Are these bearings bad?

[Mrhavasu]

I will not buy anything thats important made in china if I can avoid it. SKF bearings are made in Sweden and are high quality.
I am sure there are others including Japanese and German. I will search and pay more for non chinese garbage.
Here is some good info,
https://thecampingadvisor.com/where-...ade/#tab-con-7

[Butcher]

There is nothing wrong with Chinese manufacturing. The problem lies with the company that sells the products. Good companies do not sell junk, no matter where it is made.

@Mrhavasu Where are you going to buy bearings now?
https://www.skf.com/us/news-and-even...-China-3696931

[Butcher]

As for cleaning, there are two camps. One camp says never use solvent to clean grease out. That is what I was taught in college. You cannot get all the solvent out and therefore you will contaminate the new grease. The other camp is just force the new grease into the old bearing. The problem with that is that the new grease may not be compatible with the old grease.

Both opinions are valid so set up your tent in the camp that suits you best. Expect the other camp to throw stones at your decision.

If money is not a concern, just replace them regularly.

[Mrhavasu]

There is nothing wrong with Chinese manufacturing. The problem lies with the company that sells the products. Good companies do not sell junk, no matter where it is made.

@Mrhavasu Where are you going to buy bearings now?
https://www.skf.com/us/news-and-even...-China-3696931

Really?? All you have to do is look at the china bomb tire mess to prove that wrong. There are lots of bearings that are
still not made in china, you just have to look.
It would be nice if the brand name makers like Goodyear tire could make quality tires for example in china, but thats not
been proven, just the opposite. Its a crap shoot when you buy communist make products, sometimes you might get lucky.

[Hoopy Frood]

The China-made Sailun tires were a proven tire.

[Butcher]

@Mrhavasu. Not everything made in China is bad. Not everything made in China is good. The policies that are in place in that country is a different topic.

But, if you only buy SKF and their bearings are made in China, you sound like you are in a quandary on the next set of bearings you buy.

BTW, I used to think your way but as times change and good business' are not accepting the junk China can make, China in many ways has stepped up their game. I've learned not to paint myself in a corner. I've learned that good business', like people, learn from their mistakes. They can start out with a really bad product and end up with a really well made in the end. Constantly improving their product over time.

Would I buy SKF bearings made in China? Yup, would not think twice. Would I buy Duralast bearings made in China? To be clear, I would not buy Duralast bearings if they were made in Germany.

[jjbbrewer]

BTW, I used to think your way but as times change and good business' are not accepting the junk China can make, China in many ways has stepped up their game. I've learned not to paint myself in a corner.

Excellent point.

As a data point, in my experience SKF motorcycle fork seals are broadly considered the best you can get since other brands have fallen behind.
7 years ago, I'd never heard of SKF.

[dryfly]

After getting my Reflection I changed out the bearings to Timken. Now, after reading the comments, I'm not sure if I got the "real thing" or counterfeits.

I service my bearings about every 2 years, removing the bearings and using a solvent to clean them. Now, I don't know if this is the correct way to do it or not.

Very confusing!

One thing I've come to believe is that probably most bearing failure incidents are caused by lack of service, not specific brands of bearings.

Folks do not properly grease or periodically inspect the bearings/races. I certainly would agree that choosing quality parts is the best solution. With the current usage of the quick lube zerk fittings on trailer axles, most owners consider servicing bearings to be pumping as little or as much grease as possible into the cavity.