There you go. So if that’s true and flat bearings don’t do any “nudging”, then we have 3 very different options and as evidenced by this thread, many different opinions on which one people like best. So regardless of which one you sell as stock in a yo-yo, you are putting the wrong one in for a lot of people.
I respect everyone’s opinion on which kind they like best and we aren’t trying to convert people to saying flats are best. This is why we work so hard to get the bearing post size correct - which I think is much more important then which bearing is stock.
As others have agreed, flat bearings definitely don’t “suck,” but they do absolutely provide a different feel. In certain yoyos, I prefer flats, while in others, I prefer centering. Even among different centering types, the feel of the yoyo can change in subtle ways. I feel like most One Drops feel right with flats in them.
I will say however, that I prefer to leave my yoyos the way they come from the factory because I want to play with it the way that the manufacturer intended it to feel. Moreover, I try not to get too caught up in the subtleties provided by different strings and bearings. The combinations are endless, and I’d rather not stress about that - or spend more money on bearings and string trying to find the “perfect” match. I know some folks like that, and I think that’s awesome, but it’s not my style.
As far as performance goes, I rarely come across a bearing, flat or otherwise, that I think is significantly worse than any other to the point of effecting my play. Give me any bearing you got. As long as it spins, I’ll make it work.
Perhaps, but if you view what 90% of other yo-yos ship with for a bearing, the market has clearly spoken about its preferences. There may be (deserved) debate over pure concave vs. CT, but flats are far and away the most rare thing to ship in a yo-yo these days.
That said, it’s your company … your rodeo, your cowboys… your circus, your s
You sure? OD has a sizable market share, and everything ships with flats. CoreCo Alleycat’s ship with flats. Spencer Berry sold 100 Theodores with flats. Could go on with others too. But I don’t think they’re as rare as you think, when you really think it through.
A tight bearing posts drive me insane. One Drop posts are the only ones I have found to be constantly the right size nowadays. Back in the day too loose seemed common. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the quality of your bearing posts. A bad post is often a deal breaker for me. Makes the whole thing feel cheap to me.
I started on flat bearings and in my opinion, flat bearings stay smooth longer, and snag less. Because I started on flat bearings, I don’t feel that strong of a difference in play. I only care if the bearing is smooth. Center trac bearings also seam unreliable to me. In my experience, they can be perfectly smooth on one throw and seize on the next. Every time this has happened to me with a center trac (it has been 4 times), I have been unable to get the bearing smooth again through cleaning. The bearings that have a groove in them seem really snaggy in comparison to other bearings as well. I do like concave bearings though, not because they do a good job in centering, but because they stay smooth forever.
I’m… pretty sure they are as rare as I said they are. Outside of one particular brand.
The market has spoken. But again, if it’s your company you can do literally anything you want, up to and including shipping peanut butter on the bearing post instead of an actual bearing.
I am very thankful for OD’s bearing seats. I don’t have to fight with the yoyo to put in my bearing of choice. I also don’t mind the fact that my favorite bearing is regarded as a form of “training wheels” by some. I’m still in training as a rank beginner after all!
Only in the sense that “training wheels” is unresponsive and Real Men™ do all their tricks on narrow responsive fixed axles because that jacks the difficulty level to extreme.
In essence what I’m saying is, there has been real technological progress, and sticking with ‘the old stuff’ to prove how ruff and tuff you are is kinda… lame.
Now if you legitimately like and prefer the old stuff, more power to you. An Amish Paradise for all!
Like I said – it’s your company you guys can do what you want!
Do I personally find it annoying that I’ve had to swap out 30+ flat bearings on my One Drops? Kinda, to be honest? But not enough that I’d ask you to change the way your whole company does business. I mean I don’t think that’s a fair request.
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