Real vs Fake Bones Swiss Bearings Comparison

[@hideaki_n]

MAKE SURE YOU BUY FROM YOUR LOCAL SKATE SHOP! Major red flags are cheap prices online like eBay or other places you can buy it online. original price for a real set is around $55-60 USD. Yes I know that throughout the years, Bones might change their design so it might look a little different from the real set that I have in this video. Performance wise, the fake ones do not spin as long and as fast. They just might feel like regular bearings to most. The real bones swiss bearings makes you go fast and they keep spinning. Especially on smooth surfaces at skate parks, if you have a real set of bones swiss and they're brand new they might take awhile to "fully break in" but after skating them for awhile they start to feel faster and spin longer. Also can guarantee they do not break or burst. I have had 2 sets of real bones swiss and none of the bearings broke even after intense skating and jumping down stairs, gaps, etc. They still spin fast.

[@credibleink]

Don’t pay attention to the advice about the address on the bottom. I’ve got a brand new set from the UK distributor and it reads: Bones Bearings 30 S. La Patera etc. Mine do say 1981 though. So that bit checks out 👍

[@hideaki_n]

True true yea sometimes they’ll have different labeling. Definitely a red flag if it’s cheap and doesn’t spin well.

[@wardenerbros]

Same with the year - I bought some fakes from China out of curiosity and it says 1981, not 1983 like some fakes.

[@EthanChase]

I didn’t know there were fakes of these good to know, Great info 👍

[@hideaki_n]

yea it's all over ebay and online. just buy them at skate shops.

[@EthanChase]

@@hideaki_n yeah

[@aliksanderpersia3614]

No bearing is going to spin for 40 seconds on your finger

[@Neo-ti2rz]

So stupid. 😉

[@kenneththam2480]

Thanks for making this video, there are too many fake decks (Baker, Girl, Toy Machine, Foundation), wheels (Spitfire), bearings (Bones Reds, Swiss) and trucks (Independent), we need more awareness in the market.

[@hideaki_n]

no problem! yea a lot of fakes out there especially some on amazon and on ebay and skateboarding is expensive. I know how that feels wanting to save money. Definitely need to bring more awareness to replicas/fakes, etc

[@MrFreezook]

I got 1981 But with the address of the fake one, and the number that's supposed to be Bold at the bar code part I have (not bold) also as the fake. But the Numbers at the Bar code are as the Real and the color of the red is good red. So and the bearings are working fine so far. I thought I would add some more info to the variations. Thx for sharing this video.

[@nicholasdavidson5683]

same here

[@joesr31]

All the videos show the physical differences of the packaging, I'm more curious if there is a performance difference between them

[@hideaki_n]

Yes towards the end I mentioned how fakes don’t spin that long. They are very silent (my set atleast) but they barely spin fresh out the box. Real set of bones Swiss should spin king fresh out the box and as you “break them in”

[@wardenerbros]

@@hideaki_n that makes little sense - no bearings with lube should spin for more than a few seconds between your fingers. Under load of the rider a lubed bearing will spin just as fast as a cleaned out/dry bearing. Clean out one of your fake bearings and see how it will spin. I just received a fake set to test, and have ridden the genuine ones since the early 90s.

[@davidvanvliet193]

Have a set that says: since 1981 and it says the full adres. Or get the Bones Swiss Labyrinth 2 bearings (silver, red, white, black packaging).

[@hideaki_n]

oooh really. alright must be an older version package labeling.

[@ณภัทรรักผล]

Me too 1981 and full address so the one i got it's real or fake?

[@tamago8183]

am I the only one who thinks the bones swiss bearing box looks like a chocolate box?

[@KiaraHargrove]

That’s crazy! Great video bro! 🔥💯

[@hideaki_n]

Thank you!! Appreciate it!

[@KiaraHargrove]

@@hideaki_n No problem!

[@martinsanchez6864]

I have an old set I got from a friend that I’ve kept clean and lubed and they still work great. I have the box still and it just says “preferred by pros” as the first claim. Is that because it might be from before 2008? Also the box doesn’t have a barcode.

[@PHeMoX]

Actually, pretty sure Bones Swiss bearings were first introduced commercially in 1983, not 1981. And Skateone / Bones experimented or made their first bearings between 1978 and 1983 or so. So who knows which year is accurate. Companies sometimes re-release or use different packaging companies too. Having a 'misprint' on a year, even when true, doesn't mean it's thus fake. I have a Coca Cola bottle with a misprint that says 2022 instead of 2002. And it's not fake either. And it's a lie none of their bearings are ever made in China. Heck, Bones most popular skate bearing on the market today _are_ Chinese bearings, the Bones REDS (introduced in 1997). And ironically, the Mini Logo bearings (2002) prove you can get _exactly_ those bearings for 50% off from a legit sub-brand. People fall too easily for marketing bs. Not just that, but there are 7mm and 8mm bearings in the Bones Swiss brand. Pretty sure the 7mm ones come in a slightly different package anyway. Anything that doesn't quite fit, will break more easily. Having said that all, I'm sure fakes are being sold on eBay, Amazon and all that. Anything too good to be true most likely are fakes. And I have several bearings, normal price, from Bones that have the full address on the box and they're definitely not fakes.

[@hideaki_n]

wow! really appreciate your input. The 1981 date is on Bones bearings' website. yes it is true there can be misprints and they might change designs here and there, but ultimately like you mentioned if it's TOOO good to be true then most likely fake. Just want to bring awareness to people who are in the market thinking of getting bones swiss bearings, so they can get some information and make the proper decision on if they should buy it from a specific place/person. Always do your due diligence before purchasing it.

[@lightexposesdarkness154]

That's literally for everything because everyone is prideful and greedy. If it's a company it's greedy and doesn't do to others as they would like done to them. There's nothing special about bearings it's got a race and balls in it. As long as they're not made out of butter and the tolerances are pretty tight people wouldn't even know the difference in a blind test when actually using them. . As a free spin test doesn't say much. Of course this isn't comparing something that's actually total garbage and cost like a dollar or something with loose tolerances.....but I'd say this is for the majority of all bearings on the market. If it's even remotely decent with good tolerances it's a bearing. It's going to work. Some of the cheaper ones that might spin slower on the free test have grease in them most likely. If you were to clean it out and put a light oil in them then they would likely spin just as fast as the $60 bearings. But even if it has a lightweight grease it's going to come out and get thinner in no time and spin just fine when you use it. I would love to see a test between the cheapest bearing someone has to offer and their most expensive with a blind test. What you'd likely find is a 50/50......because they would accidentally guess the right one with a 50% chance. And you wouldn't find everyone guessing in the 90 to 100% range. So there would be people saying that $5 Amazon bearings are better than some name brand expensive bearings guaranteed. Of course that's the last thing companies want to see.....and even if someone does that it's an extreme minority so it doesn't matter their marketing will always triumph. Oh and no free spin test allowed only how they actually ride. it's not complicated if you were to put a lightweight grease in the $60 bearings they would stop spinning in no time with a free spin test. but when you actually use them with weight in real life they would work just fine. A tiny bit of Grease isn't going to hold back someone that's 170 lb cruising around. it's only holding back the really light wheel with a free spin test and that's pretty much it. Letting the board roll all by itself is also a dumb test because it has nothing to do with reality. Another thing that companies know is that everyone else has pride too. Someone that spent a ton of money on something and someone else got it 80% cheaper that works just as good...... They're going to feel dumb pretty quickly. So then they'll just say that it's better and lie anyways about it that's what people do every minute of every day anyways with everything at all times.

[@kenmastersmaster]

I have bones reds... Guaranteed legit. Paid $10 a set so I bought 12 sets.. The price of 16 Swiss bearings. I have yet to see one test where the Swiss ones last longer than reds, or roll faster.... The reds are just as serviceable as the Swiss

[@kenmastersmaster]

If it's too good to be true doesn't mean it's fake.. Skate shops go out of business all the time and liquidate their stock for pennies to pay off creditors. Then wholesalers buy 1000s of sets for 95% off and flip it for 70% off and still make 5x profit.

[@guttermouths]

Doesn't BONES have anyone shutting down fakes on Amazon or E Bay? Mine roll great but, just say preferred by pros. no year.

[@YungFlightRisk]

Fakes ones say 1981 now, but besides that they still haven’t changed anything.

[@Adam-118]

Damn I was looking online and Walmart has them cheap. Now I'm going to go look at the fine print because the box is the same hahaha. I might aswell order mine at Zumiez

[@d.kashani]

zumiez over prices them. Get them from a reputable skate shop in person/online. Should be no more than $65.

[@wardenerbros]

Your "spin test" assessment is not valid. I've been riding Bones Swiss since the early 90s. A new bearing is greased/lubed and does not spin more than a few seconds, it will spin a bit longer when mounted in a wheel due to centrifugal forces. This is true for bearings no matter the quality. Lube is better for the longevity of the bearing, makes it silent and wil spin just as well under load/weight of the rider. A bearing that is cleaned of the lube will spin longer when spinning it between your fingers and when mounted on a truck with the wheel - however, it will not spin faster or roll better than a lubed bearing under load. Many skaters remove the lube and pop the seal to hear the bearing, not to make it spin faster (because it won't). I bought a fake set from China out of curiosity ($12), I already have various sets of genuine Bones Bearings, including Swiss, Ceramicas and the basic Reds etc. The tactile feel of the fake bearings (including spin) seems fine right out of the box - but it will be interesting to see how they will hold up over time. The box of my fakes ones have some of the signs mentioned in this video and other videoes like this (more of an orange color and lacking the holographic sticker, it does say 1981 though).

[@hideaki_n]

Fake ones don't go as fast as the real ones and the when you're riding, you give 2 good pushes you'll slow down soon compared to a real set. I'm talking about straight out the box for both. Over time (without adding lubricant) it's even worse for the fake set. Need to constantly be pushing. For the real set if you give 2-3 good pushes you'll be riding for a lot longer than the fake ones for sure

[@wardenerbros]

@@hideaki_n Great, now that is informative and useful info, based on actual testing - rather than pretty much all the misinformation in the video.

[@inventpal6176]

Thank you very much for saving me some time and money.

[@hideaki_n]

No problem!

[@geraldcelebre2672]

Thanks man helps a lot ! 🔥🙏🔥

[@brokenman5253]

Got the big balls pretty sure they're fake. Still better than shake hunts I had though. Have you used the fake ones? If so did they seem decent.

[@hideaki_n]

I skated the fake ones for a session and realized something was off. Didn’t spin well compared to the real set. Which made me make this video. Haha.

[@kurtamaya6841]

fakes are sold for $4 here in the Philippines

[@hideaki_n]

dang thats crazy!

[@KieranClarkSkates]

Good video Hideaki. I’ve been thinking of getting some of these bearings, what’s your opinion of them? Obviously the real ones 😂

[@hideaki_n]

Thank you! I HIGHLY recommend the real Bones Swiss bearings. Spins faster than any other bearings hands-down. Nothing beats it. Depending on your wheel size or what wheel you use determines how long they’ll spin. For me bones stf wheels 52-54mm spins for over 1 minute. I honestly think they don’t break because I still have my 1st set that I got around 2015. They’re just slightly slower and doesn’t spin as long as they used to but for having it for 5 years and they’re still going good is worth it for me. I just got a new set as a gift. Easy to clean and put speed cream and it spins silent and fast again. Skated street, grinds, slides, stairs, my 1st set went through everything (light rain, dirt, etc) and going great

[@redlash5640]

i got the 1981 but it say bones bearing with address so its fake ?

[@hideaki_n]

Depends. Where did you get it? Throughout the years the probably changed the design of the box. But 1981 is the legit year.

[@Matthew-uy6lc]

buy from a local shop if you don't wanna get scammed

[@AdrianArfire]

Buy it from the local shop, cuz' the local shop will sell a fake ones just for you 😂 Just kidding!

[@jonathand3842]

I think both of them are real...

[@hideaki_n]

nope. If you've ever skated real ones you know how they're suppose to perform. When i skated these fakes I just knew they weren't real. Whenever i skated with it the wheel/my board just wanted to slow down and i have to push a lot. don't go as fast either. the real ones goes fast and keep spinning. Real ones don't break either. My first set of real bones swiss still did not break.

[@kenmastersmaster]

Chances are someone bought a legit set and returned their busted old worn out 10 year old Swiss bearings and the shop cleaned them up and resold them ...

[@rafaelleriaarias4377]

La caja puede ser falsa pero has desmontado el rodamiento y comparado los materiales? Esto no vale para nada. Yo los he abierto y son el mismo material. La grasa que traen de la casa hace que sean mas lentos de nuevos.

[@softlk8810]

My box has everything correct except for the BSA text.

[@hideaki_n]

where did you get it?

[@softlk8810]

@@hideaki_n Amazon. They feel smooth. Sticker is centered. The Jogger’s Corner is the seller. Paid 60 bucks.

[@karisstowers3516]

won't the fakers catch on and improve the box?

[@hideaki_n]

that may be true, but there's a bunch of fakes out there. So just informing others about the ones that are out in the world. Just remember, if the boxes somehow do match up with the real set, test the bearings. If the bearings spin for a short amount of time or they barely spin, it's most likely fake. The real sets spins for awhile just the bearings itself. With wheels it's about 1 minute or more depending on the wheels.

[@kornshadow097]

Bs, there are plenty of manufacturers that change fonts n graphics over the years. People even say Reds are fake... But they're CHINESE! so that's impossible - _- Vids like these make people paranoid, I bet these vids are made by people working at skateshops to discourage people buying online for better prices

[@HECKAKYH-ADEKBATEH]

Chinese or american is irrelevant, relevant is perf/$. The rotation freedom and pressure the bearing can withstand is what people are paying. They cant produce it from same steel quality and grind bearing surface to same specs. You need a PLANT to make quality bearings. Its possible same plant produces them, but they wouldnt risk putting same label on it.

[@kenmastersmaster]

Haha exactly! Same factory making real makes the fakes too... Kind of like Micro vs Seba skates.

[@Athesiasx]

?? But you wouldn’t spin the reals

[@papiroskae5826]

In my fake bearings 1981!

[@Adam-118]

Yeah walmarts a scam

[@Karina00K]

The ones from Ali Express are FAKE. Save yourself $20, it's a scam. They're shit, I tell you from experience.

[@briancannon3987]

N when you swish saliva around in you your mouth and in the mic. It's hella annoying

[@briancannon3987]

Do yourself a favor. Go ccs

[@rumidom]

this sucks. i used bones for 4 years never had problems, just clean and lub them and they feel like brand new. the originals pay for themselves

[@hideaki_n]

Don't know which part "Sucks". Have you skated fake bones swiss bearings before? Doesn't matter how much you clean them, add speed cream/lube they're not going to perform well as the real deal. I've only skated Bones my whole life. I have my 1st set of real bones swiss bearings for 6+ years and they never broke. I still have them and use them on my back up setup. Just doesn't spin as fast when I first got them so I got new ones, but when i bought the new one they did not perform like what I remember and wanted to make sure they're real, but they turned out to be fake. I bought another real set of bones swiss from a skate shop and I did a comparison. That's all this video is. An informative video for people in the market looking to get real bones swiss bearings and not get scammed or buy a fake set.

[@rumidom]

@@hideaki_n it sucks that they are making fakes

[@hideaki_n]

@@rumidom True. there are fakes for a lot of items that are "valuable" or popular in any industry. Shoes, electronics, etc. For the regular people fakes might suffice, but for people that want the real deal then we definitely need to be more aware.

[@rumidom]

​@@hideaki_n I'm using bones on my longboard, and they perform very well, so i believe they are originals, to clean them i complete open them up and put the races and balls on a flask with Kerosene, then assemble them back again and lub them with a two droplets of sewing machine oil

[@SapphireeCos]

@@hideaki_n i use the fake ones because my mom doesn't allow me to buy expensive bearings lol... sucks to be me i guess