If you like a noisy bearing you definitely don’t want to lube. So then the only risk is humid climates. Depending how noisy you like it, you may want to clean even new yo-yo bearings as they will probably come with a bit of factory lube that will make them too quiet.
Personally I like a very quiet and smooth spinning bearing. 
Well I guess if you consider the yo-yos I posted to be loud then we have different definitions of loud, but that’s perfectly fine. And yeah, I have cleaned several new bearings lol, sometimes they need it.
And just to emphasize again, I never said not to lube your bearings. I just said it’s not essential, because it’s not (in unresponsive yo-yos). No need for a debate about personal preference, these are toys after all. 
I’d say if you live in a very humid climate, it is more risky than advisable to run totally dry bearings … citation
When I got a yoyo a few months ago it came with a bearing that locked up. No ammount of cleaning or throwing would make it spin at all. However I noticed it would spin if I put in on a chopstick and moved it with my fingers.
I took a little WD40 on that sucker and now it spins again. I think that it probably just had a little rust in there which the WD40 removed.
Plays just fine unresponsive, its a little noisy but that should go away with time. I’m glad I tried this instead of throwing this bearing in the trash.
Also Search results for 'bearing rust' - YoYoExpert
If you live in a dry climate, probably no big deal. But remember that strings hold moisture from your hands and they are wrapped around the bearing a lot.
For longer term storage of yo-yos I’d strongly recommend thin lube in the bearing as well. Alternately you could plan to toss out the old bearings altogether and put new ones in years later, I guess? I’m virtually certain that no yo-yo manufacturer ships their bearings without lube because the risk is just too high, statistically. They don’t know how long those models will be sitting on a shelf, or in what kind of climate.
Or you could just learn to love quiet bearings and have the best of both worlds 
I’ve always run my bearings dry and used graphite for lube. I know they sell actual graphite dry lube, but I just shave tiny pieces from a pencil, then flickspin until it’s been ground and the excess falls out. I like the high pitched hum of noisy bearings though, and none of mine are silent anymore.
I used to live in Arizona, which was much more humid than where I live now, and I use to wash my bearings every week or two. The more often I would do it, the quicker they would end up needing another wash. I never had any of my bearings actually die though, I guess I never gave any of them any chances to rust or corrode.
Graphite tends to make a mess of things based on past experience.
I thought it was a edge, until I noticed some weird cuts down to the gap. It looks more like a Hatchet+
My bearing maintaince is very low. I haven’t cleaned any bearings in 7 months I don’t think. I used to be very particular in how I clean them. I used to be very particular and try to get the best setup of how much and what kind of lube to use and when. After time has passed, I’ve realized it doesn’t really make that much difference to me. I like my yoyos quite, that’s all I need. I put two drops of thin lube in and call it a year.
Almost certain it’s a Mowl M+
You’re right. The dead giveaway that it’s a M+ is the blue rims.
…combined with its shape. 
I try to keep my bearings lubed, but I also live in what was once literally a swamp
Haven’t done one of these in a while.
Boreas Pro before bearing lube
Boreas Pro after bearing lube
Listen for yourself!
(I apologize for the way the video always rotates, I must really suck at video. Anyway the audio is the main thing that matters, and you can see what my fingers are doing…)
Tom Velto (throw n’ brews) gave some GREAT advice in one of his videos, saying he doesn’t mess with bearings unless he thinks they need maintenance.
I use to clean all my bearings immediately upon receiving them, and I ran them all dry. I liked it that way, except damn they were loud!
This was like 15 years ago and I was using a lot of plastic throws. It was back before they came out with yo-yos that never stop spinning like they have today (lol 
).
I LOVE how silent my yos are these days! Crazy quiet!!
Opposite of what he said above though, did you scroll up and read any of his videos I quoted?
No I didn’t haha xP
I’ve skimmed through some replies and I’d like to make clear what I was trying to say. I was in NO way trying to argue against lubing! Quite the opposite!
I think all(?) yo-yos come with a pre-lubed bearings these days. That’s what I was trying to say. I use to clean my bearing/run them dry…but not anymore. They run super smooth and spin forever with lube now. And like Tom said in his VIDEO “I don’t do anything to a bearing that is currently in a yo-yo working that doesn’t have any problems.”
Sorry if I sounded like I was trying to argue against you with the use of lube! I didn’t mean for it to come across like that.
I’ve even followed some videos on how to make my own thin lube with 3-in-1 oil and mineral spirits.
No worries I just wanted to point out that Tom is quoted above as follows
I don’t know why this is a controversial opinion, but it totally is. This is my unpopular [yo-yo] opinion that has gotten more hate than any opinion I’ve ever stated … ever. Yo-yo lube, and lubing your bearings, is essential. Bearing runs smoother, bearing runs quieter.
“Oh, my yo-yo is dead smooth!” Yeah, not if you don’t lube it, because that bearing is going to rattle. “Oh, there’s vibe!” Maybe just lube the bearing, make it so it doesn’t sound like a truck? Because steel rubbing on steel is not a smooth thing. Sling stainless steel knives against each other. Is that smooth? Did that feel smooth while you did it? No. Put lube in your bearing. Yo-yo lube.
If it’s pre-lubed that’s fine, it’s unclear to me how many run their bearings totally dry from the factory.
I think he’s evolved on this, though. I’m pretty sure he said on a more recent video that he doesn’t mess with a new bearing until it mucks up.
Yep! 
“I don’t do anything to a bearing that is currently in a yo-yo working that doesn’t have any problems.”
