# Smoothest Grooved Bearings?
**URL:** https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403
**Category:** General Yo-Yo
**Created:** [May 10, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403 "2013-05-10T13:56:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@iYoYo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/iYoYo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/1 "2013-05-10T13:56:39Z")
I’m starting to like grooved bearings. The problem is, most of my center trac bearings vibe like a giant airplane engine (sounds like it too).
Whats a good alternative? I enjoy quiet and smooth bearings as I’m a real stickler for vibe and loud bearings do not help the fact that the loud ringing in my damn ears is getting stronger by the day(tinnitus I presume).
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### Author:  [@Y0Y0SR2PR0](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Y0Y0SR2PR0)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/2 "2013-05-10T14:02:32Z")
trifecta,crucial groove,difeo concave,buddha bearings
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### Author:  [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/3 "2013-05-10T15:06:02Z")
Bearings vibe now?
CTX guaranteed.
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### Author:  [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/4 "2013-05-10T15:27:16Z")
> [@iYoYo](#):
>
> I’m starting to like grooved bearings. The problem is, most of my center trac bearings vibe like a giant airplane engine (sounds like it too).
>
> Whats a good alternative? I enjoy quiet and smooth bearings as I’m a real stickler for vibe and loud bearings do not help the fact that the loud ringing in my darn ears is getting stronger by the day(tinnitus I presume).
CenterTracs aren’t grooved.
Your choices come down to Crucial Grooved and Trifecta, and I’ve found both to be very smooth and the Trifecta being a bit smoother.
Maybe you mean shaped bearings? That would include the Centertrac as well as the KK bearings and the Buddha Dimple(Centertrac clone) and Ripple(Trifecta clone).
My advice would be to clean the CenterTrac bearing. I personally have yet to have an issue with a CenterTrac bearing.
Also, I gotta get some of the new CTX bearings so I can evaluate those.
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### Author:  [@iYoYo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/iYoYo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/5 "2013-05-10T15:42:52Z")
> [@yoyofactoryben](#):
>
> Bearings vibe now?
>
> CTX guaranteed.
Yes? Given the personal and anecdotal evidence, some yoyos have vibrations caused by the bearing.
And don’t worry Ben, my complaint is towards CLYW center-tracs, so you don’t have to resort to your usual tactics of attacking people who have different opinions toward your products.
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### Author:  [@MYNAMEISZen](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/MYNAMEISZen)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/6 "2013-05-10T15:47:14Z")
Ben said they are coming out with 10 ball CenterTracs. ( is that what CTX refers too?)
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### Author:  [@Tuxedodave](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Tuxedodave)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/7 "2013-05-10T16:32:17Z")
Clyw center tracs are the same as yyf center tracs.
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### Author:  [@GregP](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/GregP)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/8 "2013-05-10T16:32:54Z")
> [@iYoYo](#):
>
> And don’t worry Ben, my complaint is towards CLYW center-tracs
CLYW uses the same Center Tracs by Central. :wink: [ninja’d by Tuxedodave, then fixed “Crucial” to “Central”!]
I agree that a particular type of vibration on the string can be caused by a bearing, though. These are moving parts. Despite being caged, balls have a certain amount of free movement. As they spin at high speeds, this transfers to the races, which in turn transfer to the string.
I don’t know that I qualify that barely-perceptible vibration in the same way that I qualify “vibe” in a yoyo that’s caused by the halves being slightly off from one another or an axle being slightly bent… but it’s a vibration (“vibe”) nonetheless.
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### Author:  [@iYoYo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/iYoYo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/9 "2013-05-10T17:21:38Z")
> [@Tuxedodave](#):
>
> Clyw center tracs are the same as yyf center tracs.
I know they’re the same.
It was a sarcastic remark to counter his sarcasm. I was gonna say that CLYW center-tracs have more “soul” too just to tick him off.
Crucial using the same center-trac, that I did not know.
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### Author:  [@GregP](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/GregP)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/10 "2013-05-10T17:23:20Z")
Bwah, I didn’t mean to say “Crucial”. I meant “Central”. :wink:
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### Author:  [@Tuxedodave](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Tuxedodave)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/11 "2013-05-10T17:24:04Z")
Ben just likes to keep it real. Says what’s on his mind.
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### Author:  [@iYoYo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/iYoYo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/12 "2013-05-10T17:31:53Z")
> [@GregP](#):
>
> > [@iYoYo](#):
> >
> > And don’t worry Ben, my complaint is towards CLYW center-tracs
>
> I don’t know that I qualify that barely-perceptible vibration in the same way that I qualify “vibe” in a yoyo that’s caused by the halves being slightly off from one another or an axle being slightly bent… but it’s a vibration (“vibe”) nonetheless.
Greg, this is exactly what I’m referring to. Its a vibe not cause by wobble. It feels as if the bearing is running on a gritty texture causing somewhat a grainy-like feeling
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### Author:  [@Y0Y0SR2PR0](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Y0Y0SR2PR0)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/13 "2013-05-10T17:37:33Z")
how come the clyw center tracs looks different from the yyf ones?
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### Author:  [@BPhilly](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/BPhilly)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/14 "2013-05-10T18:59:08Z")
A nice smooth 10-ball bearing can drastically reduce a yoyo’s vibe. My favorites for smoothness are concave 10-balls and OD 10-balls. I often pair these bearings with vibe prone throws such as Peaks and Bapezilla’s. The concave 10-balls can be found cheaply on Ebay and are the best bearing on the market in my experience.
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### Author:  [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/15 "2013-05-10T19:09:34Z")
I’ve had great results using bearings with 8 and 10 balls. I find the quality of the bearing itself is more important than the number of balls.
All 4 of my DM2’s are using 8-ball steel wing cut Terrapin X bearings. I’ve also notice nearly all of my YYJ Speed bearings are 10 ball ones.
I will say, not to knock YYF products, but I have had a lot of problems with their SPEC bearings. I’m not alone, many others have mentioned the same thing. That’s not to say they are all bad, as I do have a few really good ones. I do have more than I would care to mention in my little storage box of “bad” bearings though. These I’m saving for tweaking projects to see if I can “restore” these, among others.
Then, on the flip-side, the CenterTrac bearing so far has never given me any problems at all. It’s not my favorite bearing. I have found that for the yoyos that it has shipped stock in, it has in fact been the best bearing in that particular yoyo. I wouldn’t mind having a few more.
I am willing to sink some dollars into the SPEC-X bearing and the new upcoming CTX bearing. I’d want to get at least 2 of each. I think I will be correct in my assumption that the SPEC-X will address and resolve the problems of the SPEC bearing, and that the CTX will just be a better CenterTrac.
> [@Y0Y0SR2PR0](#):
>
> how come the clyw center tracs looks different from the yyf ones?
I haven’t noticed any difference between the YYF ones in yoyos, the ones sold in the little CBC envelopes and the ones in my CLYW"s and my Positron.
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### Author:  [@BPhilly](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/BPhilly)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/16 "2013-05-10T19:22:14Z")
Here is a method I use for testing a bearing’s smoothness: Put the bearing on the end of a sharpened pencil, holding your hand near the bottom of the pencil. With your other hand, flick the bearing. You will feel the vibration of the bearing through the wooden pencil. A good bearing (in my experience, usually a 10-ball) will have little to no vibration that can be felt. This will transfer directly into the felt vibration in the yoyo. The other factor to consider is bearing fitment. Some bearings will have a tighter fit around the bearing seat, this can also help to reduce vibe when compared to a bearing that has a loose fit around the bearing seat.
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### Author:  [@latnay90](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/latnay90)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/17 "2013-05-10T22:11:11Z")
The Buddah Bearing Ripple is the quietest and smoothest bearing I have ever used by far, and I’ve used them all except for the trifecta. I have it on my genesis and there isn’t any noise at all.
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### Author:  [@Y0Y0SR2PR0](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Y0Y0SR2PR0)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/18 "2013-05-10T22:16:06Z")
> [@Studio42](#):
>
> I’ve had great results using bearings with 8 and 10 balls. I find the quality of the bearing itself is more important than the number of balls.
>
> All 4 of my DM2’s are using 8-ball steel wing cut Terrapin X bearings. I’ve also notice nearly all of my YYJ Speed bearings are 10 ball ones.
>
> I will say, not to knock YYF products, but I have had a lot of problems with their SPEC bearings. I’m not alone, many others have mentioned the same thing. That’s not to say they are all bad, as I do have a few really good ones. I do have more than I would care to mention in my little storage box of “bad” bearings though. These I’m saving for tweaking projects to see if I can “restore” these, among others.
>
> Then, on the flip-side, the CenterTrac bearing so far has never given me any problems at all. It’s not my favorite bearing. I have found that for the yoyos that it has shipped stock in, it has in fact been the best bearing in that particular yoyo. I wouldn’t mind having a few more.
>
> I am willing to sink some dollars into the SPEC-X bearing and the new upcoming CTX bearing. I’d want to get at least 2 of each. I think I will be correct in my assumption that the SPEC-X will address and resolve the problems of the SPEC bearing, and that the CTX will just be a better CenterTrac.
>
> > [@Y0Y0SR2PR0](#):
> >
> > how come the clyw center tracs looks different from the yyf ones?
>
> I haven’t noticed any difference between the YYF ones in yoyos, the ones sold in the little CBC envelopes and the ones in my CLYW"s and my Positron.
they have different races (the thing that holds the balls) no play difference just look
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### Author:  [@Modern\_yoyos](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Modern_yoyos)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/19 "2013-05-11T01:18:55Z")
> [@Y0Y0SR2PR0](#):
>
> how come the clyw center tracs looks different from the yyf ones?
I assure you they are the same in every way.
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### Author:  [@Modern\_yoyos](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Modern_yoyos)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/smoothest-grooved-bearings/53403/20 "2013-05-11T01:27:14Z")
Also as a side note i have tried every bearing out there, and one thing ive learned is that there are incredible long spinning smooth as silk silent cheap bearings(a dollar- five dollars) and terrible loud responsive expensive bearings(about 10 dollars usually). It doesnt matter what company you buy it all depends on how you care for it and how much you use it as well as the luck of getting a better more precisely made bearing.
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