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Hey everyone, and! Today, we're diving into a topic that often sparks debate in the skateboarding community: bearings. Specifically, why you won't find ceramic ball bearings in our store, and why we firmly believe steel is still king for the vast majority of skaters.
Let's get into it!
#Skateboarding#SkateLife#SkateBearings#CeramicBearings#Naivskbbearing
Ceramic vs. Steel: What's the Real Difference?
Ceramic vs. Steel: What's the Real Difference?
When you break it down, the fundamental difference between ceramic and steel bearings lies in their material properties. Steel bearings use hardened steel balls, while ceramic bearings feature balls made from silicon nitride or zirconia. This material choice has a ripple effect on performance and durability, especially in the demanding world of skateboarding.
1. Durability Under Impact: Steel Reigns Supreme
1. Durability Under Impact: Steel Reigns Supreme
One of our biggest concerns with ceramic bearings for street and park skating is their impact resistance. Skateboarding isn't just about smooth rolling; it's about drops, gaps, grinds, and bails. These activities generate significant impact forces on your bearings.
2. Precision Grade: Not Always Better
2. Precision Grade: Not Always Better
There's a common misconception that ceramic bearings automatically offer a higher precision grade than steel. While high-end ceramic bearings can achieve incredible precision, the reality is that high-quality steel bearings, often rated ABEC-7 or ABEC-9, offer more than enough precision for skateboarding.
While ceramic bearings can be manufactured with a larger clearance, it is not an inherent property of the material. The perception that they always have a larger clearance is often due to marketing and the fact that they are often designed to minimize friction for high-speed, no-load applications, which appeals to longboarders and downhill skaters. However, for street and park skating, a bearing with a certain amount of play can actually be less durable and more susceptible to failure under impact.
3. Power Slides and Wear: A Ceramic Weakness
3. Power Slides and Wear: A Ceramic Weakness
Power slides are a fundamental maneuver for many skaters, generating significant lateral forces and heat. This is another area where ceramic bearings can falter. Due to their hardness and less forgiving nature, ceramic balls can be more prone to seizing or breaking under the immense sideways pressure and friction of a power slide.
For a trick that relies on controlled friction and stress, the resilience of steel is a clear advantage, allowing for smoother, more consistent slides without the worry of premature bearing wear or failure.
4. Steel's Advantage: For Tricks and Everything Else
4. Steel's Advantage: For Tricks and Everything Else
This brings us to our final point: steel bearings are simply more versatile and better suited for the diverse demands of skateboarding. While ceramic bearings might offer a slight advantage in terms of heat dissipation and reduced friction for long-distance cruising (making them popular with some longboarders), their benefits are often outweighed by their drawbacks for street and park skating.
When it comes to absorbing the impacts of landing tricks, grinding rails, or even just rolling over rough terrain, steel bearings provide the robustness and reliability that skaters truly need. They offer a fantastic balance of speed, durability, and cost-effectiveness, making them the superior choice for an all-around skateboarding experience.
🎯 Verdict for Skaters Who Do Tricks
🎯 Verdict for Skaters Who Do Tricks
Ceramic bearings are not ideal for street tricks, stair sets, or aggressive powerslides. They’re fragile under impact and prone to chipping or cracking.
Steel bearings are the go-to for durability, impact resistance, and versatility. They can take a beating, slide hard, and still roll smooth.
🧪 Ceramic vs Steel Bearings: Pro-Level Comparison
🧪 Ceramic vs Steel Bearings: Pro-Level Comparison
Our Conclusion
Our Conclusion
At the end of the day, our goal is to provide you with Naivskb bearings products that we trust will perform reliably and enhance your skate or skateboarding experience. For us, that means sticking with high-quality steel ball bearings. They're tried and true, exceptionally durable, and deliver the consistent performance that skaters demand, whether you're hitting the streets, the park, or just cruising down the boardwalk.
What are your thoughts on ceramic vs. steel bearings? Let us know in the comments with email to contact us!
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