10mm were phased out because they were less convenient/less available, not because they were outdated in some way. People didn’t want to have to deal with multiple sizes of bearings.
They’ve got more balls, and of a smaller size. IME that makes feel a little more tolerant, and last a little bit longer.
But they’re such a pain to get, and the selection is so limited.
I have 4 boards I ride regularly, 3 have swiss ceramics that I ride in the rain, they get the most miles and my trampa running some japanese steel bearings. Roughly each season I strip and clean them all. Strip and clean my trucks, ronins, pivots… I get about 3 weeks a board of daily use before a strip and clean.
steel bearing in winter don’t work for daily abuse.
strip and clean means a triple wash in solvent through my heated ultrasonic bath, dry & re-lube.
edit: for dry running just replacing steel bearings works, but if you ride everyday in winter/water… you can’t change bearings every day so the ceramics for me have started to work. Plus now I live on a island by the sea so corrosion is increased…
The last set of Ceramics i had (Zealous Ceramics) ended up grenading on me after riding them through rain a handful of times. That was while I was attempting a standard downhill bomb in my (then) regular commute. The ceramic balls won’t rust (though they do disintegrate like sand), but the steel track and races in a ceramic bearing do. Lesson learned? I don’t trust wet/dirty bearings. Regardless. I already have too much shit to worry about failing and causing a wheel lockup. I don’t need to also worry about my bearings every time I decide to push my board hard…
Its pretty crazy there’s so many anecdotes here about ceramic bearings.
I’ve been in the longboard community for… a good while now. And I’ve been keeping an eye out for anecdotes on ceramic bearings but honestly most people simply don’t ride them. But I’ve asked multiple times and gotten no stories of people breaking balls.
And here, you not only are there people who’ve bought and used ceramic bearings, but a whole bunch who have used them to failure.
Silverfish is gone…
If your relying on all the 15 year olds of Reddit that spent thier whole months allowance on bearings. Of course they’re gonna say they’re good…
Besides the 15 year olds, There’s also a lot of competitive riders and brand owners who frequent reddit.
You stand out here for being a notably experienced DH rider, but you’d be just one of many knowledgeable and capable riders there.
So cool your head for just a min there.
True… But I trust nothing the comes from the front page of the internet. My jets are cool. It was said in sarcasm.
I’ve been using Bones Reds Racers but i’m up or anything better and less expensive. Or at least on par but less expensive.
I’ve just always used Bones bearings. I hear Zealous are great too.
Rain and brine is shit for more than just wheel bearings. It will fuck up ALL your bearings eventually. Motor bearings, pulley bearings, and not to mention rust your hardware. I get boards back for maintenance sometimes that are covered in corrosion from salt and other bullshit. Fucked up looking truck bolts, kingpin nuts if crusties, bushings with asphalt grime in them… gross.
It makes me angry. Clean your fucking boards before you send them in. Shit, you should be cleaning them every night when you get off the street. Just wipe the shit down a little.
I’ll bet you motherfuckers brush your teeth before you go to the dentist. Why wouldn’t you wipe your board down before i have to sample your localness all over my bench? Yuk.
Me every day… Wipe er down, compressed air dirt out of motors so it doesn’t build up… and clean my griptape… I fucking hatttttte dirty griptape. I’m anal about keeping my boards clean… like super anal.
I use these in my board:
I got the Neil Blackouts for Christmas, so I didn’t have to pay for them 
they roll for a freakishly long time. Highly recommend them if you can afford it. If not, bones red bearings work great. I use those in my heelys…
I have used zealous bearings on all my boards since mercury bearings went out of business.
People who use their boards as toys I’m sure but people who use their boards daily to go everywhere that they go, grocery shopping and everything, cleaning them daily is simple off the agenda. Period. Cars don’t need bearing cleaning every day after running through brine, so obviously we’re still building these things wrong
I don’t drive my sports car in the rain or snow.
That’s what beater/commuter cars are for. I’m just saying different types of builds for different reasons.
Probably shouldn’t drive your roadster in brine…
so obviously we’re still building these things wrong
Well for starters, we could actually put wheel grease in our bearings.
You know, they way every single other wheel bearing in the world does it.
What’s not to love? Well you said it – built-in spacers. Means I’ll never buy them.
I’m just gonna politely remind all of y’all… World record on a skateboard, was with Bronson’s…
When you buy something that costs an absurd amount of money, you’re going to justify it however you can. Even more so if your friends know about your ludicrous purchase. What’s the name for that phenomenon again? Investment bias?
Are you talking to me or someone else? Because $22 for bearings… cannot be a ludicrous amount…
I’m referring to those 15 year olds on Reddit 
Lol those guys… 