(Part 2) Best skateboard bearings according to redditors

Upgrade List:

• FlatLand3D Bash Guard M (Green x2)
  
• FlatLand3D Extended Risers (Boosted x2)
  
• Orangatang Caguama Wheels (85mm)
  
• Loaded Jehu V2 Bearings (Bundled w/ Caguamas)
  
• ShredLights Combo Pack (2 Std / 2 Std+)
  
  
  
  I used BOOSTEDREDDIT for 15% off on the ShredLights.

Bones reds are ok, but they're still somewhat basic when it comes to bearings. These guys and these guys should hold more weight than steel bearings.

About two years ago I bought ceramic bearings that were $99 for 4, but I haven't had to buy another pair since. I can't find the exact brand I bought or I would link it, but they are worth the price!

The Sector 9 PDP Bearings

I'm up in Nottingham, where do you skate?

I've tried ILQ bearings they didnt seem to last as long.

I'd probably get these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bones-Bearings-16%C2%A0Super-Redz-8%C2%A0mm/dp/B003RSKBCE/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1464353910&sr=8-15&keywords=bones+bearings+16

I cant find a decent price on the Bones Swiss.

I've not tried the rust proof bearings but what kills bearings is when water carries grit inside the bearings and that scratches the inside of the case.

Yeah! Here's a picture of the frame with the bolts/bearings installed: http://imgur.com/XU2MpuW. I basically followed this build http://imgur.com/a/sR3r9 but personalized it a little. Essentially I just put a bolt through the side support, then a nut, the bearing, then a lock nut. The first nut is to give the bearing a little clearance from the side boards and the lock nut is to prevent anything from rattling loose as a drive. I used these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C9XDPVQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for the bearings since they're cheap and give you a lot of them. I can't really give much of a long term review on them so far because everything has really only been together for about a week but so far it's all holding up great!

7mm Bushings. This is the cheapest I can find them at the current.

Piston Head: I have three of them in an SL8, a G36, and an Mp5 PDW. They're cheap, and they work

Here are two spring guides for your gearbox: One and Two

I actually two of the SHS guides and one Element guide. I would say that the SHS spring guide is made of nicer material (Steel). The Element one is made out of the same material as your gearbox, assuming its a typical pot metal gearbox. Does this matter? Not really, because the ball bearings are the exact same on both of them. Neither of them will break, ever under normal use.

https://www.amazon.com/Spitfire-Cheapshots-Skateboard-Longboard-Bearings/dp/B00JNGYHS8

I just used cheapies from a local skate shop. They're a standardized size - I've removed the shields to add visual appeal. If you want a really long spin time, use ceramic bearings!

I have found that these are really cheap but actually pretty nice. I’ve tried a couple others similarly priced to these but for me, these give you a great roll and are actually affordable. I’m sure there are much better for more money but I’ve been happy with these.

No, the lowest I see anywhere is a pack of two for bones red but for 1 dollar more (5.50 if you divide 9 by 2) you can get a single all ceramic bearing
I took off my sheilds with a knife. But that is because I bought ones with non-removable shields. Here is a video which apparently shows how to remove the shield

I heard oust bearings are good too. My wheels are skatepark formula, but I would experiment with softer wheels if it made skating concrete pools easier. https://www.amazon.com/Oust-Bearings-MOC-Air-set/dp/B012OZVGKG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474926266&sr=8-2&keywords=oust+bearings

Just a little deal for ya'll : Rayne Lust 70mm longboard wheels (Pack of 4) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQ7J37Y/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_QEpzwbAXEX1J3

I've been using these for a few weeks:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00EPNN62M/

Dirt and rain haven't been able to do any damage to them so far.

I think this depends not only on the bearings though, but also on the way the wheels are attached to the frame. Specifically, how much the bearings are exposed.

Amazon sells $40 complete setups. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/KPC-Pro-Skateboard-Complete-Ace/dp/B004UOL6AA?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

I'd assume they skate as well as you need if you at least replace the bearings. Maybe wheels too. Maybe try that board I linked with these: https://www.amazon.com/BlueBallz-Premium-Skateboard-Bearings-Lubricated/dp/B00EDO62GA/ref=sr_1_5?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1466533551&sr=1-5&keywords=skateboard+bearings&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A4583580011%2Cp_36%3A1253555011

I'll start with the non-printable mods:

Replaced the PSU with a 750w ATX PSU I had lying around.
If you do this, you will more than likely need to add a power resistor to the 5v rail. I also removed all the original wires and connectors from the PSU and resoldered just what I needed with better rated wire.

Glass bed on top of the aluminum. I just went to Lowes and got them to cut a few pieces of single pane glass.

Mosfet circuit for the heated bed:
https://www.amazon.com/BIQU-Power-Module-Expansion-Printer/dp/B01HEQVQAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493092441&sr=8-1&keywords=3d+printer+mosfet

Upgraded Y Carriage:
https://reprapchampion.com/collections/heated-beds/products/anodized-aluminum-y-carriage-plate-upgrade-v2-for-prusa-i3-reprap-3d-printer

New Belts:
https://reprapchampion.com/collections/linear-motion/products/10-meters-6mm-width-gt2-timing-belt-for-reprap-delta-3d-printer-kossel-rostock

Geared Pulley to replace the smooth one:
https://reprapchampion.com/collections/linear-motion/products/3d-printer-idler-pulley-aluminum-dual-ball-bearing-3mm-bore-16-teeth-gt2-belt

Upgraded Heated Bed, this bed heats up slow and I also lost a little bit of build volume. I plan on getting something better here very soon. Once it's up to temp it works well though.
https://reprapchampion.com/collections/heated-beds/products/new-improved-mk3-aluminum-reprap-3d-printer-prusa-i3-heated-hot-bed-build-plate

Inductive Sensor for auto level:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWNCY4C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Copper Tape Because the inductive sensor can't see glass I put this on the bottom side.
https://www.amazon.com/Tapes-Master-10ft-Copper-Foil/dp/B00Z8MCJW2/ref=sr_1_6?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1493092625&sr=1-6&keywords=copper+tape

Firmware:
To get the sensor working, you'll have to change the firmware unless you only want to use it as a limit switch. The only option that i'm aware of is Skynet which is based on Marlin and works fairly well. You can find that on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/skynet3ddevelopment/

Blue LED Extruder Fan (because the original broke). I don't remember where I got this from. I'd like to find an RGB one! ha

I added a bunch of WS2812 LEDs controlled by an Arduino at the moment, I am using OctoPi so eventually i'll have that control them but at this point they're set to UV colors because it looks cool.


Printed mods:

Frame braces:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1857991
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1430727

Y Carriage Risers:
The Y carriage sits too low and will smack into the Y axis motor so I made these risers to solve that:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2226564

Y Belt Clamp: You'll need one for the new carriage, but I cannot find the one that I used.

Auto level bracket: Though I only have PLA and it kept warping so I made a metal version of it:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2006986

Anti-Z Wobble I modified this but no longer have the file, I also printed a cylinder to wedge into the hole above the lead screws.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1858435

Bearings I used:
https://www.amazon.com/Beerings-Malt-ABEC-Skateboard-Bearings/dp/B005NFXHQG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493094188&sr=8-2&keywords=beerings

Belt Tentioners I can't remember which ones I finally used.

I think this is everything. If I remember something else i'll post it.

A) I'm right, that black part is just the bearing shield.
B) don't buy your bearings from him if your trying to sell these like you said in your other post, he buys them off Amazon and charges out the ass per bearing. (Amphetamine Ceramic Skateboard Bearings, Gold https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UOKA70/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BsRJybJQTHYQY)

Pro Tip. These bearings are normal, stock, industrial bearings that you can buy bags for much cheaper. They are just stock industrial 608 bearings. Here it is on McMaster Carr:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-ball-and-roller-bearings/=mp4fkp

Double sealed, $4.80 each so about $20 for a set vs. Bones Swiss which are like $50.

Here's a 100-pack for $50 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/608-2RS-Skateboard-Bearing-8x22x7-Sealed/dp/B0045F48WC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1368245511&sr=8-7&keywords=608+ball+bearing+sealed

Source: I am a skateboarder and a mechanical engineer.

Wheels and shock/riser pads are standardized, since all truck baseplates, mounting holes, and axles (not the full axle length, just the part that the wheel goes on) are built to the same specifications (excluding niche specialty parts). However, since increasing wheel diameter decreases the distance between the bottom of your deck and the top of your wheels, adding larger wheels means you have a greater chance for wheelbite. Most cruisers/longboards are build for larger wheels, but if you're using a standart popsicle deck, you'll need to add riser or shock pads. Generally, you can follow this formula to find how big of a riser/shock pad you'll need:
Take the difference between the diameter of the stock wheels that came with your board and your new, larger wheels and divide it by two. The resulting measurement will be the thickness of the pads you need. Keep in mind that if you're using shock pads instead of riser pads, you'll want to add a few millimeters since they'll compress more under strain.

Edit:
Here's a link to some great rust resistant bearings:
https://www.amazon.com/Rush-All-Weather-Stainless-Skateboard-Bearings/dp/B00375PJL0

I have two questions:

1. I want to get the square tail from Churchill (it is #13 on the page) (28 in. long, 8 in. wide, and 14 in. wheelbase). What is a good truck size for a board that size? I was thinking about the Caliber Blackout 9", but I don't know how that would fit with the board because this will be the first time I am building a board.
   
   
2. Are there any major differences between the Biltin Abec 7s and the Zealous Built-ins? They look pretty similar to me, so I was thinking of getting the Zealous Built-ins because they are cheaper. Opinions?
   
   Thanks

Not sure on the physics, but the biggest factor is the efficiency of the bearings. Something like these will expend very little energy, in the same way that cheap, ill-fitting bearings with sand and dirt in them would wear down the balls, causing them to grind, the friction from this causing a much lower efficiency.