Gorrilla… I’m quite aware of boca and their bearings.
If you read my post I mention quite explicitly that I own many types of ceramic bearings, from dirt cheap vxb to $400 high end.
They ARE NOT DESIGNED for the characteristics we look for with yo-yos. Their purpose is primarily in harsh chemical or heat environments.
Ceramic does have a lower coefficient of friction than steel in most cases, fine… but that does not necessarily translate to a large performance difference in a yo-yo.
I’m not speculating or guessing here, there is no opinion involved… I’ve actually used them, actually TESTED them in a controlled fashion. They just don’t matter. Compared to hybrid ceramics they really don’t offer any benefit.
As for hybrid ceramics… you can get HIGH QUALITY hybrid ceramics for far less than $30. What you are paying for there IS the abec rating… which again has no influence on their performance in a yo-yo. Check with any bearing manufacturer, a high abec rating costs -far- more and guarantees absolutely no increase in quality.
Ceramic is more brittle than steel, period. They are not designed to be removed constantly, especially with the tight fittings you find in many metal yo-yos… they can be damaged quite easily. If you never take it out, sure it’ll last as well as anything else.
If you want to set sleeper records, hybrid ceramic is your best bet. If you want to just play with the yo-yo… it really doesn’t make any significant difference.
As for this…
Titanium isn’t typically used in bearings. It really isn’t a good candidate for it as titanium is prone to microwelding and seizing when used against titanium. There are some manufacturers who use ti balls, but typically with nylon races and such… or some other combination of materials. And once again, abec ratings have NO INFLUENCE on how the bearing will perform in a yo-yo.
Kyle