Chinese ABEC 7 bearings

Started by Tagged, January 15, 2019, 12:54:10 AM

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oc1

I once bought some ten-packs of ABEC-5 and 7 from Boca.  There were a couple of good ones, lots of mediocre and some pure junk.  The more you spend the higher the probability it will be a good bearing.  Hybrid ceramic and full ceramic seem to be different animals.  More consistent and better overall.  I don't buy full stainless any more for casting reel spool bearings.  Boca is not the fastest shipper and if you get a junk bearing you have to place the order all over again.
-steve

exp2000

#16
Quote from: Gfish on January 18, 2019, 01:37:10 PM
Quote from: Reel Beaker on January 18, 2019, 10:52:54 AM
So.... how do i buy a good bearing?
Yeah. Come on, someone's gotta have some kinda experienced advice that comes close to the bottom line for your personal stuff, or, special requests for repair businesses. So-far it's: Japanese made, or Bocca ABEC 5's. Could for example, Bocca sell garbage? and if so, how could you avoid it.

It all depends on the application. For things like handle grip bearings which might almost be considered disposable, $2 bearings direct from China may be quite acceptable and very cost effective. There are reasonable Chinese productions, they are not all complete duds.

For all other non-spool applications such as main-shaft support etc, premium Chinese products from reputable companies such as Boca are quite acceptable. Lets face it, none of these are subjected to industrial performance demands but I always pump these full of grease to prevent saltwater intrusion.

OEM products vary depending on the reel price bracket. You get cheaper bearings in discount Shimano offerings such as the Citica whilst more expensive reels such as the former generation bling Biomasters boasted Swiss made bearings but the replacements do not always reflect the quality of the factory originals. At the other extreme you have paradoxes like Avet; a premium brand made in the USA using some pretty average Chinese bearings in their reels!

But when it comes to baitcaster spool bearings, for me there is really only one choice, "Japanese". The quality of these sets them far above even the best Chinese products. These are also a better choice for pinion and outside spool sandwich bearings on lever drag reels because of the heavy axial load imposed upon them by the drag system. The premium quality of Japanese bearings should weather such stress far better than Chinese counterparts.

QuoteDo the Japanese companies farm out some of their manufacturing? Would price dictate quality?

Japanese manufacturers are very protective of their reputation and would never engage in any undertaking that might jeopardize that. They have setup manufacturing bases in Asia to take advantage of cheap labor markets but the equipment and quality control measures are identical to the Nippon factories.

The old axiom is true: you get what you pay for except in Australia where you can expect to pay double :) So if the price is too good to be true, rest assured it is and you are probably wasting your money on a counterfeit product.

You have a number of companies in the USA acting as Sapporo direct agents for the Japanese EZO brand which represent great value for money under their new marketing approach eliminating the middle man "tax" so you can have your cake and eat it too!
~

Gfish

#17
Cool, thank you gentelmen. Dadsoltackle and EZO. Good info. here. I's wonderin about the Avet b.bearings.

I once worked at a compressed gas plant which was a Sanyo subsidiary. Anything sent back to Sanyo, or to other Japanese companies had strict quality guidelines which kinda made it a pain in the rear to get their orders prepared.
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

Tagged

Quote from: Reel Beaker on January 18, 2019, 10:52:54 AM
So.... how do i buy a good bearing?

Contact Dawn at smoothdrag.com. Tell her what you want. She has ABEC 5 and 7. You can order by the piece, or choose the kit that matches your reel. She's been awesome to work with.

Gman_WC

If there was a quality control issue with a specific bearing, you would think that Dawn would know about it.
Do you think it's only a limited number of repair persons spotting and reporting the cc issue?
Or the problem of Joe 6-packs installing bearing and calling it good, thinking I paid a premium and it must be golden?

-g
Walnut Creek, CA