Most Reliable & Best Skateboard Bearings

Most Reliable & Best Skateboard Bearings

Skateboard bearings are small circular devices that allow your wheels to roll. They’ll determine how fast and smooth your wheels rotate. When purchasing your first set of bearings, it may feel like a big decision. Having a higher ABEC rating means that a bearing has the capability for greater speeds. As such, most skateboarders want to purchase the best bearings possible as they’ll determine how fast and smoothly their board rotates.

In this blog, we’ll walk through a handful of the best and most reliable skateboard bearings that you can purchase for your board. Let’s get started.

Beagle Bearings

Beagle Bearings are high-quality stainless-steel bearings that come in either 8 mm or 7 mm sizing. Beagle Bearings are an attractive way to add interest to your skateboard, longboard wheels, side projects, and inline roller skates. They come in a variety of colors, including rainbow/black, rainbow/white, stainless steel, gold/black, rainbow/blue, and their new glow in dark bearings.

The company specifically checks to ensure that all their bearings run smoothly before sending them out. The outer race and inner race rings are polished and checked by hand before they are sent out to customers. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from each sale is given to animal shelters to help care for as many animals as possible! You can feel good that your purchase of Beagle Bearings is doing some good in the world.

What can you expect from this brand? The bearings themselves have tight tolerances which help to reduce wheel wobble and allow you to skate at consistently higher speeds. Each bearing is also lubed for maximum speed and performance, and the rings are also polished on the inside to help you maintain constant speed whether you’re at the skatepark or in the street.

If you’re looking for high-quality, reliable bearings that are easy to maintain, Beagle Bearings are here for you. Learn more about Beagle Bearings here.

Quick Review

Advantages: Good for high impact, lubricated and polished for high speeds, multiple colors, easy maintenance, give back every time you purchase

Disadvantages: None.

Zealous Bearings

Zealous bearings are made from steel. This is one of the three materials that bearings can be made of: steel, titanium, and ceramic. Steel bearings are the industry standard as they’re durable and economical. The quality of steel used to make bearings can vary. When higher grade steel is used, bearings are often faster and more durable.

One downside to steel bearings is that they tend to rust faster when exposed to moisture. As such, one of the best ways to maintain steel bearings is keeping them well-oiled and avoiding rain or rolling through puddles. Should you get them wet, use extra lube, roll until dry, or put them by a heater to dry them quickly.

Zealous bearings circumvent this issue by having them pre-lubricated. This lubrication is a long-lasting grease called ArchoilNanocermaic Grease that minimizes friction and avoids the buildup of corrosion on the interiors.

Another thing that people love about Zealous bearings is the price. This set comes at an affordable price of $20. With the bearings, you’ll receive .5mm built-in speed rings that mean you won’t lose any parts when changing wheels. They also have built-in spacers that give the highest bearings capacity in the shortest time possible.

Quick Review

Advantages: Smooth, rolls steadily, slow break-in, no maintenance required, no spacer needed

Disadvantages: Not as fast as it could be

Bones Bearings

Bones bearings are well-regarded in the skateboarding industry. They have superior performance and quality, and there are a variety of different types of Bones bearings that you can choose between if you decide this is the right brand for you.

To name a few:

Bones Super Swiss 6 Skateboard Bearings

This type of bearing is unique due to its unique six larger diameter balls of 8 mm instead of 7 mm. Purchasing an 8 pack provides access to higher speeds, quicker accelerations, greater strength, and optimal durability. Another perk of the Super Swiss 6 is the rubber shields that make both cleaning and applying competition-grade lubricant quick and easy.

These bearings are known for their awesome performance and durability. In fact, Swiss Bearings even offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.


Bones Super REDS Skateboard Bearings

The Super REDS bearings are some of the best bearings on the market at their price point. They stand out in a few ways.

Surface polishing

Super REDS have a super finishing known as surface polishing. This allows the bearing to operate as smoothly, quietly, and effortlessly as possible so the rider can go smoother, faster, and longer. REDS also use a black shield and laser engraving that distinguish it from the original REDS design. You’ll be able to accelerate faster and with better precision, which will give you more momentum both up and downhill.

Superior quality

Super REDS are created using super quality and using prime quality of steel races, grade balls, and surface finish. Skateboarders have raved about this product repeatedly (even at low prices). It also comes with a single, non-contact, removable rubber shield that makes your cleaning and maintenance easy.

8-piece bearing set

The 8-piece bearing set is a great feature if you’re looking for premium bearings equipped with high-quality steel races and balls. The 8-ball design is larger and delivers more impact, so it rolls farther over time compared to 6 and7 ball designs.

High-speed nylon ball retainer

These bearings have a nylon ball retainer, which has the highest and best speed ratings of any standard retainer. This retainer aims to reduce the fluctuation in running torque. It’s suitable for high speeds guided by the type of rolling elements. The retainer will seperate the balls, maintain the symmetrical radial spacing of the balls, and hold the bearings together. It supports the proper distance between rolling elements and retains grease around the balls and raceways.

Bones Ceramic Super Reds Bearings

Unlike many of the other bearings on this list, the Super Reds are a ceramic bearings. The steel balls in the bearings are replaced with high-quality grade 5, silicon nitride, hot, isostatic pressed ceramic balls.

This material helps to give you a lighter feel to your bearings and thus faster acceleration compared to most steel bearings in the market. Another unique aspect of the Super Reds is where lubrication comes into play. Because the ceramic balls weigh much less than the steel balls would, these bearings cause less friction and are thus faster with OR without lubricant. If you ride through dirt, the ceramic balls repolish the steel races to make them flat again. This is possible because ceramic balls are much harder than steel, and they’re able to “self-heal” in this situation.

Another benefit of having ceramic bearings is that they don’t rust. This allows you to use them for a longer period. They’re also resistant to dirt and moisture (although not entirely waterproof). They also include a single, non-contact, removable rubber shield that makes maintenance easy.

Quick Review

Advantages: Quiet, low resistance, incredibly fast, smooth ride

Disadvantages: Expensive compared to other bearings on the market, not all come with spacers, may require some maintenance to last

Yellow Jacket Bearings

Yellow Jacket offers performance and durability with high precision and high-speed bearings. Their product is great for skateboards, longboards, inline skates, rollerblades, and electric skateboards.

These bearings are made with high-quality chrome steel that offers a smooth glide and optimal performance. The bearing cage is made with nylon for greater strength and less friction. To ensure you can reach high speeds, the stainless-steel roller cage is injected with a racing lube. Without any additional lubrication, you can hit the streets and start using these bearings right out of the box. This product is desired to withstand dust, rocks, and particles that slow your bearings down after use.

Overall, Yellow Jacket bearings are known for being high-quality and offering top-notch visual appeal at a low price. This company is committed to making you happy, and as such, has a 100% no-question asked refund if you’re not satisfied with their product. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro skateboarder, this is a great place to start. They help you achieve a smooth ride and offer nothing but an awesome skateboarding experience.

Quick Review

Advantages: Affordable, high-quality, fast, smooth, great for beginners and pros alike

Disadvantages: Took some time to adjust the wheels during installation

Final Thoughts

When it comes to skateboard bearings, you ultimately what to pick the product that will provide the smoothest ride and the fastest rolling capacity. Look for a high-quality product that is pre-lubricated at a reasonable price. Browse Beagle Bearings for more information about some of the best and most reliable bearings available in the skateboarding industry.