Ed if I’ve learned anything from yo-yo forums it’s that people would rather endlessly discuss meaningless stuff instead of yoyoing. I’m guilty of this myself but there’s a reason most top players aren’t on forums.
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Hahaha I suppose, once again, that trap has snared me. 
Alas!
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It literally is though - with regards to bearing design. The design of a centering bearing keeps the string more on center, which keeps the yoyo more balanced during tumultuous actions.
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Also that sentiment is definitely not directed at you, I’ve thought you were a great dude and great yoyoer since back on TheYo.
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I’m gonna make finals at nats one day and prove you wrong!
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Red herring response tbh. If anything, bearings only make a subtle difference. But it is that edge in landing a trick more consistently in competition or in front of friends that can make the difference significant. There is nothing wrong with discussing this. These kind of slight innovations are what influenced Frank to design the concave bearing to begin with, and the fact that most competitive yoyoers benefit and use centering bearings is proof enough that even true yoyoers care about this stuff.
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Ha thank you - all good. I definitely do believe in the “practice more, most less” mantra which goes back to the /news forum. I feel like if I’m still playing more than I post, I’m… ok? Lol. Like anybody though (or more than most) I do get pulled into stuff like this like a moth to flame, and I have to take time to step away every now and then to get back to the yo-yoing and away from the debate. 
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preach.
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I feel like all bearings are like training wheels, in that they are a smaller round spinning part of something with bigger round spinning parts.
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I have no preference thus far on the bearings, but this is a fun thread! @zslane you use a lot of big words, and it’s quite impressive! Lol I wish my vocabulary was half the size of yours!
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I personally can’t think of a single trick or combo that flat bearings hinder in any way. 
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That’s because there is no trick which execution becomes impossible with a flat bearing
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Then how do you account for all the great players that only use flats? Or all the great players that have won contests on flats, or all the great routines that were made prior to centering bearings?
None of them had any issues because they used a flat bearing. Throughout this discussion I keep thinking of Jensen’s 44 Clash win, which I’m almost certain was done with a flat bearing (also with a undersize, high walled, semi responsive yoyo). Even during the horizontals he was doing, didn’t seem there was an issue with the bearing.
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Why have centering bearings become the standard for everyone except for OD if they really are equal or just different?
Why are all of the top competitive players TODAY using centering bearings if they really are equal or just different?
Why are centering bearings strongly recommended for horizontal and 3a by top players like Colin Beckford if they really are equal or just different?
I’m not sure it’s right to say flat bearings are flawed in design. Some people may take that statement different ways. Pretty much everything that can be done on a centering bearing can be done on a flat bearing. Pretty much everything that can be done on a Draupnir can be done on a Replay Pro. That does not mean they are equal.
Like what was stated earlier, there is no trick that can be done on a centering that can’t be done on a flat. That doesn’t mean they are equal. That does not mean that a centering doesn’t have benefits and makes some tricks easier.
Please stop saying there’s nothing that can’t be done on a flat that can be done on a centering. We all know this. That does not make flats equal.
Many competitions were won with FH’s. That does not mean they are equal to today’s standards. You can not compare what worked in the past with what works now. If you’re going to use competition results, you have to use modern current results.
I wish I could understand the perspective of those that say they are JUST different and that centering bearings offer no advantage to flat bearings.
I’m not just being stubborn. I am desperately waiting for someone to make a valid argument against them and I have yet to hear one. But I am waiting.
I’ve compared both extensively. I’ve seen the differences. I’ve seen the benefits for myself. Give me the option of a budget metal with a centering or a Draupnir with a flat, I probably would go with the budget metal to be completely honest. That’s how big of a difference they are to me.
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The same way I account for Gentry winning Nationals with a Replay Pro.
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I wish newer heads could just throw a plastic/metal hybrid YYJ and see how far we’ve come, jojos are so good these days that your bearing choice is very menial in the grand scheme of yoyo performance IMO
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From my experience I think a lot of companies use centering bearings because it keeps the string away from the response. A lot of times if I put a flat in these yoyos I’ll get a real bad vibe from the pads if the string slides over that way.
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Flag violation. Misuse of the word ‘vibe’. 10yard penalty.
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Generally speaking the pads are recessed so what you’re saying doesn’t exactly make sense. Our experience is that our bearings don’t cause “vibe”.
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