How are y'all cleaning your bearings? I've always been too lazy to do it and came up in the 'just remove the shields and never clean them' era
get isopropyl alchohol, put some in a small container, put the bearings in, shake em around. that will free them of all the dirt + crap.
let them dry out completely before putting them back in the wheels if you can (its not a huge deal if you dont )
if they seem too dry then add a tiny drop of speed cream
dont put a lot because then the bearings will be "swimming" in the oil and they will suck up every tiny bit of dirt you roll thorugh for the next while.
I am trying to go with like the cheapest bearings possible with out being complete trash right now and I have had good results as long as I take care of them. I got some Primitive and Modus bearings for like $10-15 / set and they are rolling completely fine still after a few months. havent really been babying them too much just trying to keep them out of thick mud and water.
I left a set of Bones Swiss in the car over the winter and they got rust on them. I cleaned them with the iso and they were good as new again. THis did not work with the set of Reds that I left in the car. some of the balls are seized permanently. so there is definintely a difference in having the good ones vs the shitty ones.