Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[moonordie]

Who tested the Bronson Six Balls? Are they worth it?

Everything Bronson related sucks in my book.

[Corey Websturd]

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Who tested the Bronson Six Balls? Are they worth it?

[close]

Everything Bronson related sucks in my book.

Thanks for your thoughts about it.
I doubt they're better than the original raws that are fast enough.To me they're the best.

[Spacecase]

Bronson RAWs have been horrible in my experience, I can't believe people like them.

[fakiefs180]

I rode some Bronson G3's since May. 2 cages broke in half in that time. The last remaining 6 felt a bit sluggish. I popped the shields 3 months after I got them. Two weeks ago, something felt a bit weird but I thought it would be the wet ground I was skating. Today I cleaned my bearings. From the 6 remaining Bronson's 3 of them were locked up and didn't really spin that much. Threw all of the Bronson's away and now I am running some old Indy and Modus bearings. I don't think I will ever buy something from Bronson again. Just my experience with them, maybe they aren't made for Europe. I don't know.

[Benchpress]

Bronson G3's. No issues so far but seeing the reviews has got me pretty bummed. Old setup had bones swiss but they're like 10 years old and probably due for replacement. Should've just coughed up the cash for Swiss or Big Balls. Ahh well I'll ride these untill they pop, but I'm not too rough on bearings.

[Slave IV]

Bronson G3's. No issues so far but seeing the reviews has got me pretty bummed. Old setup had bones swiss but they're like 10 years old and probably due for replacement. Should've just coughed up the cash for Swiss or Big Balls. Ahh well I'll ride these untill they pop, but I'm not too rough on bearings.

Try cleaning your old Swiss bearings and see how it goes. If you aren’t hard on your bearings, they might still be good to go. I had some 10+ year old Swiss 6 that I thought were done so I bought G3s. Then, when I was setting up a new deck, I cleaned the Swiss 6 and they ended up faster than the new G3s.

[OhioGuy]

I’ve been using the Bones Big Balls since November 2024.

[skateboarder4life]

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I was actually just gonna post in here that I always ran Bronson g3s never got the raw but I always popped the shields anyway, been using them shieldless over a year, never cleaned them. Switched to some brand new Bones super swiss 6 and they roll worse than the old crusty Bronson's???

[close]

Gotta break them in. They will stay fast and last a long time.

Should I be past the break in by now? This has to be one of the worst purchases I've made. They free spin less than 2 seconds. Those 2 year old shieldless never cleaned g3s free spin more than 60 seconds easy. Yeah yeah free spin means nothing but they suck under weight too. Cleaning does nothing. They are horrible. You can hear them struggling to spin and not spinning smoothly. They actually have points along the rotation where they hang up so much that it's messing up my manuals because I can feel horrible resistance and snagging.

[GashBandicoot]

Sort of related... What are some good cleaners and lubricants? Tried using acetone on some old super reds and made them worse. Likely weaking the nylon cages. I've heard isopropyl alcohol is much less harsh. I've used CLP in the past as a solvent/lubricant all in one since I have a ton in my shooting supplies, don't think it's the best choice for bearings however. Have never used speedcream or any other skate branded lube as I always felt it was just marketing. From older posts, Quantum seems to have a neat product. Want to move into some higher quality bearings eventually but would like to know how to take care of them for maximum service life. Thoughts?

[Llewellyn Moss]

Just tried 99% isopropyl rubbing alcohol to clean my Swiss for the first time. Using compressed air to dry was a key part. Then I gave each a drop or two of sewing machine oil I got for cheap on Amazon. Major difference and noticeably faster.
Bones includes thorough and useful instructions in the box for cleaning/lubing similar/same as this link
https://bonesbearings.com/support/maintenance

[Slave IV]

Yeah, I used to use acetone but can’t find my can so 99% isopropyl alcohol since then and it works as well or maybe better. I use 2 drops of speed cream, spin a bunch and wipe any excess. I bought the whole bones cleaning kit around a decade ago and I think the lube will last me my lifetime. Other, cheaper lubes like sewing machine oil people mention will probably work fine for a lot less but like I said, one purchase for a bit more but knowing it is specifically for bearings that will last me a lifetime is fine for me.

[oldxdad]

I got some ceramic Olympia bearings and they rule! Super quiet and fast.

[bombsaway86]

+1 for 99% isopropyl alcohol. I’ve always used speed cream for lube, one bottle will last many years

[moonordie]

+1 for 99% isopropyl alcohol. I’ve always used speed cream for lube, one bottle will last many years

+2
My speed cream little bottle is already like 8 years old. I clean then 2 tiemes per year. 1 drop per bearing (more is overkill).
Lately I haven't been able to get isopropyl alcohol nor acetone so I've been using just dishwasher and water. No probs whatsoever.

[Chalupa]

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I was actually just gonna post in here that I always ran Bronson g3s never got the raw but I always popped the shields anyway, been using them shieldless over a year, never cleaned them. Switched to some brand new Bones super swiss 6 and they roll worse than the old crusty Bronson's???

[close]

Gotta break them in. They will stay fast and last a long time.

[close]

Should I be past the break in by now? This has to be one of the worst purchases I've made. They free spin less than 2 seconds. Those 2 year old shieldless never cleaned g3s free spin more than 60 seconds easy. Yeah yeah free spin means nothing but they suck under weight too. Cleaning does nothing. They are horrible. You can hear them struggling to spin and not spinning smoothly. They actually have points along the rotation where they hang up so much that it's messing up my manuals because I can feel horrible resistance and snagging.

Your experience is probably the opposite for most people on here including myself. Bronsons are trash and pretty much any other option at a shop is better.

How did you clean your bearings? You either left the bearings in a solvent too long, got a defective set, or cranked down your wheel nuts too much. I’ve never had an issue like that with the 12-15 sets I bought in the last decade, and only had to retire two single bearings after 7 years of use.

You should contact Powell/Bones.

[GashBandicoot]

Thanks guys I'm gonna add 99% iso alcohol and sewing machine oil to my Christmas shopping list. If I could find gulf wax while I'm out that would be terrific.

[Texas_Tone]

Thanks guys I'm gonna add 99% iso alcohol and sewing machine oil to my Christmas shopping list. If I could find gulf wax while I'm out that would be terrific.

We lucky down here the HEB carries it

[Spacecase]

Always kinda had bad experiences with g3s, tried them a couple times and they always seemed off. They seem like they have way too much oil/lubricant in them. I cleaned a set, removed the inner shields and lubed them with one drop of Bones speed cream each and they feel so much better.

[Slave IV]

Always kinda had bad experiences with g3s, tried them a couple times and they always seemed off. They seem like they have way too much oil/lubricant in them. I cleaned a set, removed the inner shields and lubed them with one drop of Bones speed cream each and they feel so much better.

I only have one set of G3s and I don’t think I’ll ever buy those or any Bronsons bearings again. I cleaned mine too with the bones kit and speed cream and they felt great afterwards. For a little while. Now, they feel like shit again. I used to not notice the difference in bearings but the reason I know for sure these suck is I have a set of 20 year old or more Bones Swiss 6, that I cleaned months before I cleaned the G3, the G3 are the newest bearing I have, only a year or two old and the bones are in a softer, smaller, theoretically slower wheel but they are significantly faster and smoother than the G3s. Yeah, fuck these Bronsons. I bought a set to try and won’t be fooled again.

[Purplefrosty]

Bronson ceramic and they’re really nice so far.got em 3 weeks ago

[Shiro417gunpla]

Just got some Indy's coming from bronson so it's a nice change

[skateboarder4life]

trying quantum now after seeing how crap bones are after being on bronson for a while.

[Llewellyn Moss]

Actually my experience with G3s was good. G2s were trash.

Riding my first set of Swiss the past six months though, it's a huge upgrade. Most notably after they're broken in. Like almost anything else you get what you pay for and so far I'm seeing that with bearings. I've cleaned them and it's helped restore smoothness and hold speed longer. Assuming the longevity is there, I won't return to G3. What am I saying, there's no reason to return to G3s.

I do have SKF on the radar to try but likely won't need a new set for a while.

[TMX]

Might be an outlier here, but Fireball Dragon Built, I really like them in my limited use so far, fast out of the box, very different "sound" but time will tell

[SupremePizza]

I'm on my 3rd year with these Quantum Atoms and they're still going strong. A few weeks ago my board rolled into a puddle. I thought my bearings were done but after a clean and lube they're good as needed.

[imextremelysorry95]

Just scooped 3 sets of old stock puig Andale bearings so I’ll be rocking those for a good while

[moonordie]

Just tried Oski's SKF and I was pleasantly surprised.

[logjammin]

olympia six ball silvers are treating me well after a few sessions, for anyone curious they seem like a solid option at the $30 price point. they definitely have a more premium looking construction when looking closely at the cages and everything when side by side with some reds or other cheapies. will report back on the longevity.

[pica]

The same set of bones swiss ceramics since 2015. i take care of them whenever i switch wheels. 

[Richard Skidder]

olympia six ball silvers are treating me well after a few sessions, for anyone curious they seem like a solid option at the $30 price point. they definitely have a more premium looking construction when looking closely at the cages and everything when side by side with some reds or other cheapies. will report back on the longevity.

Almost a year on mine and they still basically feel new. I hope you have the same experience!