bearing dimensions and abec ratings

here is a list of the bearings that i commonly use.  what's listed first are the dimensions, followed by the boca bearings part #, then the abec rating, then the cost rounded up to the nearest dollar.  tom hryniuk forwarded some interesting information on abec ratings.....

ABEC ratingsThursday, January 8, 2009 6:51 PM
From: "Tom Hryniuk" <[email protected]>

HI Alan, here is a link explaining ABEC tolerance:

http://www.mcmaster.com/library/20070314/60355KAC.pdf
 
You will notice that on the shaft diameter difference is .0001"(one ten thousandth of an inch).  For the O.D. (outside diameter) the difference is .0001" to .0002".  So you are looking at a difference of .0003" total deviation.  In my world, thats a lot.  In a reel that is more than likely plastic molded to a tolerance of +/-.010", at best, or machined to a tolerance of +/-.005", the price difference isn't worth it.  More important is the quality of bearings!   Just my two cents..... 

metric

3 x 8 x 4  SMR693-ZZ #5  $9
3 x 10 x 4  SMR103-ZZ #5  $8
4 x 10 x 4  SMR104-ZZ #5  $8
4  x 11 x 4  SMR694-ZZ #5  $12
5 x 9 x 3  SMR95-ZZ #5  $9
5 x 11 x 3  SMR685 #1 $7 open
5 x 11 x 4  SMR115-ZZ #5  $9
6 x 10 x 3  SMR106-ZZ  $7
6 x 12 x 4  SMR126-ZZ #5  $9
6 x 19 x 6  SMR626-ZZ  $12 avet
7 x 14 x 3.5  SMR147  #1  $11.45
7 x 14 x 5  SMR697-ZZ #5  $12
7 x 19 x 6  SMR607 #1 $12 or  SMR607-ZZ #3 $14 or  SMR607-ZZ #5  $18
7 x 22 x 7  SMR627-ZZ #1  $12
8 x 12 x 3.5  SMR128-ZZ #5  $9
8 x 14 x 4  SMR148-ZZ #5  $9
8 x 16 x 5  SMR688-ZZ #5  $9  avet
8 x 19 x 6  SMR698-ZZ #1  $11 or  SMR698-ZZ #5  $18
9 x 17 x 5  SMR689-ZZ #5  $12
9 x 20 x 6  SMR699-ZZ #3  $13  or  SMR699-ZZ #5  $18
10 x 22 x 6  SMR6900-ZZ #1  $17  or  SMR6900-ZZ #5  $28
10 x 26 x 8  SMR6000-ZZ #1  $20 
12 x 21 x 5  SMR6801-ZZ #3  $22  avet

inch

0.125 x 0.375 x 0.156  SR2-ZZ #3  $7
0.125 x 0.500 x 0.172  SR2A-ZZ #1  $7
0.1875 x 0.3125 x 0.125  SR156-ZZ #7  $8  avet
0.1875 x 0.375 x 0.125  SR166-ZZ #7  $8
0.1875 x 0.500 x 0.196  SR3-ZZ  #1  $6.25  or SR3-ZZ #3  $7.25  or 
  SR3-ZZ #7  $10
0.1875 x 0.6875 x 0.250  call avet
0.250 x 0.625 x 0.196  SR4-ZZ #3  $8
0.312 x 0.500 x 0.1562  SR1810-ZZ #1  $8  SR1810-ZZ #3  $9  SR1810-ZZ #7  $12.50   avet
0.375 x 0.625 x 0.1562  SR1038-ZZ #3   $11      avet
0.375 x 0.875 x 0.2188  SR6 #1 open $10   SR6-ZZ #3  $12 
0.375 x 0.875 x 0.2812  SR6-ZZ #1 open $11  SR6-ZZ #3 $12  SR6-ZZ #7 $16 avet
0.500 x 0.875 x 0.2812  SR6-5ZZ #1  $16 or SR6-5ZZ #3  $17
0.500 x 0.875 x 0.3125 
0.500 x 1.125 x 0.3125  SR8-ZZ #1  $20

Alan, btw, skateboard bearings are 608ZZ's. almost all my bearing experience comes from that realm, but I have a little experience to pass on regarding a few areas:

1. ceramic balls.
2. tolerances (skate-rated or fishing-rated vs abec rated)
3. greased spool bearings.

1) ceramic balls.

I have to say that I do believe that the silicon nitride ceramic balls in the stainless steel races with non-steel cages last way longer and corrode way less than the stainless steel balls.. personally, for a reel that you might take on long trips or fish heavily, the ceramic bearings are worth it, especially in the high corrosion areas or where you really want to use oil and not grease (just the spool bearings typically).

2) skate-rated or fishing-rated tolerances vs abec tolerances

since skating and fishing are both situations with fairly low-speed rotations compared to machinery and also very harsh environments I think lessons learned from one can be used in the other.

People have learned that the bearings with lower tolerances or "more room inside" sometimes perform better cause it takes more dirt to slow them down. So for example powell skateboard corporation concentrates on quality rather than high tolerances or very tight fit of the balls in the races. they call their bearings 'skate-rated', not abec-rated and they have been successful and appreciated for their bearings for some 30 years now. their bearings are sealed on one side typically, open on the other. they sell special equipment for cleaning and lubing their bearings too. note how close this is to what you want for fishing bearings!

I am kind of surprised nobody has jumped on it and sold 'fishing-rated' bearings yet!

3)  some words on greased spool bearings..

Oiled bearings are used 95% of the time for skating too, but people that ride in seattle or vancouver and ride hills and streets do use greased bearings cause they are always getting wet. they don't seem to go down those hills much slower!

There is also the equivalent of 'free-spool' in skateboarding, spin a wheel... but people have shown that what matters is how the bearing spins under load which may or may not be the same as spinning under no load.

riding the wheel is a lot different than spinning it with no weight on it.

I think the same is true in fishing, free spool with no load is not necessarily a great metric. it's good, but sometimes one should not read too much into it as it is a measure of spinning with no load.

If you are casting a heavy weight, like a jig, the load on the bearing is strong enough compared to the resistance from lube that the decrease in casting distance may not be as much as folks think from greased spool bearings. secondly the resistance from the grease would come precisely when there is not much load on the spool which is when the jig is slowing down, thus the grease will help a bit with overrun management.

casting light weights is different, likewise fishing in freshwater from a boat is less stressful on equipment. there, you probably really do want oiled always.

a mackerel is several ounces right? even a sardine is pretty heavy. so that really only leaves casting the smaller anchovies as a place where you might really want to avoid grease in the spool bearings. I don't cast small live anchovies very much!

For saltwater kayak fishing, or probably even saltwater fishing from a private boat I would consider using greased spool bearings always because I definitely do not clean my bearings after each fishing trip. I clean them.. well, almost never basically,  just grease them once and use them until I have to replace them.

I do cast in the kayak too, especially with swimbaits in the 1 to 3 oz head range, as well as the 3.5 oz megabait jigs, and so far the greased bearings have not been an issue for me there with limiting my casting.

Alan, I think if I was getting a reel done by you I would specify greased ceramic balls in my spool bearings..

Best,
John

Alan
are you any closer to putting bigger bearings in those avets to increase the drag?

i need a full research facility, maybe 10,000 sq ft of floor space, a bunch of techs, lots of hardware and maybe $20-30 million to get it started.  my garage is just not cutting it!!!!!!!