Ceramic wars: boca vs acer

[captain harlock]

Hi fellas, I'm just about getting my tamiya TB EVO 4 MS and I want a good set of ceramic bearings and through my search in the web I found that bocabearing and acer racing ceramic bearings are amongst the best in the industry( I'm using two kits from acer racing one for the B4 and one for the T4) and now I'm thinking about the boca ceramics, but they are terribly expensive compared to acer reasonable prices. Boca sells their's for 199+ dollars while Acer sells their's for 99 dollars and I truly wonder if there is that much of difference between the two? may be Acer uses hybrid ceramic balls and Boca uses pure ceramic balls?!! Need some help. Thanks.

[MikeyLikesItSI]

Definitly curious about this as well. I've been pricing up the boca's, but can't seem to part with the money. they are VERY pricey.

[RC-Monster Mike]

Well, here is some food for thought. Usually, the freer the bearing spins, the easier it also is to get dirty and become sticky. Most harsh environments that tend to create dust, etc. will perform better in the long run with a well sealed bearing. Now, if you clean all your bearings between each run, the bearings may be worth the money, but for low maintenance, keep this theory in mind. Of course, there are two sides to every story(some mfgs think it is possible to keep the bearing environment pure and clean, while other anticipate the inevitable and plan for contamination). This is just food for thought. If you are a professional racer, then perhaps you want the best available. If you are a regular r/c guy, I would steer you towards a less expensive product, as you will probably not notice a tremendous difference either way. Of course, these are just my opinions (I tend to side with low maintenance).

[MikeyLikesItSI]

No matter which road i go down, i always look for sealed bearings. Rubber sealed at that. Usually key into names like "Ultra Seal" or something like that (marketing can target me very easily :) ).

I'm interested if you were to find bearing from both companies, had same specs, same seal design, same materials used, but one charges double, is that really a better bearing? I suppose peoples experiences, or reviews from people that have used both would be the best answer to this question.

[RC-Monster Mike]

FYI, rubber sealed bearings have the MOST resistance, but the BEST sealing capabilities(good for r/c IMHO). Metal sealed bearings tend to have lower resistance, but poorer ability to keep out the bad stuff.

[MikeyLikesItSI]

like you said, i'm interested in the least maintanence. I'd rather a touch more rolling resistance and better sealing capabilities. i'm not a hard core racer, just purely a basher.

Just been doing some research, waiting for my TC4 metal outdrives to show up. the diff rings were set a little loose, got hot, melted, and embedded themselves in the outdrives.

[luihed]

I buy all my bearings from Boca ( not ceramic) and Ive had no prob with them...... as for Acer, I bought a set of ceramic bearings for my Xray FK for $99 which was a good deal but it wasnt complete.... it was missing a couple of "key" bearings so I ended ups selling them and got a set from APS .........

One thing I didntlike about the acer bearings was taht they were rubber sealed, its great that its low maintenance but dirt will eventually get in there and then theyre useless..... the APS uses metal seals which is more maintenance but you can open it to clean........

Are ceramic bearings worth the $$$$$, id have to say no.... I didnt improve my times at the track ( not even .1 sec )........ I also have a Tamiya 415MS and im sticking to regular bearings...... my .02

[RC-Monster Mike]

I use the cheap bearings on most of my stuff as well. I seldom have any bearing problems so my money goes other places.

[MikeyLikesItSI]

I think the only place i'd really consider an expensive super duper crazy ceramic bearing, is in my BL motor.

Otherwise i'm with Mike on this one, some medium, low maintanence bearings for a better value is all i'll need.

[luihed]

I was gonna do taht on my 7XL cos its suppose to be teh weak spot of the motor..... I tried to open up the can but couldnt.... what do you think of this idea Mike?

[RC-Monster Mike]

The bearings in the Feigao motors are definately an area that could be improved. The motors can be tricky to get apart, though if you haven't done it. It will come apart much easier if you heat the can to release the glue. It is not a good idea to mess around with it if you aren't sure what you are doing. If you aren't careful, you could actually damage the windings in the process of taking the motor apart. You have to be careful not to drag the rotor on the windings (the windings won't be instantly damaged upon touch or anything, but the coating can be scratched). It is not a bad idea.

[captain harlock]

Yes I too agree about the BL bearings and that they should be changed into ceramic, but what I am trying to understand though is why the Boca are superior in cost over the Acer? as I said befor, some people said that the Boca uses a pure ceramic bearings unlike most companies like Acer where they use what they refer to as hybrid ceramic balls which are steel balls with a somewhat thick cover of ceramic??!!!! I dont know.

[RC-Monster Mike]

NOt sure on the bearings, Captain. You probably have it nailed (ceraminc vs. hybrid). Which is actually better in practice? _ I couldn't tell you!

[captain harlock]

Then I guess I should go with the SPEED TECH HS ceramic kit they are cheap for $99 and they are metal shield.

[MikeyLikesItSI]

Hey captian, i think if you read about the hybrid bearings, they use metal races, and ceramic balls. This is just my understanding of the situation. But i wouldn't mind spending $20 on 2 real high quality bearings for my BL motor. i would mind spending $200 to but those bearings throughout the entire vehicle.