I feel like I’m really bad at this.
I’ll do the paper slip method and soak a bearing in acetone for hours, several times before I’ll decide to replace it with a new one.
I wondered what’s everyone criteria or breaking point to where they replace with a new one?
I just keep cleaning them till they stop spinning more than 3 seconds on a flick.
ever tried fire after an acetone bath?
I’ve found myself accidentally melting or deforming the little nylon/other plastic ball retainer ring/cage in some bearings so I stopped doing the fire method.
Some are metal but I never know what’s what till I melt one on accident lol
I replace them if they’re not smooth enough or not quiet enough for my taste after cleaning.
word yea i can see that. all mine are all metal so I’ve been gtg on that front but i can see where it could be problematic, esp if it isn’t deshielded
I thought you were joking - what’s a fire bath?
I normally soak them in lighter fluid then burn them. Then relube them. Only time I ever really replace them is if it came with a wonkey bearing to begin with or I dent them with the pliers 
Pretty much put clean as normal and use a lighter to burn off the residue
I may have to try that
I don’t use the fire method but really like using compressed air to both clear out extra acetone and hyperspin the bearing after applying a drop of lube.
once and then several time subsequently after the first successful attempt, after several repeated acetone baths failing to clear a bearing, i took it out of acetone and put it on my bearing puller then lit it with a butane torch and let it burn til it natutally went out. whatever was stuck got burned off and they play cleanly for me afterward
I replace vs clean.
I find it “Cheaper” to do it this way and a lot more efficient.
And by cheaper, I mean my time.
Bearings seem so expensive which is my “gripe”
This is why I buy bulk from Hollywood modern yoyo.
My bearing cleaning ritual is literally just rinsing under my tap and then blowing out with a PC duster (only use a harsher solvent on new bearings once)… No way is replacing bearings worth it, especially when so many come with dirt in them anyways.
Some like Hollywood modern cone tested and are ready to go. Some though. I get it.
I’ve done the water thing but I have to store them after in silica gel or they usually rust…
Regardless of got used to keeping silica in my bearing storage box to reduce moisture as humidity is high often where I am
I’ll note most bearings don’t rust but cheap/old ones will tarnish and rust.. especially after enough wear that the protective coating no longer is effective.
I have yoyos from the 90s with perfectly fine bearings. Team Losi’s ABEC5s were integral to their bread and butter RC products. The starburst pattern wore out well before the bearings will.
Bearing noise is part of the experience, though some throws tend to amplify it (e.g., Squid Tinker). On those I replace with a ceramic as I prefer the hissing over what steel does. The unnaturally silent Magicyoyo bearings certainly have lube in them. YYF uses Central Bearing Co. which is good enough for their team members, with reasonable noise.
There are only so many manufacturers making tiny bearings with peculiar outside shapes. So all yoyo brands are contracting with one of them, if not capable of doing it themselves. Yoyofriends is FPM’s brand (Xinfenghui Technology) so they can make their own bearings. If they do, it’s fairly quiet and performs wonderfully.
I bought a “C-grade” Tingsu and was told to swap the intentionally crappy bearing to keep cost down so I did. The good bearings they sell are the same manufacturer as YYF’s, and the lowest cost I’ve seen in a U.S. store for them.
I put a ceramic “A” in a Freehand One for the incongruity. Also removed caps and added weight rings. I find hot-rodding it to be funny. And it’s fun to throw.
Otherwise, only for performance, which means the bearing is wearing down or it’s dirty. If it’s worn down there’s no saving it, so replace. If it’s dirty then removing the shields will make it dirty faster. Is the $0.24 to replace it worth my time and energy cleaning it over and over again? You bet it is.
My experience as well. I’ve replaced a bearing to swap in a concave. I also put a new bearing in a yoyo I got in a BST deal because the previous owner did the torch thing and ruined it.
That’s been my method for a very long time.
I’m really picky about bearings and used to obsess over keeping them dead silent. I think that stemmed from when my wife and I lived in an open loft condo and she preferred quieter bearings. Although, I’m also just sensitive to sound.
I don’t have much free time now that I’m a dad, and I got tired of spending my yo-yo time cleaning bearings… So I started playing fixed-axle 4 years ago. Problem solved. 
I’ll likely migrate back to my unresponsive collection some day but i pretty much only play fixie now.
