Are grooved bearings worth the extra money? Do they work well? Whats your experience with grooved bearings?
They do the same thing a KK does. There is honestly no difference. I can swap the KK in my caferacer with a grooved, and the only difference is the grooved is louder.
KK as in Konkave? If so, what I meant is is there a noticeable difference between regular bearings and any brand of grooved bearings?
Grooved bearings have the centering effect as konkave bearings, but without the bunching effect that konkave bearings can cause.
Really, if you work on your throw, a flat bearing will work just as well as any other bearing. In my opinion, you’re best off sticking with flat bearings. But use whatever you prefer.
Well it also depends on which grooved bearing. The crucial bearing v2 has a groove, but also has a concave shape. the crucial v1 and terrapin x wing cut are flat with grooves. The center track has a wide groove, with concave walls to keep it away from walls.
Many people will say flat bearings are just as good, but I say it depends on the yoyo. I noticed my YYR, TP, and YYJK yoyos, as well as some high wall yoyos like my cafe racer, don’t work as well without a KK. Where as some yoyos, like my BvM, 54, solaris, and skyline don’t have a difference between flat or KK.
My suggestion is to play the stock bearing type. If it came with a KK, play it with a KK. If it came with a CT, play it with a CR. If it came flat, play it flat.
one thing I don’t get though is crucial groove bearings. they have a kk shape, and a groove. I thought the point in a groove was just to center it and avoid the bunching up effect from the kk.
Yes, “KK” is the abbriviation for "Konkave.
These might help you see the “difference” you asked about:
Konkave:
http://www.yoyonation.com/skin1/images/thumbnails/t_16408.jpg
Normal “Spec” bearing:
… You’ll notice that one has a groove, the other is flat. But as for your initial question (are they worth the extra money?), some say yes, and some say no. It’s a personal preference thing. They make the yoyo play/ feel a little differently. A grooved bearing will make you yoyo more unresponsive than a regular spec bearing. Grooved bearings also increase the spin time a little bit because the string isn’t grinding against the side of the yoyo as much. But some people like regular bearings more because they are much cheaper, but still play very nicely, and spin smooth. Hope this helped! ;D
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