Boca Bearings? What's your take?

[steelhead_killer]

For the average angler that is trying to get more distance I would maintain that his/her casting technique has more to do with distant gains than any bearing.  Once the casting technique is mastered and the professional is trying to get those few extra yards, then maybe a faster bearing would help.  My 2 cents.  Also, I thought I read somewhere that the only benefit to faster bearings occur when the angler is using lighter weight lures etc, something to do with the startup inertia or something.  Time for more coffee....

[Rancanfish]

Very interesting, but Abec 7's are for fresh water use only was my understanding.
So I wouldn't be using them anyway.

A film crew? Wow, will you adopt me?  I need some extra dough to play with. 

[mo65]

   I'm not so well versed on these bearing upgrades, But I'd have to be concerned about running a bearing dry, especially in saltwater. I guess it would be fine if the whole bearing was ceramic...but aren't the races steel? Also...how the heck do ya keep it dry? I'd have to think water entering the bearing would slow those ceramic marbles the same way oil does.

[MarkT]

There are full and hybrid ceramics.  The hybrids have stainless races with ceramic balls.  The ceramic balls are harder, smoother and rounder than steel.  Full ceramics have ceramic races as well as ceramic balls.

[Tiddlerbasher]

Rancan - the Abec rating has nothing to do with fresh or salt water. For a problem free bearing, in the salt, full ceramics have a lot of advantages. They won't corrode, they are very fast and smooth and need little attention - apart from an occasional flush to remove crud. I wouldn't use them in a lever drag reel where axial forces come into play they could get crushed. The single biggest disadvantage is cost.

There seems to be some confusion over what the Abec rating means - I quote from Wikepedia:

The ABEC scale is an industry accepted standard for the tolerances of a ball bearing. It was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The ABEC scale is designed to provide bearing manufacturers dimensional specifications that meet the standards of precision bearings in a specified class. Manufacturers who produce equipment that require bearings must also know the dimensional tolerances to design parts that will accommodate a bearing.

There are five classes from largest to smallest tolerances: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. The higher ABEC classes provide better precision, efficiency, and the possibility of greater speed capabilities, but do not necessarily allow the components to spin faster. The ABEC rating does not specify many critical factors, such as load handling capabilities, ball precision, materials, material Rockwell hardness, degree of ball and raceway polishing, noise, vibration, and lubricant. Due to these factors, an ABEC 3 classified bearing could perform better than an ABEC 7 bearing. Bearings not conforming to at least ABEC 1 cannot be classified as precision bearings as their tolerances are too loose.

The scale also works as a guide for consumers to make informed decisions about the type of bearing they desire, despite not knowing factors related to materials, manufacturing, and performance.

High rated bearings are intended for precision applications like aircraft instruments or surgical equipment. Lower grades are intended for the vast majority of applications such as vehicles, mechanical hobbies, skates, skateboards, fishing reels and industrial machinery. High ABEC rated bearings allow optimal performance of critical applications requiring very high RPM and smooth operation.

The difference between an Abec 5 and 7 bearing is 1 micron in a 20mm bearing - naff all But in terms of cost a no brainer imho.

[handi2]

I sell and install many of them for the baitcasting reels. Even some spinning and conventional reels like the TLD's. If thats what they want they get it. They do increase freespool times but thats all I do. I cant throw a baitcasting reel worth a hoot.

[Robert Janssen]

Um, yeah.... but y'all gotta keep in mind that ABEC this or that is just a stamp, only as good as the guy who put it there. The world is rife with cheap ABEC class marked bearings and it should be taken into consideration that not all of them are true.

(I wonder sometimes if some of their manufacturers even know what ABEC 5 means. Maybe they just put it on the package because someone told them to for some reason. Especially since ABEC is an American organization. Why would a cheap Asian manufacturerer bother to follow only an American standard?)

[Tiddlerbasher]

Robert - hence my point about buying cheaper and selecting the best ones.

Abec and it's European brother ISO 492 refer to tolerances not roundness of balls, pardon me, smoothness of races quality of steel/ceramic et al.
Folks you don't need $100 dollar bearings in a fishing reel when $5-10 bearings work just as well. A fishing reel ain't a challenging environment (except for salt )

Some time ago I built a line spooler. The 8mm bearings I used were the cheapest I could find on fleabay (at the time I didn't even know it would work ). Those bearings have done some miles - certainly more than the average reel will see, oh and they are still good (must remember to lube them some time ). Ok they don't see the salt BUT the Abec and ISO 492 standards don't talk about salt or water or crud just tolerances. The most expensive ain't necessarily the best for a fishing reel imho.

[Jim Dempsey]

Sitting at the airport waiting on my connection.

All very valid points. I had the same thought about the tolerances being so tight that it could adversely affect the performance. Witness the previous observation about 5 vs. 7 spin time. In no way scientific, but curious nonetheless.

The bottom line of this long, shaggy hair dog experiment is that all I've seen  is Boca this, Boca that. I want to convince myself that it's worth the money, and most importantly "Does this make a big enough difference to write home about.

I'm itching to see for myself.

Thanks!

[handi2]

I get most of mine overseas and would be glad to send you some.

Keith

[exp2000]

Um, yeah.... but y'all gotta keep in mind that ABEC this or that is just a stamp, only as good as the guy who put it there. The world is rife with cheap ABEC class marked bearings and it should be taken into consideration that not all of them are true.

(I wonder sometimes if some of their manufacturers even know what ABEC 5 means. Maybe they just put it on the package because someone told them to for some reason. Especially since ABEC is an American organization. Why would a cheap Asian manufacturerer bother to follow only an American standard?)

The Battle Against Counterfeit Ball Bearings:
Counterfeit bearing trade has become a serious issue in recent decades.
New low-quality bearings are re-labeled with false brand markings and put into imitation packaging that appears identical to the real thing. Counterfeiters have become so skilled that it's almost impossible to detect a fake.
The counterfeit problem is estimated to be about 10% of bearing sales worldwide.
Fake bearings currently account for 60% of China's whole bearing trade.
To address the problems of counterfeit ball bearings, three major regional bearing associations founded the World Bearing Association (WBA) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee.

26 Tons of Counterfeit Rolling Bearings Found and Destroyed:
https://lselectric.com/26-tons-of-counterfeit-rolling-bearings-found-and-destroyed/

www.stopfakebearings.com
~

[oc1]

I compare bearing by the free spin time on a mandrel and then in a baitcaster using light jigs.  The reel is tuned to for thumb-free casting with centrifugal or magnetic brakes and the wind coming from the side.  It is done for convenience, but it also takes the unpredictable thumb control out of the equation.

I love full ceramic bearings run dry because they give the most distance and require the least amount of maintenance when the reel is routinely doused with saltwater.  Hybrid ceramic run dry is second choice.  Stainless run dry and replaced frequently third choice. Oiled stainless is last on the list although I guess chrome would be below that. 

Of course, the trouble with full ceramic is that the bearings can cost almost as much as the reel.  You cannot compare full ceramic to stainless by free spin time on the bench because they are lighter weight and do not have the same inertia.  Full ceramic run dry is noisy.  But, they do cast better.

There are guys in Asia selling bearings that have been hand selected from large lots of bearings for the best free spin time.  You pay a premium price for them and have to wonder where the rejects are going.

-steve

[Jim Dempsey]

Um, yeah.... but y'all gotta keep in mind that ABEC this or that is just a stamp, only as good as the guy who put it there. The world is rife with cheap ABEC class marked bearings and it should be taken into consideration that not all of them are true.

(I wonder sometimes if some of their manufacturers even know what ABEC 5 means. Maybe they just put it on the package because someone told them to for some reason. Especially since ABEC is an American organization. Why would a cheap Asian manufacturerer bother to follow only an American standard?)

The Battle Against Counterfeit Ball Bearings:
Counterfeit bearing trade has become a serious issue in recent decades.
New low-quality bearings are re-labeled with false brand markings and put into imitation packaging that appears identical to the real thing. Counterfeiters have become so skilled that it's almost impossible to detect a fake.
The counterfeit problem is estimated to be about 10% of bearing sales worldwide.
Fake bearings currently account for 60% of China's whole bearing trade.
To address the problems of counterfeit ball bearings, three major regional bearing associations founded the World Bearing Association (WBA) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee.

26 Tons of Counterfeit Rolling Bearings Found and Destroyed:
https://lselectric.com/26-tons-of-counterfeit-rolling-bearings-found-and-destroyed/

www.stopfakebearings.com
~

Just damn!

[Jim Dempsey]

I get most of mine overseas and would be glad to send you some.

Keith

I'll PM you when (if) I ever get to my motel tonight. I'll provide you my number, if you're in the US. Would like to discuss in detail. Thanks for the offer!

Soooo... The phone call isn't going to happen. I have to say that between Australia and Japan; I've gotten my coolest and most unique Abu gear.

[Jim Dempsey]

I compare bearing by the free spin time on a mandrel and then in a baitcaster using light jigs.  The reel is tuned to for thumb-free casting with centrifugal or magnetic brakes and the wind coming from the side.  It is done for convenience, but it also takes the unpredictable thumb control out of the equation.

I love full ceramic bearings run dry because they give the most distance and require the least amount of maintenance when the reel is routinely doused with saltwater.  Hybrid ceramic run dry is second choice.  Stainless run dry and replaced frequently third choice. Oiled stainless is last on the list although I guess chrome would be below that. 

Of course, the trouble with full ceramic is that the bearings can cost almost as much as the reel.  You cannot compare full ceramic to stainless by free spin time on the bench because they are lighter weight and do not have the same inertia.  Full ceramic run dry is noisy.  But, they do cast better.

There are guys in Asia selling bearings that have been hand selected from large lots of bearings for the best free spin time.  You pay a premium price for them and have to wonder where the rejects are going.

-steve

I've considered the full ceramics, but the price is through the roof. Most of my fishing is freshwater. But; considering the fact that I'd rather have the full ceramics in my big boys (x7) for pier / surfcasting distance, that would be out of the question. And; there again; is it worth the price for that much hardware? I'd be spending over $1000.00 just for bearings on reels that I only use 2-3 times a year. I can't make it pass the sanity test. Unless the noise makes the fish hungry!

Thanks!