Ceramic Bearings

General Yo-Yo
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Hey guys, just wanted to ask … does any one know the difference in-between Ceramic bearings and regular bearings? I have a Ceramic Terrapin X Wing Bearing … and a Ceramic KK bearing…

i did a little research and found out that one way to tell a difference is … by looking at the balls inside of the bearing…

if its ceramic… it should be black/darker? is that true also for Ceramic Terrapin X Wing bearing and Ceramic KK?

Let me know …

Thanks :slight_smile:

update : added pics of the bearings…

from left to right … its :

regular crucial groove… regular YYF bearing… Ceramic Terapin x Wing … Ceramic KK

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2

Well in the ones I’ve looked at the balls were white. Off white to be exact.

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hmm yeah they do look off white … and kind of shielded sorta … right?

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4

Usually there are three (I think) tiny letters on the shields. Can’t remember what they are. Normal bearings don’t have the letters.

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5

The cage is a bit different maybe but shielded other than the regular shield?

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6

yeah i guess, it looks like its covered by something else… (only the two ceramics ones) … going around the balls…

actually now that i look at it closer… the main difference i see is that … on the regular bearings… there is a small hair line metal connecting each ball… going from one ball to the other in a circle … where as for the two ceramic ones… the metal connecting each ball around the bearing is much thicker!!!

ehhhh lol

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7

That is the “cage”.

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ahhhhh lol so other then that … hmm wonder whats the difference … or how you can tell…

the terrapin x wing had a red mark on it … maybe meaning ceramic … ???

and i read somewhere else that KK is suppose to have a black mark? nope … not on mine

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9

Is it a genuine ceramic KonKave bearing? If so it will have the markings I spoke about earlier in the thread. They are on the shields, the metal discs covering the bearings.

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10

yeah , no black marks… :frowning: lol

sucks

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11

Very old ceramic konkaves did not have any marks.

Most from 2011 did have ceramic stamped on the shield.

But Dif-E-Yos most recent run of Ceramic KonKave bearings did not have the marks on the shields since they are in the process of changing that… The new run will actually have a marking laser engraved on them (we are restocking those this week).

Ceramic bearings mean the actual balls inside are ceramic - both are still stainless steel housing, etc. From our experience ceramic balls do tend to be darker and shiny looking - especially the more you play with them since they tend to just continue to get more shiny.

As mentioned the picture still has the cage in there covering the actually balls so you still can’t really see them (but you don’t want to remove the cage otherwise the balls will fall out).

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12

There are many ceramic materials, Si3N4 (silicon nitride) is black, SiC (silicon carbide) also black and ZrO2 (zirconium dioxide) is white. Ceramic material is not stronger than steel, but ceramic balls are lighter and have lower friction and last much longer . Steel bearings with ceramic balls are called hybrid ceramics.

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13

Would that mean that the “ceramic bearing” we are using in yoyos then are technically hybrids?

(I haven’t seen a ceramic bearing. I don’t see the need for me to have one at the moment)

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14

Yes they are.
Full ceramic bearings are exactley that.

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15

As I have noted before - the ceramic bearings tend to make the Terrapin treatment a better experience than with steel/steel. Something about “galling” with steel/steel; whereas ceramic balls and steel races (that is what we called the “cage” back in the day when I skateboarded) make the galling less. Is that right?

Whatever the reason - ceramic Terrapin bearings rock. The only drawback is longevity. I got about 8 months out of mine - while the 10-ball just keeps going.

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16

8 months with a TX S/C ceramic?
I have not had any go bad in 5 years.
They are rated for 5,000 hours continuous duty at 100,000 rpm.
I bet if you clean it in acetone it will be as new.
If not send it to me and I’ll fix or replace it.

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17

i just recently got some and they are great … I really don’t think the level you play at matters … they are just great bearings… and John is great with communicating and will help you out anyway possible for complete 200% satisfaction!!!

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18

In my opinion, ceramic bearings feel better and generally spin better than steel bearings. You can clean both hybrid and full ceramic bearings with just diluted dish liquid and water. I got a full ceramic concaved for $10 on AliExpress, and I’m loving it. I also have the Buddha Bearing ceramic Whipple, which is great.

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