The importance of bearings in roller

[B&W 0]

I'm really reluctant to buy good bearings for my skates, playing ice for a while, but i'm playing in a roller league now. Do bearings really improve your glide, speed etc?

[diablo42 0]

Who Makes the Best Bearings?

Bearings made in Switzerland have the best reputation, or at least those bearings labled as "Swiss Bearings". But note that not all Swiss bearings were actually made in Switzerland. Some importers and distributors use the term "Swiss Bearings" to describe a manufacturing style. You will sometimes see Swiss Bearings with "Made in Taiwan" (or another non-Swiss country) marked on the package. and of course someone Switzerland could always decide to make make low end bearings for the budget market. So read the package carefully and ask questions before you buy!

What Are ABEC Bearings?

The ABEC scale is a system for rating the manufacturing tolerances of precision bearings. The system was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee or Council (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The American Bearing Manufacturers Association was formerly known as the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association.

What Does ABEC Mean?

The ABEC scale is a system for rating the manufacturing tolerances of precision bearings. The system was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee or Council (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The American Bearing Manufacturers Association was formerly known as the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association.

Bearings rated under the ABEC system are typically called "precision bearings", and they are rated with a number from 1 to 9, with the higher number assigned to bearings manufactured against a higher standard of precision (high number = tighter tolerances = more expensive bearing).

What Does Tolerance Mean?

Tolerance is the amount of variation from an absolute exact measurement that is permitted during the manufacturing process.

Take a look at this link and see what experts says about ABEC rated bearings

http://www.skatelog....abec-quotes.htm

[8YA 0]

They do, with bearings you can go two ways IMO. Buy some cheap bearings (rush, pleasure tools) and replace them often or buy expensive bearings (high end swiss/ceramic) and maintain them.

I bought a set of cheaper ceramic bearings off ebay ($60) just to see what the hype was. And I couldn't believe the difference. Not only is the bearing lighter but so much smoother and faster. Spinning a ceramic and my old ABEC 9's was night and day. I clean and lube them once a month or every 8 games and they are good to go.

[aldoraines 0]

I have Boss Swiss that are nice, but have been on Bones Reds for the past couple couple of months and can't tell a difference. The reds are 25 dollars. Best deal out there IMO.

Have not had the pleasure of skating on ceramics yet, but the Swiss and Reds are both noticeably better than abec 9's

[mhkehoe 1]

I have Boss Swiss that are nice, but have been on Bones Reds for the past couple couple of months and can't tell a difference. The reds are 25 dollars. Best deal out there IMO.

Have not had the pleasure of skating on ceramics yet, but the Swiss and Reds are both noticeably better than abec 9's

I will second this. The Bones Reds are cheap, and feel fantastic. They do last a while if you actually clean them like you are supposed to. The bearings HockeyTron is selling feel pretty similar too (they came with the wheels), but I haven't used them very long.

[Brian Harte 1]

Free set of TRON ABEC 7s with my wheels. No complaints.

ABEC 3, 5, 7, 9 .... I can't tell the difference.

Skate hard and get work done.

[henryb 4]

One of the big differences between, less expensive Swiss bearings and the more expensive ones, is longevity... a number of years back, I decided to drop some serious coin on a set of Bones Swiss bearings. I have been maintaining them at about the frequency that 8YA had mentioned, approx once a month or every 8-10 games or so. And my Bones Swiss are still rolling as fast and as smooth as the day I bought them. Now for the Bones Reds (made in China), I had a set of these the year before I got my Swiss, and sure enough, they worked great for the 1st year, but I found that about half of the bearings were worn out and no amount of cleaning would get them to spin fast any more. So, they certainly are the cheapest way to get rolling fast, but I would recommend replacing them every year or after about 20-30 games and keep them well maintained... that is really the key.

I have tried a set of the "relatively" inexpensive ceramic bearings on the market recently, they seem to be working out quite well for far, I don't have any long term results on them (just got them last year). My son is currently using them, he likes them, but in direct comparison with the Bones Swiss, they don't really stand-up... my Bones Swiss spin freely for nearly 4 mins without any load (ie. spinning them as fast as I can with my hand and then timing how long they will spin before they stop on their own)... vs. the inexpensive ceramics come to a full stop after about 1:45.

Regarding ABEC rated bearings... forget it, if they have an ABEC rating... don't touch them! ABEC ratings are used measuring tolerance (as mentioned earlier in this thread), but primarily for using bearing in a machinery type application... which is completely different then use in Roller Hockey. Roller Hockey has all kinds of different forces applied the the bearing, pounding, turning on their sides, stopping torque, etc. Machinery sits still, straight up and spins fast (5000 rpm). Clearly even the fastest inline skater in the world will never get the bearings spinning more then 1000 rpm's... so really ABEC ratings don't apply very well. I would always stick to manufacturers that make bearings specifically for inline skating.

So bottom line is that you kind of get what you pay for... but you have to live within your own budget, so if you need to go the cheapest route possible, then the Bones Reds will do you great. If you have a bit more cash, I would highly recommend the Bones Swiss... and finally if you have really deep pockets and really want the very best of the best... I would nab up a set of Bones Ceramics in a second.

That's my 2 cents worth, based on my own personal experiences, I'm sure there are many differing opinions, but I know a bunch of players out there that use the 3 that I mentioned and I think they would all agree, as we have had lengthy discussions on this very topic over many years!

[kerr 1]

What would be a better choice: Bevo Swiss (or other cheap Swiss) vs Bones Reds (or Super Reds)?

Thanks

[8YA 0]

The Bevo Swiss are close in line with the Bones Swiss price wise I think something like $40 for 8. They are good bearings as well. But for that kind of money you can get bones super 6 on ebay...

The Bones Reds are good bearings but they are made in China not Swiss made and will not last as long, people that use them seem to like them. And they are cheap ($25 for 16) Almost disposable at that price. Use for a year or less and buy new ones.

The Super Reds seem to be a step down from the Bones Swiss at a pretty good price point ($50 for 16) Durability is supposedly better than the regular reds.

It all comes down to what you want to spend on a set of bearings and how long you want them to last. You can easily get a few years out of a set of Bones Swiss if you maintain them properly.

[kerr 1]

Bevo Swiss are $40 for 16 on IW. I'll give them a go. If they don't work I'll get Bones Swiss. Lasting a few years sounds great. Every time I clean my bearings there's a couple dead bearings.

Thanks

[8YA 0]

You're right. 40 bucks for 16, not bad. Give em a shot and report back.

[TeamBlue96 3]

I never really put much thought into this (shame on me for as long as i've been playing). I actually read this a few days ago and slapped on some new bearings last night for an inhouse game. WOW, have i been missing out.

My philosophy has always been -- if it spins, it's fine and that i'm a good enough skater to the point where as long as i can move, i'll be fine. My old bearings were not lubed as much as they should've been, noticeable sounds coming from them when spinning, some spun more than others, some spun and came to an abrupt stop. Momentum became the centrifugal force for my wheels moving.

Enter the new bearings; albeit not a popular brand, but a growing brand called 'predators' that i found on ebay that a lot of inline players are using. Abec 7 equivalent for $13.75 bucks shipped!

HUGE difference! Coasting, back peddling, cutting, stopping and going, crossovers, and my overall movement was much improved. Felt like i didn't have to use as much effort to do all the normal things i was doing out there. I guess i had just gotten so accustomed to bad bearings that i didn't even know the difference!

[Gefiltefish 9]

I have used Bones Reds, Bevo 9's (both mini and std), Bevo Swiss and now am on Mission Swiss (non-LE).

The missions by far have been the best option. I don't clean my bearings except for the outside when changing/rotating wheels.

I found that the Reds shields did a poor job of keeping debris out of the inner bearing. The Reds got loud and rought quickly...

The Bevo's just seemed to get slow fast.

The Mission's have been smooth, fast and quiet since day one. I highly recommend them....

If you take care of your bearings - I will agree that Reds are a great buy.

[romdj 26]

IMO from abec 5 level you won't differences, but it all depends if you rollerskate outside and all.

again IMHO, The key for bearings quality after a period of 2-6 months depending on the skating surfaces and occurrences, the maintenance you put into them becomes a huge factor, cleaning & lubricating them will drastically change their durability and quality...