Let me start. They’re completely unnecessary because when you twist both halves together, the bearing is already adequately shielded. Also, they’re an absolute pain in the ■■■■■■ remove.
I usually use my hands and fingers to remove the shields. Doesn’t take long with a bit of practice. You should try it. I’m certain it will work better than using that “other” part of your anatomy. 
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xacto blade tip makes it very easy. once you get em off, leave em off.
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Tbh, bearing shield on yoyo bearings should be banned.
Umm, no they are not a pain. Quite easy to remove if need be.
Haha. They are a pain for me. I haven’t been able to remove one yet! Luckily none of my bearings have gotten so bad that a quick soak and shake won’t bring them back to life.
To me it’s just a minor inconvenience. I never bother putting them back in but I can see why they do come shielded. Would not want dust and grit getting in them when at the factory prior to yoyo assembly.
There’s nothing worse than getting a brand new yoyo and having it start squealing minutes after playing it, requiring me to have to take the bearing out and clean it. But removing shields…just a small needle does it for me.
To me, they are great. I wish every quality bearings have one.
Fact is, even when they are ‘enclosed’ inside the yoyo, it can still get dirty. Surely it cannot produce its own dirt.
I keep the shields in until I need to clean or lube them then I just pop them out with a pin and throw them out pretty much. I prefer bearings without shields, easier to maintain and looks better too. Shields are a minor annoyance but not a big deal, I don’t find them that difficult to remove.
If your shield is difficult to remove, use thinner and sharper needle.
Not me, I read it all I swear lol
Anyway, for me shielded bearings are still better regardless. Unshielded bearings tend to require cleaning more often than the shielded ones, and I have never had a bearing actually go bad because of using it shielded. Taking the shield off only take a few seconds and I usually only need to remove one side for cleaning. At glance it may seem to take longer since you always need to remove the shield first, but, since you don’t need to clean it more often, in the end the total time spent shouldn’t be much different.
I rather clean a bearing once a year with the shield off and on than every three months without shield. Your mileage may vary, but you know what I mean.
I’ve never been able to get a shield out of my bearings so it’s a moot point
A sewing needle typically makes removal only take a couple seconds. Some are a bit finicky, but overall the needle works really well.
I used to leave mine off once I removed them, but now I agree with this. Just seems like when I leave them off, I end up having to spend more time tending to them than the time it takes to just put the shields back on.
Only one I’ve had trouble with is the bearing in my Oxy 4. I can’t even see the C-clip. Any tips? Wish I knew where the spare that came with it was…
Most of the bearings that come without shields are made in China.
And they honestly work great most of the time. I got a 10 pack of really cheap Chinese concave bearings about 2 years ago and most of them still work great, just as well as the actual KonKave for a 10th of the price; they were even 10-balls.
I don’t think I could bring myself to buy knock off KonKaves as long as Frank’s patent is still active, unless they were licensed by him. Maybe some other centering style… Not judging, just my personal feelings.
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https://scontent.fdpa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/11011543_426159494257869_824758718428510614_o.jpg
You get pretty good at removing them quickly after awhile.
I cleaned a bearing for the first time a couple of weeks ago and had a terrible time removing the shields. Switched the pin to my right hand and it came off first try. Coincidence? Who knows?
Never takes me more than a few seconds. And I personally always keep my shields on. I found myself needing to clean the bearings much less often when I started to do so.