Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[Ghost Face]

Andrew Cannon said in a Youtube video he's been riding Slappy bearings and they're coming soon.

[Chalupa]

What’s the longest anyone has had a set of Bronson G3? Although some shops have it for cheaper, the Black Sabbath ones retail for $50.95, which seem ridiculous.

I understand that they have to pay the band and tariffs, but SKF is cheaper. Quantum and Bones Swiss/Swiss 6 are around $5-15 more.

Have there been improvements in QC or manufacturing over the past 7 years? I just don’t get why shop employees try to push them whenever I look at bearings.

[Slave IV]

What’s the longest anyone has had a set of Bronson G3? Although some shops have it for cheaper, the Black Sabbath ones retail for $50.95, which seem ridiculous.

I understand that they have to pay the band and tariffs, but SKF is cheaper. Quantum and Bones Swiss/Swiss 6 are around $5-15 more.

Have there been improvements in QC or manufacturing over the past 7 years? I just don’t get why shop employees try to push them whenever I look at bearings.

I've had mine for a few years although not currently riding them, they are still fine. But based on my comparison with Bones Swiss and Reds and Bronson Raws, I don't plan on buying Bronson bearings again. I think you are better off with standard Reds or even MiniLogo for the price. If I were to buy bearings right now, I'd probably try the Reds Big Balls.

[Llewellyn Moss]

What’s the longest anyone has had a set of Bronson G3? Although some shops have it for cheaper, the Black Sabbath ones retail for $50.95, which seem ridiculous.

I understand that they have to pay the band and tariffs, but SKF is cheaper. Quantum and Bones Swiss/Swiss 6 are around $5-15 more.

Have there been improvements in QC or manufacturing over the past 7 years? I just don’t get why shop employees try to push them whenever I look at bearings.

$50.95 for G3s is unforgivable. I had a set and they were good for the $22 I paid and lasted probably a couple years but they were deteriorating before then even with proper cleaning. This was 2022-2024ish. Now on my first set of Swiss, I'd never go back (but want to try SKF).

[rawbertson.]

curious if anyone has had shitty experience with Bronson bearings? I have had 3 sets and maybe 1 has held up, and I babied these things.

 I have 2 sets of Andale bearings i got in the last couple years (both from old drops) and they have been as good as anything Bones if not better that I have had in recent times.

I got a set of pig bearings for dirt cheap, so far they don't seem great

[logjammin]

can only speak on the raws but yeah I've had a couple sets and they both didn't last long, even cleaning and lubing couldn't revive them. I'm on the Olympia 6 balls right now and they're doing great.

[moonordie]

curious if anyone has had shitty experience with Bronson bearings? I have had 3 sets and maybe 1 has held up, and I babied these things.

 I have 2 sets of Andale bearings i got in the last couple years (both from old drops) and they have been as good as anything Bones if not better that I have had in recent times.

I got a set of pig bearings for dirt cheap, so far they don't seem great

Shittiest bearings ever. Had G3 and they all bend in the metal part and got fucked in less than 4 days.
The only alternative from Swiss are SKF or those flip HKD bearings. Hella good.

[Amocat]

curious if anyone has had shitty experience with Bronson bearings? I have had 3 sets and maybe 1 has held up, and I babied these things.

 I have 2 sets of Andale bearings i got in the last couple years (both from old drops) and they have been as good as anything Bones if not better that I have had in recent times.

I got a set of pig bearings for dirt cheap, so far they don't seem great

I've had a set of the G2 and a couple G3s. I felt like I had to clean them an awful lot and never felt quite right even after cleaning. I was swapping in from the other sets more than I thought I should be too. I could not see any defect in the bearings I was replacing but they were almost seized up. The ones that have survived are a back up set for trying out wheels now, they don't get a ton of use but have held up fine once the weak were purged.

I would still buy a set of the Raw 6 or whatever it's called to try if they were under 20$ though.

[rawbertson.]

one of my sets started sounding like absolute crap
when i cleaned them out they were fine then like a few weeks later they sounded shitty again and i hardly even skated it
they were expensive too

[SwitchBenihana]

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curious if anyone has had shitty experience with Bronson bearings? I have had 3 sets and maybe 1 has held up, and I babied these things.

 I have 2 sets of Andale bearings i got in the last couple years (both from old drops) and they have been as good as anything Bones if not better that I have had in recent times.

I got a set of pig bearings for dirt cheap, so far they don't seem great

[close]

Shittiest bearings ever. Had G3 and they all bend in the metal part and got fucked in less than 4 days.
The only alternative from Swiss are SKF or those flip HKD bearings. Hella good.

I've had every Bronson and they all suck. Life enjoyed SKF, had no issues with Quantum, Swiss are never bad but my recent set was slow and jammed a lot. Every pair of Swiss I've ridden on my board or a friend's board in the last 2 years has felt off. Not what I recalled, none even spun well by hand. I bought some Quantum Metalics for my second board and they're the best I've had for the price although they're only 6 months old.

[Slave IV]

curious if anyone has had shitty experience with Bronson bearings? I have had 3 sets and maybe 1 has held up, and I babied these things.

 I have 2 sets of Andale bearings i got in the last couple years (both from old drops) and they have been as good as anything Bones if not better that I have had in recent times.

I got a set of pig bearings for dirt cheap, so far they don't seem great

I don’t know about shitty but I can say they are the bearings that made me notice a difference between any bearings since my G3 and Raws are both noticeably slower than all of my Bones, including Swiss6, Super Reds, Reds and even MiniLogo. My Bronsons still work so I’ll keep using them whenever it’s convenient since I’ll just use whatever bearings are most easily accessible at the time I’m setting something up but I won’t buy any of their bearings again.

[Purplefrosty]

I have the Bronson ceramics and I’m flying around faster than I’ve ever gone on a skateboard.they’re pretty good imo

[Chalupa]

^
Everyone who has the Bronson Ceramics only has good things to say about them. Their other bearings have mixed reviews.

Expand Quote

curious if anyone has had shitty experience with Bronson bearings? I have had 3 sets and maybe 1 has held up, and I babied these things.

 I have 2 sets of Andale bearings i got in the last couple years (both from old drops) and they have been as good as anything Bones if not better that I have had in recent times.

I got a set of pig bearings for dirt cheap, so far they don't seem great

[close]

I don’t know about shitty but I can say they are the bearings that made me notice a difference between any bearings since my G3 and Raws are both noticeably slower than all of my Bones, including Swiss6, Super Reds, Reds and even MiniLogo. My Bronsons still work so I’ll keep using them whenever it’s convenient since I’ll just use whatever bearings are most easily accessible at the time I’m setting something up but I won’t buy any of their bearings again.

I’ve probably said it multiple times but I had a lot of issues with sets of the G3. A couple of them would seize up after a week or two. Cleaning didn’t fix them, so I bought another set and replaced the ones that broke. After buying multiple sets and realizing that I was replacing one or two bearings every 1-2 weeks, I gave up on them and went to a different shop to buy Bones Swiss. I never had this issue with Reds and even Spitfire Cheapshots were better than G3. Also, I never skated huge gaps so the bearings breaking wasn’t from impact. I’m not sure how to explain this, but if it makes any sense, a ledge at one of the skateparks I used to skate had a rectangular extrusion that was level with the top of the ledge. There was about two inches of coping on three sides. So, depending on which way I would hit it, one side of my front trucks would get caught in that crevice with smiths at least once per session. It was annoying but that never broke any other brand of bearings. That’s the only thing I can think of that would break the G3s unless they were super sensitive to dirt.

I have a set of the Mason Silva G3s on a shaped board and have had those since 2023. However, I’ve only infrequently used it for cruising, boardslides and 50-50s.

For me, I rather only skate Swiss 6, but I have a couple sets of other bearings that are still working well after regular maintenance. Swiss 6 > Swiss > Quantum Isotopes > SKF. Although I have Swiss Ceramics, I can’t compare them since I only cruise on the Zip Zinger. I don’t have any issues with Bones Swiss but I bought a lot of sets during sales for around $40. People who complain about Swiss have bought theirs more recently, so I have no idea what’s going on with manufacturing, or if there’s some other issue. I buy all my hardgoods from shops so counterfeit bearings is highly unlikely.

[Llewellyn Moss]

Just curious, why do you rank Swiss 6 better than Swiss, and why SKF last?

[swongolianbbq]

Swiss 6 only for me as well


I think they take side loads better cause the races are deeper

Originally I was worried the outer races would crack because they're a little thinner-walled to make room for the bigger balls but it never happened

The set I'm on now is like 6 years old, always no shields for the sound

[Slave IV]

The only Swiss I've ever owned is Swiss 6. I've had them for close to 20 years and they are still the best (fast, durable, low maintenance) bearings I own. So I don't know how they compare with other Swiss or the more current releases if they changed in quality but that fact alone is enough for me.

[The Huffer]

Swiss 6 seem to need less maintenance also. Probably b/c of less balls. I had a couple of sets that only lasted a year but I have two sets on the go right now that are probably both over 5 years deep with perhaps one cleaning.

[crazyfox0777]

I’ve had a set of quantum atoms for about four years now. I’ve ridden them in the rain, snow,and sleet and still going strong. I also had modus ceramics that were exceptional. The worse bearing I ever had were hands down lucky bearings, they seized up on me after a few days

[Purplefrosty]

Can also confirm the Swiss 6 feel tougher and roll with more authority than regular Swiss.they are both excellent but switching back feels like a downgrade

[Mbrimson88]

.

Been on regular old Bones Swiss bearings for a long time, usually holding up really well for me, as I don't really do high impact skating, but I have noticed for other people, Bones Swiss bearings just don't seem to hold up at all in the same way they used to and I would often just say to people who are not so happy with them, just get Bones Reds, use them, leave them in the wheels when done, new wheels with new bearings, etc.

Anyone else seem like they have had more issues in recent years?


To note, from 2020 when things all went weird, there were so many counterfeit Bones Swiss bearings around, there could still be a residual hangover from that era, but at least I know all of mine are very much pre 2020 and are genuine product.

I have also heard some people say they changed suppliers and other things have happened along the way too, so that could also have something to do with it.


* To add, being in Australia, Bones Reds are still very cheap compared to most other bearings (or price issues in USA), they still seem to work for almost anyone, known quality, performance, yes not the best, but certainly not the worst.  Other bearing brands (Quantum) don't even make it here, or maybe more so just me sticking to the usual brands I can easily get for the shop, along with what customers want, it is pretty easy not to look too far in that regard.

[Slave IV]

Yeah, I'm still curious what the deal with Eenox bearings is and how much that could have impacted Bones Swiss bearings.

[propaganda]

quantum regular right now. wanna buy a back up pair but I don’t know what to get. I was so loyal to reds but they going up and price and down in performance/durability at lest for me. Idk it has been fucked up weather but I feel like they used to be better

Wasn’t tapped in the world of expensive bearings but im intrigued. Honestly the number one things im looking for in a bearing is ability to handle rain/dirt without needing to clean.

Also just seen some cheap bearings [spitfire,ccs etc] and considering those too but a little scared.  I could get 5 bearings for $50 or 1 for $50. I know cheap bearings prolly won’t last longer but im not sure expensive bearings will.

Cant remember how long I had quantums but they never felt as good as reds. They slowed down after last little rain but I think it’s really the pollen. Just bout some lube gave it some squirt with shield still on. Idk if it helped, I know it’s dumb.

[Chalupa]

Honestly the number one things im looking for in a bearing is ability to handle rain/dirt without needing to clean.

Weatherproof bearings from skateboard companies have metal races even if the balls are ceramic. You have to clean, dry and relubricate them shortly after your sessions to prevent rust after they wet.

I haven’t tried these or know how long they will last, but you could give these a shot:
https://thuroshop.com/products/zealous-built-in-bearings

They’re meant for longboarding and claim to be waterproof. I’m not sure if you can clean those Zealous bearings, but they’re relatively cheap to replace, which sounds like what you want. I was considering getting a set but never did. The likely downside that I assume is that the amount of force that they can withstand is low, which isn’t good if you skate big gaps or are on the heavier side.

[swongolianbbq]

I was using ceramic reds with extra speed cream for my rain board, which worked good but eventually would dry out and need a little help.

For the new rain board I'm going with Seismic ceramic 6-ball built-ins, with flanged axle nuts and grease instead of oil. I don't see how the zealous ones would be much different, but for some reason I'm dead-set on those seismics.

I think cause the ceramic reds didn't have bearing spacers and weren't tightened down, a lot of water was getting in via the axle.

Built ins should solve that, and putting hella grease inside and outside them shits and a flanged axle nut(ala grind king rims) shouldn't hurt either

They're going on stage 4 indys which have a nice barrel shape at the end of the hanger too opposite the flanged nut

I think if you're going for weatherproof, any built-in bearing with grease instead of oil is a good bet

[moonordie]

Just curious, why do you rank Swiss 6 better than Swiss, and why SKF last?

In my house experience every set of swiss I ever had lasted me 5 years and swiss 6 always 6 years so for me they feel the same but last longer.

[Llewellyn Moss]

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Just curious, why do you rank Swiss 6 better than Swiss, and why SKF last?

[close]

In my house experience every set of swiss I ever had lasted me 5 years and swiss 6 always 6 years so for me they feel the same but last longer.

Ah so for ~$5-7 more you get potentially longer life and some degree of increased durability/smoothness/speed and lesser maintenance

[moonordie]

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Just curious, why do you rank Swiss 6 better than Swiss, and why SKF last?

[close]

In my house experience every set of swiss I ever had lasted me 5 years and swiss 6 always 6 years so for me they feel the same but last longer.

[close]

Ah so for ~$5-7 more you get potentially longer life and some degree of increased durability/smoothness/speed and lesser maintenance

Pretty much

[Chalupa]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Just curious, why do you rank Swiss 6 better than Swiss, and why SKF last?

[close]

In my house experience every set of swiss I ever had lasted me 5 years and swiss 6 always 6 years so for me they feel the same but last longer.

[close]

Ah so for ~$5-7 more you get potentially longer life and some degree of increased durability/smoothness/speed and lesser maintenance

All of those bearings are good, but SKF requires maintenance more frequently and feel a bit sluggish until they’re broken in. They might feel better if I use that lubricant oil after cleaning, which wasn’t available when I got my bearings. They’ve lasted me a while, but they don’t feel anywhere as good as Swiss/Swiss 6. Quantum Isotopes are slightly better than SKF in terms of speed and smoothness, but I haven’t found anything better than Swiss 6.

Although the Swiss Ceramics are the fastest and smoothest I’ve had, I can’t give a valid review on those because they’re on a Zip Zinger, which I don’t use the same way as a popsicle board. I’m unsure about the durability, but if I find a discount code that works on them, I’ll swap out the ones on my Zip Zinger to use on my main setup.

[SwitchBenihana]

I don't love 6 ball bearings as they put more stress on the cages and always end up blowing out in my experience.

SKF won't feel as fast in hand because of the heavy grease, but in the world I come from (bikes) a good greased bearing is always lower drag. Mine have been great and absolutely do not require more maintenance than a normal oil based lube it's the opposite unless you pull shields off like a dummy.

[swongolianbbq]

I don't love 6 ball bearings as they put more stress on the cages and always end up blowing out in my experience.

SKF won't feel as fast in hand because of the heavy grease, but in the world I come from (bikes) a good greased bearing is always lower drag. Mine have been great and absolutely do not require more maintenance than a normal oil based lube it's the opposite unless you pull shields off like a dummy.

Reminds me of when I put a light oil in my cup-and-cone bottom bracket instead of grease, suuuper fast!

Hahah I run all greased cartridge shit on the street now but when I heard some keirin dudes were doing that, I had to try it once. I have a video somewhere. I miss my 75's.

The girlfriend said I can hang a clean vintage or keirin track bike on the wall over the stairs and I'm pumped. Just gonna use it with rollers for when my meniscus feels fucked to stir it back into the right spot