Who is the best source for bearings for reels? I have ordered from Boca bearing, they seemed to be pretty good. Are there other/better options?
CB
SmoothDrag.com has a good selection of bearings. And Dawn, the owner , is great to work with.
VXB bearings.
Mike
Do they sell sealed smaller bearings?
I just purchased some EZO bearings from www.johnsonbearing.com and it was a good experience.
I know this is a older thread but I will add another supplier, Alpine Bearing and they had what I needed. I live close enough to Alpine West to call in a order and pick them up at there location. Also VXB has a location close enough to me to pick up from there but I personally have not used them but I do know others who have and they were happy with them.
Have heard no bad vibes on Boca.
i go to dawn at smoothdrag.com first. if it is a bearing that she doesn't carry, then i go to bocabearings.com. they have pretty much everything.
Mystic Parts sells bearings also. I just ordered and received spool bearings for a Penn International 50 VSW. Dominick
I have got bearings from Dawn at smooth drag (her shipping to Canada is very reasonable), I have used Bearings Canada and they have been good although shipping is higher so best for big orders and I have recently used Fast Eddy bearings in the states and they have been good with reasonable shipping rates. Some of the lower cost bearings have worked well (even in guide reels) if packed with grease and serviced annually and if they pooch they are reasonable to replace.
Cheers:
Todd
I always start with Boca because they have the largest selection and many options within a single size. But, they are slow.
-steve
VXB is way cheaper thnn boca bearing.
Mike
Quote from: mikeysm on October 31, 2018, 03:49:28 AM
VXB is way cheaper thnn boca bearing.
Mike
VXB bearings are ABEC1 rated so naturally less expensive.
The defacto standard for all Japanese EZO and other manufacturers is ABEC7.
These are the best for baitcaster spools - quality and precision is second to none.
Boca strikes a happy medium. Usually ABEC5 rated with reasonable quality and price and superb service.
~
VXB sells all grades of bearings. But smooth drag will most.likely have what you want.
Mike
Quote from: mikeysm on October 31, 2018, 04:56:44 PM
VXB sells all grades of bearings. But smooth drag will most.likely have what you want.
Mike
X2 VXB sells all grades and sizes you are looking for so does Alpine Bearing. I have not purchased from Boca because shipping is almost the cost of the bearings I'm looking for. I bet most people have a local supplier for bearings and can either pickup there or have them shipped.
Dawn has been super fast for me with drags and such and if I needed shipment I'd check with her first.
I just like the idea of keeping a local business going but with the few orders I buy I'm sure not keeping any ones doors open.
Quote from: SoCalAngler on November 01, 2018, 03:19:33 AM
Quote from: mikeysm on October 31, 2018, 04:56:44 PM
VXB sells all grades of bearings.
Mike
X2 VXB sells all grades and sizes you are looking for
I contacted VXB regarding this many years ago since no ABEC ratings were specified on their site back then.
They advised me that all their bearings were ABEC 1 which is typically the case unless otherwise specified.
Been a while since I visited their site and granted - it has changed a lot. They do have
some bearings with higher ABEC ratings now so I decided to do a test. I searched for two common size stainless baitcaster spool bearings and neither result specified ABEC rating which by default means ABEC 1.
So selection is not exactly what you would call comprehensive and other suppliers still offer a better range of choices.
Still ABEC 1 bearings are fine for many fishing reel applications other than spool bearings provided the quality is OK but I cannot attest to that.
I am surprised to see comments by locals such as slow and expensive shipping regarding BOCA bearings.
I live in Australia and their service has always set the standard for my suppliers. I have ordered hundreds of bearings from them and in all the years they have only ever made one mistake which was promptly corrected without any inconvenience to myself whatsoever.
If you qualify for a wholesale account with BOCA, their prices are very competitive.
~
The ABEC rating refers to the precision of the manufacturing process. A high ABEC rating increases the chances that it will be a good bearing. However, a high ABEC rating does not necessarily mean it will be a good bearing.
Get a half-dozen ABEC 1 and ABEC 7 and compare the free spin times on a mandrel for each one. You will find there is a lot of variability. It is possible that the best of the ABEC 1's is as good as the worst of the ABEC 7's.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on November 01, 2018, 01:09:39 PM
The ABEC rating refers to the precision of the manufacturing process. A high ABEC rating increases the chances that it will be a good bearing. However, a high ABEC rating does not necessarily mean it will be a good bearing.
Get a half-dozen ABEC 1 and ABEC 7 and compare the free spin times on a mandrel for each one. You will find there is a lot of variability. It is possible that the best of the ABEC 1's is as good as the worst of the ABEC 7's.
-steve
Maybe for a Chinese product where quality controls are absent, but definitely not the case for genuine Japanese manufacturers whuch employ multiple industry quality control checks to ensure a very high standard of consistency.
It really is chalk and cheese.
Globally, around ten percent of the industry trade are counterfeit knockoffs and half of these originate from China. The production is so good that most customers would pick the counterfeit before the genuine article.
You will pay more to purchase from an authorized agent but chances are you will be buying the genuine article.
https://www.mromagazine.com/features/bearing-witness-ten-industry-tips-on-how-to-avoid-counterfeit-bearings/ (https://www.mromagazine.com/features/bearing-witness-ten-industry-tips-on-how-to-avoid-counterfeit-bearings/)
https://youtu.be/SnyFwY3tXAo
I bought a ten-pack of ABEC 3 and ABEC 7 from Boca a few years ago and those are the results I found. Huge variability regardless of the rating. It was described here on AT. Try it sometime.
There are some Japanese guys that specialize in super-tuning reels. It's Hedgehog and/or a group like that. They sell bearings at a premium price. You are not paying extra for the ABEC rating. You are paying extra for someone to take the time to test a pile of bearings and select out the best ones. The scary part is that someone else is probably buying all the rejects and selling them as ABEC 7.
Your article says that only about 2-5% of bearings sold in the US are counterfeit. Boca has been around long enough to know the difference.
-steve
What kinda quality diffrences would one expect to see(if things were ethical)between say ABEC 1 or 3, vs. a 7?
Manufacturing style, steel quality, consistancy...?
Quote from: oc1 on November 01, 2018, 07:51:56 PM
I bought a ten-pack of ABEC 3 and ABEC 7 from Boca a few years ago and those are the results I found. Huge variability regardless of the rating. It was described here on AT. Try it sometime......
Your article says that only about 2-5% of bearings sold in the US are counterfeit. Boca has been around long enough to know the difference.
Hi Steve. I acknowledge what you are saying and it is good that you have taken the time to do such tests. I appreciate the efforts that people like yourself go to, to illuminate such variability. While not as structured as your work, I have done some comparisons myself.
But we are comparing apples to oranges here. Boca is not a Japanese manufacturer. Boca is a Chinese resaler - probably the best Chinese resaler. Pretty good quality but still not in the same league as Japanese bearings which is why I still prefer to purchase them for spool applications. I wish that we had the distribution resources here in Australia that you guys have in the States. It would be good to be able to order locally rather than buy bearings that have flown half way around the world and back.
Quote from: oc1 on November 01, 2018, 07:51:56 PM
There are some Japanese guys that specialize in super-tuning reels. It's Hedgehog and/or a group like that. They sell bearings at a premium price. You are not paying extra for the ABEC rating. You are paying extra for someone to take the time to test a pile of bearings and select out the best ones. The scary part is that someone else is probably buying all the rejects and selling them as ABEC 7.
I have not heard of this practice. Can you provide a reference?
I did read of a recent spin test comparing the Hedgehog boutique "super bearings" to the standard Japanese product (EZO or similar) and the Japanese bearings actually won!
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Brett
https://youtu.be/RepARd6db7c
Thanks Brett, very interesting, good value, thanks again, cheers Don.