One Drop Flat Bearings Are Outdated: Change My Mind

[eternalmetal]

Ah shame, I bet you would love loose trucks. I ski too, but only on snow

[andy569]

@AaronW there you go Markmont said centering bearings make it easier to hit tricks and improve stability too.

I like his perspective, there’s nothing wrong with liking flat bearings, it is definitely a different experience and you could argue you feel the yoyo more but in terms of modern 1a tricks centering bearings do make a noticeable difference in stability and ease of performing tricks.

Ok I think I’m done beating the horse

[SpyseaRice (Jon)]

tbh

[AaronW (aaron warren)]

@andy569

there you go Markmont said centering bearings make it easier to hit tricks and improve stability too.

I never said they didn’t

Edit: I’m fairly certain if you go back in my replies here I’ve said the exact thing, actually several of the points Mark brought out.

[andy569]

@AaronW

In the end I feel a CT type bearing is like those skin tight suits speed skaters wear, or shaving your body like an Olympic swimmer, for people that compete and want every tiny, even microscopic, advantage they can get a CT type bearing gives them that little extra they want.

@AaronW

That makes sense, goes back to my illustration of the speed skater or swimmer.

@AaronW

I also don’t think it’s as major as others are making it out to be. I still stand by the fact that to a great player, the bearing isn’t going to matter.

@AaronW

With their suit on they can do a 500M in 1:10.25, without the suit on they can do the 500M in 1:10.26. Roughly 1/1000 of a second is what they say the suits help with. I feel that is what a centering bearing does for a great player.

@AaronW

But your “Gentry level” players, or even players that came up only using flats, I still feel that it’s not going to matter (outside of competitions) that much to them.

You’ve implied several times the benefits are very minor, “microscopic”, almost, if not, unnoticeable, only useful for that “tiny” edge in competition. “Not going to matter” to high level players outside of competition.

When I asked for Colin’s opinion, it was to see if it actually made a meaningful difference to high level players. I assumed that’s what you were interested in to from your responses.

@AaronW

Exactly as I’ve been saying, it is not the bearing, it’s the player. Give Gentry a Shutter with a flat bearing, and it’s still going to be a great performance, and I’d bet you’d never know it was flat. I’d be interested to hear his thoughts after a performance with a flat bearing.

@AaronW

film two as close as he can routines, one with his bearing of choice and another with a flat bearing? Then have him discuss any differences he felt?

Everyone has their own preference, that’s up to them. I wasn’t asking Colin his thoughts about his preference, but whether it made a meaningful difference to him, since you’ve been implying that it doesn’t for high level players outside of a maybe miniscule difference in competition.

So I didn’t really understand this response

@AaronW

One player doesn’t speak for all. That’s like picking one kid that doesn’t like a certain cereal and then saying every kid isn’t going to like that cereal

I thought we both wanted to see if the bearing made a meaningful, noticeable difference for high level players, not what high level players simply enjoyed using more. And he said it does make a difference for him.

I’ve never stated that flats shouldn’t be used and it’s wrong to use them. Everyone can choose what they want, it’s preference. What I’ve been trying to get across is it DOES make a meaningful, noticeable difference, even for skilled competition veterans.

[AaronW (aaron warren)]

@andy569

I’ve never stated that flats shouldn’t be used and it’s wrong to use them. Everyone can choose what they want, it’s preference. What I’ve been trying to get across is it DOES make a meaningful, noticeable difference, even for skilled competition veterans.

Andy, man, in none of those was I implying that a CT made things harder, and I’ve never said CT’s are horrible, or that flats are the best (my 2 favorite bearings: DS & OD 10ball) You can probably find on the forums that I’ve ALWAYS said CT type bearings make things easier. I never implied they don’t. Everything you quoted was in regards to something on a different topic. It was in regards to competitive players. And again one player doesn’t form a baseline. So far in this thread we’ve had 3 pros comment, all having a different preference.

@andy569

I thought we both wanted to see if the bearing made a meaningful, noticeable difference for high level players

I know it does, as shown by the things I said in my quotes. Anything that helps someone in competition is meaningful.

[MarkD (Mk1 Yoyos)]

@eternalmetal

For the hell of it, I was looking up the patents, and Frank only has one patent, and it is specific to the radius of the concave part: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7175500

Funny thing is, at the moment, the patent is expired.

I checked again today and it’s been reinstated!

[Markmont (Mark Montgomery)]

Read a few more comments that rolled in. To re-confirm, I ‘def’ ‘know’ (not think) that centering bearings make a SUBSTANTIAL difference in how the throw plays. This is not a ‘minor’ difference by any means. This is on some Game Genie or naw level of difference LOL.

Also yes - throwing flat would ultimately DEFINITELY make you a better and/or more well rounded player in the long run. This has nothing to do with preference and everything to do with the reality - the reality that getting doper on a more neutral setup enables your ability much more over time then an ‘easier’ one. Having the ability more or less ‘built’ into your hands to be able to passively course correct your throws straightness is ‘very’ valuable and very noticeable when you get to that control level vs how you feel your play ability on a centering bearing.

[ThrowButcher (Justin Thompson)]

I like how you said that. For the record I prefer the MC with a flat, it’s just… Right.

[beeebon]

Seconded. I got my MC second hand and it came with a CT bearing which obviously the previous owner used. It was good but once I put a flat OD bearing in the thing felt right. It is in my top three yoyos for dure!

[ThrowButcher (Justin Thompson)]

Yes, Markmont and the One Drop crew pit some hoodoo in that throw. It’s the only one I have where a flat 10 ball is present. But, it’s got that mid-school feel (old school for you youngin’s that aint knee-high to a grasshopper yet) I totally get what @Markmont meant by the amount of work it took to perfect the simplicity. It does everything my other throws do, maybe not as fast, definately not as forgiving, but with timeless style. Ten years from now the MC will still be a classic, like the General Yo Hatrick. It’s odd, how I was working on a combo ending with the second half of the original kamikaze, and couldnt land it with anything. Second try on the MC, nailed it. Less is more in this case.

[skitrz (⛷ Where's that Snow Weasel!)]

Played kk and flat bearings each for one hour today. I can honestly say practice improves my throwing more than my choice of bearings. I had fun with both. Regardless of your bias, practice for the win. It’s more fun than reliving this discussion over and over as well, at least for me. Enjoy!

[ThrowButcher (Justin Thompson)]

You know, had I thought about the fact that this was probably not at all an original idea for a thread, I wouldn’t have made it OD specific. I believe that would’ve garnered more honest and productive discussions had I left One Drop out of it. Forgive me, I only started back throwing 9 months ago, cut a brother some slack. I still say they’d be smart to patent their own OD concave, or at least partner with a US company like the one that makes the Buddha bearings and offer it as an option upon order.

[EOS44 (MK1 team || r/Throwers Mod.)]

@skitrz

I can honestly say practice improves my throwing more than my choice of bearings.

Yes. This is true.

[da5id]

Appreciate this

We can’t really offer it as option as most of our product is sold through retailers like yoyoexpert.com. What are the logistics of that? Plus, despite the critiques, we still stand by honoring the spirit of Frank’s patent. And thirdly, we like our bearing.

[ThrowButcher (Justin Thompson)]

I respect that position, and understand the possible logistical nightmare and clash with company values my idea presents. Hey, you guys make great throws as it is, I guess Im used to constantly looking for new ways to improve.

[YoYoExpertGarrett]

@ThrowButcher

or at least partner with a US company like the one that makes the Buddha bearings and offer it as an option upon order.

Those bearings are not made by a US company, they’re just sold by a specific retailer. Just like Boss bearings or any other companies bearing - they’re all made in China by a few factories and could even be the exact same product with different branding.

[smileypants707]

@YoYoExpertGarrett

and could even be the exact same product with different branding.

That’s pretty much what I always imagined. It’s not like there are multiple companies putting out these very specifically designed bearings for such a tiny little niche market [as yoyos]. Making these bearings requires very specific machinery, and I couldn’t imagine why a bearing manufacturer would consider this a field worth competing in.

What I mean is, it’s hard for me to imagine that as many of the same kinds of bearings that are available from different brands, that there are an equal amount of manufacturers behind these brands. Some, if not most of them have to be sourced from the same manufacturer.

[ThrowButcher (Justin Thompson)]

Well thank you for enlightening me; I should have figured as much. So back to my primary point: manufacture and patent (not necessarily in that order) an OD centering or concave bearing. How great would that sell?

[andy569]

Not that great imo. I don’t think there’s too many people that actually buy many bearings. The only bearings I’ve ever bought in my 5+ years of throwing was like one pack of Buddha bearings just cuz I was curious and a 10 pack of Chinese KKs because I prefer KKs over the popular CTs many yoyos ship with.

It just would be convenient for me and others who prefer centering bearings if they shipped their yoyos with them but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to buy OD made bearings, flat or KK