Bones Reds Skateboard Bearings

In the world of cheap skate bearings, one brand stands out as the best among many skaters. That is commonly agreed upon to be the Powell Bones Reds.

While most bearings are made in China to reduce cost, Reds are no different in that respect but have a couple of features that sets them apart from the standard $10 dollar skate bearing.

Rubber shield:

For an extra five bucks, this $15 dollar set of bearings has a removeable rubber shield in order to allow removal and cleaning of the bearings inside the bearing case. Most brands are either impossible to disassemble or are very hard to get into, let alone put back together.

Bones Speed Cream:

The other feature is that right out of the box, is that the bearings are lubed with Bones Speed Cream, a step up from the regular WD-40 many skaters like to use. Speed Cream is thicker and needs to be changed out less often than WD-40 lubrication.

Near top quality:

While not titanium, ceramic, or Swiss made bearings, the Reds are the closest thing one is going to get without having to spend at least $40 dollars or more. The Reds spin for a long time making all types of skating more effortless.

While some skaters do not like to take off the bearing shild and clean bearings and put them back on, some leave the shield off and use regular WD-40 to oil their set. While this is not recommended, it is not unheard of. Having the bearing shield on does add an extra level of protection by keeping them in the case. I personally like to remove my shields, spray in WD-40, and put the shields back on.

The major drawback of any skate bearing is that they don't last forever and there are only so many times they can be removed and put back together. But being only slightly more than the unremoveable, cheaper skate bearings, the Reds will last at least three times as long making them a great value for the money.