Dave,

But I did say it...
Not the same words, maybe, but factually the same.

Sorry Dar, I was running on one cup of coffee, and completely missed that little detail. Now I've had two, but have to go shovel snow so my wife can go to work.

Talk about opening a can of worms!!! Now let me ask---did all this discussion change any of your minds??? hahahahaha I guess we all have our own preferences....

As for me I'll stick with my ceramic bearings, high nitro, full synthetic ways...hopefully if no one buys ceramics and nitromethane the price will drop for huckleberrys like me...... hahahaha

And, I'll stick with the Boca High Speeds.

Has anyone used any bearings from rc-bearings.com? Just wondering about their quality as the prices seem too good to be true.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned as far as clearances go (C3 or whatever) is that the bearings are fitted with an interference fit when cold (we all know you have to heat the crankcase to remove and fit them). This interference fit (the shrinkage of the crankcase as it cools) squeezes the outer race and reduces the free running clearance. Add to this a tightly fitted crankshaft in the inner race which expands it and the clearance gets even smaller. If you start with too little clearance in the bearing when free it's quite possible to end up with zero (or less) clearance with a cold engine.

rflasch,

If no one buys ceramics, the price will go UP. The more that buy them, the cheaper they will get.

Desertskymodels,

what is the color of the silicon nitride Si3 N4 ceramic balls?

i have mentioned this and the fact that in some cases you can even measure the reduction in clearance of the installed bearing...different thread though



dave

If something appears to be too good to be true... it usually is...

No matter how much bearings we buy, we will not make the price go down... there's just not enough of us.

Do you really think some company is going to start making bearings just because every once in a while somebody needs new bearings for his engine, and decides to "upgrade" to ceramics...?

All,


This is just to show you all how engine manufacturers/importers have been 'suckering' you for the bearings.
Even Boca's 'inexpensive' aftermarket offers... $80 for a ceramic set...

It is time Americans pay normal prices for bearings.

Just checked the HTTP://WWW.RC-BEARINGS.COM site. They list ceramic sets for lower prices than Boca's for ordinary high speed bearings. As an example, the Saito FA-120S from Boca, high speed/high heat, is $40.95 with free shipping. The ceramic from RC-Brgs is $28.97, says taxes and shipping will be figured "At checkout."

Just for comparison, the same set of ceramics from Boca is $80.95, still including the shipping charges, though.

I'm going to try RC-BRGS for the next set I need.

Bill.

Silicon Nitride balls range from very dark grey to black. If you are offered ceramic bearings with white balls, avoid them. Those are usually a type of ceramic that shatters very easy and is not suitable for engines.

Rudeboy,

Do you know anything about buying and selling? If I only sell 10 bearings, I have to find a manufacturer willing to make only 10 bearings and pay the premium price for only 10 bearings. If I sell 1000 bearings, I get a very big discount from the manufacturers. If I was able to sell 10,000 bearings, I could get them so cheap your eyes would water.

Also, Rudeboy, you seem to know nothing about the wholesale cost of anything so you don't know what a good price for bearings is. You also don't know when you are being ripped off. At the prices I am selling ceramic bearings I am making a very healthy profit.

BLACK - that's fine!

Thanx for the info.

Paul,


If you sell bearings than of all people you should know all the bearings used in model engines are standard, run-of-the-mill, readily available sizes and materials.

I don't think there is any engine manufacturer, who has special size, structure, materials, retainer, clearance, seal, or shield bearings, made especially for any of their engines.

Instead, they design every engine to have a specific, existing set of bearings fitted into it.

Bearings in model engines are, I believe, less than 1% of the total world production, in any size used.

If we buy more engines and more bearings, we cannot get them made for less since they are not made for us in the first place.

On a large order, you can get a larger discount, though.


Until now we have all been suckered into buying "OEM" bearings for about 40% of the price of the intended engine, or Boca for somewhat less, but still 3-4 times higher than the over-the-counter price, at any tech-supply house.

Don't buy overpriced bearings!
They are no better than any WIB, NTN, NSK, SKF, Timken and many other 'cheap' bearings.

But do select the correct materials.

DarZeelon,

I agree with most of what you said, HOWEVER, we are mostly talking about ceramic bearings, not standard ones. Nearly all of the ceramic bearings made for model use are made to order. None of the manufacturers I deal with keep a stock of them because they cost about 10X as much to manufacture as steel bearings.

I'll let you all in on a little trade secret: nearly all replacement bearings you buy from ANYWHERE wholesale at less then $1.00 each. Sometimes MUCH less than $1.00. That is why I sell my bearings for so little compared to others. I need to make a profit but I don't need to retire with every sale!

Paul,


I would believe you are right about the ceramic bearings.
All you have to do now is to increase the choice in your web site.

BTW, you state steel... You wrote nothing about C3... C6, or about the retainer material.

I know OS now uses bearings made in China and on the Boca web site I recall the country of manufacture being displayed (I don't see it any longer). By what company and where are your bearings manufactured?


I deal with MVVS and they are the only manufacturer I know that actually sells their bearings at their actual manufacturer's list price, not at "engine replacement part" prices. And they use WIB (C3 for normal engines and C4 with a phenolic retainer for racing engines).

Bill, went the next step and shipping was only $5.

Paul, guess I will have to try a set for a 50 SX I have laying here needing brearings.

Ed M.

I have ordered from Paul at rc-bearings.com numerous times and can recommend the bearings as totally fit for purpose. He also knows his stuff!!!. I have recently replaced the bearings in my ASP52s- the originals lasted 3 runs!! due to cr*p fuel. It was cheaper to buy Pauls bearings than buy the service agents chinese replacements!! Other engines with new bearings include a Moki 135, two HP40's, OS91 surpass and hopefully next week an OS20 fs. Shipping is good and if the bearings are out of stock you are kept informed. The service to date has been excellent and the savings massive!!!

(I wonder if thats enough for a discount)

Steve

Yo Paul... what would a couple of 608 cageless full complement ceramic bearings cost...

Hi Steve, how much did you wind up paying for the set of .52 bearings??

Also, is the carb on your ASP 52 any better (maybe same exact engine?) any better than the carb on my Magnum 52? (terrible rich spot in transition, have to turn the low speed needle almost completely shut, etc.)

Ernie

Test

Please discuss prices, whether buying or selling, in private. Thanks