Here is my first review. It is not of a Yo-Yo so I hope this is in the right section. If not I am sure the mods will move it.
I have read many posts saying that a bearing does not make a difference. Sure, if you are great you can do any trick on any yo-yo. I saw a video of someone doing spirit bomb on a 75 year old wood yo-yo. It was darn impressive. But personally, I do feel that bearings make a difference. Extra spin time allows the inexperienced (like me) time to learn a difficult trick.
I would like to say that I have not tried any non-stock bearings other than this one, so I really have nothing to compare it to. I have read that the One Drop 10 ball bearings are great. And a few others get good reviews as well. So keep this in mind while reading what I have to say.
I bought a Terrapin X Wing S/C center assist C size bearing a week or so ago. According to John (the seller and I am assuming maker of these bearings) this bearing should play dry. It should never be cleaned with lighter fluid or lubed with liquid lube. He has given each of these bearings the âTerrapinâ treatment. I am assuming this is a form of dry lubricant treatment. If it gets dirty he recommends removing the shields and blowing the bearing out with compressed air. This method works great as I had to do this.
There are other reviews of this bearing out there that talk about how the center assist is sort of concave. It is not as deep as the other bearings out there and allows the string to still move and not bind up. I canât speak from experience, because I have not tried the other bearings that are concave.
So, my review portion of this review. Eg: my opinions. This bearing is amazing!! I originally placed it in my Dv888. It supposedly comes broken in, but I did not notice how awesome it was for a few days. I carried it in my pocked a few times and got something stuck in it. This caused it to become loud and responsive. I took off the shields and blew it out with compressed air as recommended. Once I did this it was like a whole new bearing. It played like butter. I canât feel it spinning on the string. It is not loud (to me) as I have read in other posts, but not having played the 10 ball I canât compare it. It seems quiet to me. I recently bought a String Theory Remnant 2 and they come with a C size Terrapin treated bearing. The bearing in the R2 is different from the ones John sells. It is âTerrapinâ treated but does not play quite as well as the one I bought from John. Earlier tonight I exchanged bearings in my Dv888 and the R2. I must say that my R2 is now probably the best Yo-Yo on the planet. It is my first throw that cost over $44 so take that statement in stride. The bearing cost a bit more than others that I see. I paid $25 for mine on his ebay page, but to me it is worth it. Sure it now makes my R2 a $125 throw, but like I said, I think it is probably the best Yo-Yo on the planet.
Summary: If you are thinking of buying one of these do not hesitate. John guarantees every bearing that he sells. To me this bearing is awesome, but like all reviews this is my opinion. His handle on this message board as well as ebay is FJH123. I am sure that if you message him he will be happy to answer any questions that you have.
I am sorry that this does not cover any technical specs that surround this bearing, they can be found in the other posts about this bearing. I just simply wanted to profess my love for this bearing. I will be buying more as soon as I can afford it.
I will eventually get one of these to try out sometime. I loved crucial bearing but the 10 bal that came in my Dang got switched around to some of my other throws for testing. That put the 10 balls above the string centering Crucials for me. If the T-Xâs are as smooth as the 10 balls along with centering the string, I know I would just love them too.
When I go for replacement bearings, I go Terrapin X. Having said that, I do buy other stuff too, but I like the Terrapin X product offerings. Iâve bought several NEW, and one guy in BST has TWICE offered me Terrapin X Bearings, of which I have accepted BOTH times, because I know how good these are.
I feel the difference between the YYJ Speed bearing in my DM2 and the Terrapin X Wing Cut Dry Play is enormous. For a noob like me, all that extra spin time is SO necessary since I do almost ALL my âlearningâ on this yoyo. Even so, itâs still my go-to yoyo anyways. I also practice on many other yoyos, many that do not have Terrapin X bearings in them. Itâs good to have variety.
I also have a database of all my yoyos. In it it contains lots of information, and one of the things it has is a field for which yoyo has what bearing is in it. I bought many used yoyos from BST and many included crappy bearings. What do I replace them with? Terrapin Xâs for the most part. OK, my One Drops I had to get more 10-balls for, but thatâs for now.
In short, I do highly recommend the products. I have a few more bearings I need to order. I have a couple of FH2âs, a FHZ and a Metal Drifter that all need better bearings and need to go full unresponsive(even if that means shims too). You know where Iâm going for replacement bearings!
When you say string centering assit bearingâŚthat does not really ring true. It said on the page where you buy the bearings that they are not a string centering bearing and that is definitly true, since I have used them. They are good quality made bearings and nothing will take that away from then for sureâŚbut, personally I prefer CT bearings over everything that I have triedâŚwitch is alot of bearings, hehe. Still, to each his own.
Just incase you were wondering, I have tried,
OD 10-ball
Crucial Grooved
Terrapin X wing bearing
YYJ speed bearing
Center trac
KK
KK ceramic
YYF spec
Random assortments of flat stock bearings
Recently I have noticed a number of topics put up regarding ceramic bearings.
Including the need to lube them, warnings not to lube them, the balls absorb oil.
Not to clean them with solvents because of absorption and melting.
Replies were made by reputable members with long time ceramic bearing experience.
A link to a well known bearing website was also put up.
I just want to inform my past and future customers TX S/C ceramic bearings share none of these issues.
They never require oil, just slows 'em down. Rated for 100,000rpm continuous duty.
I love these bearings - especially the wings (I have the non-ceramic ones) - these things buzz, and even though itâs not technically a true center track - it keeps the string right there - I have a couple different YYFâs that came with the center track - theyâre great, but once in a while the string grabs âquickerâ and its usually not when I want it to, I assume its because of a deeper groove - Iâm not having that problem with the wing.
I picked it up solely based on the recommendation of Studio42 - and so glad I did. Tried it out in a PSG - love it! (So does my boy, he wonât give it back)
How is the bearing fit in your yoyo factories? I remember at one point people were complaining that other brand bearings werenât fitting well in yoyofactory yoyoâs. Iâve been using center trac bearings since then just to avoid potential problems, but I would like to try something different.
I first put mine in my Dv888 before I got the Remnant 2 and it fit perfectly. This is the only YYF throw I tried it in, but it fit fine. My Dv888 was manufactured at some point in 2011 (August I think), so I donât know if that makes a difference. It made that Yo-Yo play amazing. I didnât want to take it out, but knowing how awesome it was I had to try it in my R2. It has not come out of the R2 unit yet. Because of this my Dv888 was not getting much play anymore. So, I went ahead and ordered 2 more of these bearings last week. Canât wait to get them so I can promptly place one back in the Dv888 and start throwing that thing again. I really canât explain how amazing this made the Dv888 feel. It is something that has to be experienced. I still recommend these bearings.
These are the most amazing bearings! Before Terrapin, my favorite bearing was the 10-ball by One Drop. Donât get me wrong, the 10-ball is an AMAZING bearing, and if I buy a yoyo with a 10-ball, it doesnât get replaced. However brands like CLYW definitely benefit from Terrapin! Iâve got myself a Steal/Ceramic hybrid Terrapin X in my Chief, and it plays like a dream. Do not hesitate!
Ya. Johnâs stuff is pretty amazing.
I also like his dry lube kit for treating stock bearings - which is a pretty great deal at 5$ for enough to treat 100âs of bearings.
All Terrapin X bearings are ABEC rated. The inner and outer races are precise. This not only increases smoothness and performance but insures a perfect fit on a properly manufactured bearing seat.
I must chime in on this myself. I have even tried other ceramic bearings. There are several you can buy if you take a good look on the internet. Most of them in small bulk sizes and are actually reasonably decent, ButâŚ
In the end, The Terrapins S/Câs are the bearing to own. Do not even hesitate to make the investment in Johns bearings. I wished I had the cash to put one in all my throws, but you can only throw one YoYo at a time right? I would suggest buying just one to start, you wonât be disappointed.
âThe Best Bearingâ there is in my opinion.
Not to mention that John has always been a straight shooter to do business with. Stands behind his product. I for one will be buying as many as I can afford in the future.
