Pixels are ok. But the problem is that it’s random as to whether you get a good one or not. Same with a lot of other bearings. I have close to 30 DS bearings. Each one plays amazing.
Edit: And to add, when you buy other bearings and only half of them perform requiring replacing, the price of the plat ds bearings then don’t seem so high.
Dang so you’re why they’re sold out huh? Hah! I’m going to try some when I can like I’m cool w what I have but now I’m just really curious.
Lol! I have bought some from here. But not all of them
Anyone else having issues with the latest batch of Platinum DS bearings?
About a month ago the platinum bearings were back in stock. I purchased a decent quantity due to the positive reviews I’ve read on here. Popped one in my Scout and it played perfectly for about 30 minutes. It then became VERY loud, with an almost “gritty” sound and ultra responsive. Not a problem I thought, the yoyo was fairly new to me and maybe the bearing seat needed to be cleaned, not to mention bearings can just be finicky sometimes.
Cleaned the bearing in acetone and wiped off the bearing seat with isopropyl alcohol. Gave the bearing a small amount of lube and now it plays well in my Scout.
As part of this cleaning I also cleaned some other yoyo bearing seats, including my SF Ceasefire. Popped a Platinum DS into the newly cleaned Ceasefire and it did the same thing. Played very well for 30 minutes before becoming very loud and responsive.
I know 2 bearings becoming responsive out of the 10 that I bought isn’t the end of the world, but I’m a little frustrated that I basically have to clean a brand new bearing before being able to use it. I want to like these bearings but I’m not impressed with these first two.
With that said I guess I’ll try and pop a third and fourth into some other yo-yos and see how they play. And for disclaimer, I try to limit the bearing’s exposure to dust and grime. I keep the bearings in the little plastic bag with the seal it was delivered in until it is time to put onto the Yoyo. I try not to touch the open side of the bearing and immediately screw the Yoyo back together. My yo-yos are stored in airtight Pelican case.
This post serves two purposes. One to vent and two to see if anyone else is having similar issues.
Will report back as I try some more of them in other yoyos.
First, platinum/gold is just a visual thing that does 0 for performance. If the bearing looking different is worth $5 more each to you then cool, but thought you should know in case you were unaware. Everyone believing otherwise just happens to have owned a couple in a particular style that happened to be a little smoother or that just ran quieter and equated it to that bearing type being objectively better. Pretty sure little to no QC is done on any bearings from any company based on how many bunk ones we have all gotten over time.
Second, yyr ds/pixel style bearings can be purchased in bulk on chinese sites for somewhere between 25 cents and $3 a bearing (don’t have a link on hand for this bearing style). Yes, possibly as low as 25 cents. You’ll probably get 2-3 bad ones out of 100 on the cheapest ones and 0 bad ones out of 10 on the pricey ones. All styles from grooved, KK, CT, pixel/ds and of course flat can be found easily enough. I have bought tons of bearings this way for both yoyos and fishing reels and in the case of yoyo bearings sometimes split orders with other people and everyone is always super happy
I have no advice on your current issue, but my advice to avoid it going forward is to save yourself a fortune on bearings and get the cheap stuff in bulk which is absolutely just as good even if the people spending way more want to believe otherwise. Been running my cheap CTs dry for years and years. The bearings rarely go bad, but if they do, I don’t lose any sleep over tossing them in the trash and replacing them. Save your money for more yoyos and plenty of Zipline string. I’d rather pay $3 for a string after shipping than a bearing. It’s actually worth the money.
Yeah, honestly I know you’re right. I usually go for the cheaper bulk bearings and don’t really care that much about bearing preference. It’s something I usually give no thought to. I was just looking for something consistent and had seen the positive reviews and thought I’d try them out. I guess it’s a lesson learned when it comes to bearings. My cheap no name bearings seem to be operating better than the DS’s that I purchased. Agreed, next time I’ll save the money for yoyos and strings.
In your situation I’d at least try to test out all the bearings and hopefully refund or exchange any bad ones. Maybe the platinum plating slightly wearing gets into the bearing races and makes it unresponsive and eventually it stops happening 
Is the platinum a coating on the bearing? I remember reading that the gold ones are just a coating and that the gold wears down over time. If the same is true of the platinum then that is probably what is happening. It’s dirtying up the bearing and makes it responsive. I’ll try them all out and see how they play.
Please Sensei teach me how! Did you find them with the same cut as the DS? This is what I mostly like about those bearings their shape and cuts