I’d like to first say that I understand and respect your position regarding centering bearings and IP. That being said, I think the poll(s) asking if people use the flat bearing that’s included in One Drop yoyos or switch it out is a bit skewed due to brand loyalty. If a poll was taken asking if people switch out their centering bearing in a new yoyo purchase for a flat bearing I think a very tiny amount of players would say they do.
Again though I respect your decision to use a flat bearing. And “brand loyalty” is never a bad thing to have.
No, but many switch out one centering bearing for another. Also we do have strong brand loyalty and those are the people that mostly buy our yoyos so that being the explanation for the poll doesn’t help lead us to changing. We should take care of our loyal customers right? Regardless, many keep the stock bearing.
I’m one of “those people.” I’ve found I either want flat or not at all flat. The center track type bearings sometimes feel like they have all the disadvantages of flat and centering bearings. For me it’s highly dependent on the yoyo and the string I’m using. Sometimes the CT is just right. Sometimes a flat is best.
I recently swapped some real YYF CT bearings into a couple old YYF yoyos that originally came with flats. I didn’t like how either played with the CT, I put in some concave bearings and it was much better. Beats me, near as I can tell the less rim weighted the yoyo the more I like a flatter bearing.
I tend to stick with flat bearings in my One Drop yoyos. I’m not ever going to be a national or world champion, I don’t need to squeeze every possible performance advantage out of my yoyo. In fact, if playing with the flat bearing makes me focus, even a little more on hitting the trick clean or getting through a combo, that can only make me seem more skilled when I move to a yoyo with some type of centering bearing. Plus, if flat bearings are good enough for Mark Montgomery (possibly one of the coolest guys in all of yoyo)…
Word. @Markmont had an influence on my opinion of the OD flat as well, considering the MC was the first OD I ever owned, along with him putting his 2cents into this thread I started, oddly enough, because of the MC. I initially realized the MC didn’t perform near as well with the OD flat as compared to when I put a KK in. Then here comes Mark, talking bout ‘work the planes’ and whatnot. I took personal offense at the notion that the lack of performance had anything to do with mwah, so I thought ‘Fine, I’ll leave the damn flat in there and prove how much worse life itself is with a flat bearing. Then… I slowly noticed my spin times increasing, along with my flow. So I begrudgingly admitted to myself that the problem was me all along. Now I see the benefit of the constructive criticism that the OD flat brought to my skill set which until then had known nothing other than CT and KK forgiveness.
I love this topic. I certainly don’t appreciate any toxic replies or opinions that are definitive and anyone elses are wrong. They are just that…opinions.
So my opinion is that I love flat bearings. I bought additional One Drop 10 balls and YYE 10 ball flats. The YYE bearing case is full of them. That said. I normally throw whatever bearing is in a yoyo when I bought it. I can’t afford or want to afford to replace them all.
I also appreciate the comments that @Markmont made earlier. You feel more and have more feedback on a flat bearing. Sort of like a golfer plays with forged players iron and we play with big ole cavity back beasts. I prefer the players irons, I am not a pro but appreciate the feedback I’m given as a way to improve. Race car drivers with no abs feel everybit of thier brakes.
Now for a competitor they may want centering types to maximize their spin and minimize negative feedback. I get that. Beginners may need the same at times. I probably appreciate the centering more when learning something new. When I stand there working through a trick combo. But once I know the steps, I love to have the feedback so I can really learn.
Edit: I don’t want to imply that I am good enough to feel all of those differenced and the feedback. I can’t tell much of a difference honestly. But for some reason I really like the flat 10 ball bearings.
I felt this comment so hard. I actually had a set of forged irons when I was on my high school golf team the first couple of years. I liked them a lot but i doubt I would do nearly as well with some now if I tried.
Thats where I got my inspiration. Played a cheap set in high school, my coach let me use blades and that’s all I wanted to use. Got a set of used Ben Hogan Apex Redlines when I graduated and played them ever since. This year I got a used Nike Pro Forged Combo Set. So I have blades in my shorter irons, muscle backs in the mid, then cavity backs in the long irons. Really helps!
If you don’t want or cannot include both types of bearings just stock oldschool organic yoyos with flat bearings and deliver competition-type throws like the 5000qv or VTWO with modern center-track-bearings.
The vast majority of players who buy full sized powerful V-, H- or W-shaped yoyos simply prefer center-tracks and for very good reasons no competition player uses flat bearings nowadays.
I can see it now, OD starts shipping some yoyos with some type of centering bearing, the next thread topics we’ll see “Why is OD using X bearing, when X is clearly a better choice”
I don’t see anyone complaining about yoyos not shipping with flat bearings(or even a certain type of centering bearing like ODs mentioned multiple times) with other companies though, that’s all I’m sayin
I think this is a great compromise, don’t really see what the issue here would be
I also think it simplifies operations a bit. They only have to source and stock one kind of bearing. They only have to install and ship one kind of bearing. And since there is no evidence, that I’m aware of anyway, that shipping yoyos with flat bearings is negatively impacting sales, there is no financial incentive for them to change what they’re doing.
"Vast majority of players … " You say that as if it’s a fact. Source?
Because I have actual feedback from customers that gives counterpoint to that. If by “vast majority” you mean that’s what you prefer, that’s totally cool. I’m all about people have the ability to choose.
I don’t get how this thread is still a thing. Even if people don’t agree with your approach, you’ve elaborated on why you do it that way. And I think everything to say about this debate has been covered. There’s nothing to be gained from this discussion at this point.
How many people are actually swapping out the centering bearings in their YYR or UNPRLD for flats?
Also, he did say “no competition player uses flat bearings nowadays.” Can you name more than one or two top tier player in the past few years that does use a flat bearing? I think it is kind of understood that the vast majority of competition players do use centering bearings. And those competition players are the ones that are using the “full sized powerful V, H, or W shaped yoyos” so I don’t think his assumption is wrong.
I think it is clear that One Drop is not overly concerned with what competition players are doing. They’ve never produced a bi-metal, for instance. They are pretty much doing their own thing as a company, and I have to say I appreciate the fact that they march the beat of their own drum.
