garage of car building tools and parts and machines, etc…
So you put an engine in that old Chevy and you started it up and run it around the block a few times. All your friends like that 283 but you notice over in the corner your grandpa has a complete 327 on an engine stand. Next thing you know you put that 327 in there and run it around the block a few more times. And you just keep playing with that sucker until you land on the right formula. Then you fill it with gas and drive to the San Diego zoo and buy a bag of peanuts for the elephants.
Think of a yo-yo as a little hot rod. When it’s advertised, it has certain specs. It has a certain price. A certain color certain look you like it. You buy it.
Once you have it, it’s your little Chevy. It no longer belongs to the company that sold it or put it together. It belongs to you. And if you can afford it. If you can afford to be adventurous and curious, you can change that bearing before you run that yo-yo around the block a few times Until you get it the way you like it.
There’s nothing wrong with asking others which one would you pick one or the other? The answers will come fast and easy. But they may not be the answers you were looking for. Sometimes you have to move parts around to see what formula works best for you.
And often if you do fiddle around with bearings a lot, you will get a yo-yo with a bearing that just does not seem to jive with that yo-yo. Some guys will come on the board and say as soon as I got this yo-yo I hated bearing so much. I threw it in the trash And just put in another bearing.
The smarter option would be to just put a little piece of tape on the bearing and write on it. What yo-yo you took it out of. Then a few months later, you Will buy a yo-yo on the BST and it’ll come with a dud bearing. Interestingly, you will remember that bearing that you’ve had in your sock drawer for a couple months. You will swap out that for the dead bearing in your newest yo-yo and lo and behold it will play like no one‘s business. It will make you feel like you got better instantly because that particular bearing was to be put into that particular yo-yo. And you will smile and shake your head for so long that your mom will take you to the doctor because she thinks you got some kind of nerve damage in your neck.
The doctor will sit you on a table and ask you what you think the problem is? You will jump off the table and tell the doctor watch this combo is it cool or what? You will give the doctor an extra yo-yo that you had in your pocket… Free Extra strings … And then you will jump out the window and run down the street before your mom comes back in the room.
I like stories like that…
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A very scientific and relevant post. I gained significant knowledge.
My eyes did get a little dry about half way through. Thank goodness for liquid tears. 
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I do prefer concave or the shape of DS Bearing, it feels more smooth to me the concave and in general more comfy to use, center traks are fine but I feel like a bit more the presence of the bearing while I play is like the string slides a bit more around the bearing but not in an harmonius way. Anyway we really talking about little micro feelings, is possible and perfect to play with both
My least favourite is the groove omg there is no way to play properly with that type of bearing, the string keep sliding like you feel a sort of little “pop”, absolutely not for me.
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Bearings overall feel different in different yoyos. I like CTs in my one drops, a few of them I like the flat bearings however. All other yoyos I like KK or ds yyr bearings. I haven’t had many issues with grooved bearings once they are broken in.
I’m weird though and prefer different strings to different yoyos too. I can’t just use OT fat in everything.
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You are very right, I am just boring and I like sort of “all the same”, for the strings is mostly how they behave during playing, I like to have always the “same answer”, I use mostly 2 brand of bulk and it is all I use everywhere. Bearing I am more open to them but usually is a DS or a Concave and is hard to change for me, pads I always silicone my yoyo so I know how the silicone respond to my playing. Probably your way is much better as you adapt the setup to the yoyo while I adapt the yoyo to my setup
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What do you mean how they behave? When you do your bangers the string screams " Please do less dense tricks Albertino".
Does not matter which brand that is… 
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