Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
- Bottom Feeder
- Approved Member
- Posts: 320
- Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:30 am
- Location: Virginia
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 23 times
Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
Random question-
Exotic materials and specialty bearings aside, are the metal-shielded bearings that Tamiya includes in their kits of any higher/better quality than what you can get from Avid/Acer/Boca/etc? (I realize that 'better' is highly subjective without data)
Internal monologue #1: "Tamiya is all about quality so even the standard bearings are quality Japanese made pieces."
-or-
Internal monologue #2: "Tamiya buys standard bearings in bulk from the lowest bidder from any one of their Asian neighbors. They are basically a commodity and only need to be so good."
I want to believe #1 but I can't imagine #2 isn't reality. Just wondering out loud because I'm bored.
Exotic materials and specialty bearings aside, are the metal-shielded bearings that Tamiya includes in their kits of any higher/better quality than what you can get from Avid/Acer/Boca/etc? (I realize that 'better' is highly subjective without data)
Internal monologue #1: "Tamiya is all about quality so even the standard bearings are quality Japanese made pieces."
-or-
Internal monologue #2: "Tamiya buys standard bearings in bulk from the lowest bidder from any one of their Asian neighbors. They are basically a commodity and only need to be so good."
I want to believe #1 but I can't imagine #2 isn't reality. Just wondering out loud because I'm bored.
- juicedcoupe
- Super Member
- Posts: 2976
- Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 4:05 pm
- Location: Pascagoula, MS
- Has thanked: 229 times
- Been thanked: 1742 times
Re: Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
I have some. They feel like standard ABEC 3 bearings. Better than the generic ones on Amazon and Ebay but not equal to Avid or Acer, and definitely not on par with Boca.
Always looking for new and interesting ways to waste money.
- Lowgear
- Administrator
- Posts: 3910
- Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:00 pm
- Location: New England
- Has thanked: 77 times
- Been thanked: 582 times
Re: Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
Since everything's from China now, I'd imagine Tamiya's modern bearing offerings are no different. I certainly hope I'm wrong though! I think we all already know this but for those who may not, none of the R/C bearing businesses manufacture any bearings. They're all just distributors importing from China, and likely from the same factory as well. That's not a bad thing per se, just something to be aware of. That also doesn't automatically mean they're junk as they're beyond adequate for our application.
- Bottom Feeder
- Approved Member
- Posts: 320
- Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:30 am
- Location: Virginia
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 23 times
Re: Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
Yeah, I kinda figured they were all 'good enough' Chinese-made units no matter where you got them. And that's fine.
I guess that makes me feel less bad about replacing the metal-shielded bearings in my not-yet-run Sand Viper and Subaru BRAT with some rubber-sealed Fast Eddy bits.
I guess that makes me feel less bad about replacing the metal-shielded bearings in my not-yet-run Sand Viper and Subaru BRAT with some rubber-sealed Fast Eddy bits.
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 1530
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 5:31 pm
- Has thanked: 1003 times
- Been thanked: 467 times
Re: Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
The bearings aren't going to be better for rc applications. The biggest advantage that can be had is if the bearing is oiled vs greased. Oiled bearings are much more efficient than greased ones and you can change that yourself.Bottom Feeder wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:55 pm Random question-
Exotic materials and specialty bearings aside, are the metal-shielded bearings that Tamiya includes in their kits of any higher/better quality than what you can get from Avid/Acer/Boca/etc? (I realize that 'better' is highly subjective without data)
Internal monologue #1: "Tamiya is all about quality so even the standard bearings are quality Japanese made pieces."
-or-
Internal monologue #2: "Tamiya buys standard bearings in bulk from the lowest bidder from any one of their Asian neighbors. They are basically a commodity and only need to be so good."
I want to believe #1 but I can't imagine #2 isn't reality. Just wondering out loud because I'm bored.
Beyond that unless you are doing speed runs the differences between bearing will not impact performance. Maintenance will have a greater effect on life than construction quality.
- GoMachV
- Super Member
- Posts: 11312
- Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:31 pm
- Location: Twin Falls, ID
- Has thanked: 818 times
- Been thanked: 2399 times
Re: Tamiya metal-shielded bearings
I’ve bought some cheap bulk bearings from China and can say 100% that is not what Tamiya is doing haha. The quality of the Tamiya bearings is inline with Avid, Acer, etc which are also cheap Chinese bearings but higher in quality for certain. As with anything, you get what you pay for. Tamiya isn’t shopping at the bottom of the barrel.
It's time to stand up to the bully. Support the companies that support the industry, not the ones that tear it down. Say no to Traxxas
Factory Works website
Factory Works website
Create an account or sign in to join the discussion
You need to be a member in order to post a reply
Create an account
Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute
Sign in
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 9 Replies
- 1445 Views
-
Last post by RC104ever
-
- 1 Replies
- 680 Views
-
Last post by flipwils11
-
- 2 Replies
- 634 Views
-
Last post by DMAT
-
- 11 Replies
- 1321 Views
-
Last post by bigdavevw
-
- 1 Replies
- 428 Views
-
Last post by jwscab
-
- 6 Replies
- 631 Views
-
Last post by scr8p
-
- 2 Replies
- 353 Views
-
Last post by Halgar
-
- 7 Replies
- 795 Views
-
Last post by Halgar
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests