Ceramic bearings used in racing are made with normal steel races, but the steel balls replaced with Cerbec® ceramic balls. We improve them by superfinishing the steel races, then coat the races and the ceramic balls with MicroBlue® , which drops the friction by 40-50%.

One, ceramic balls are "rounder" than steel balls. That's what makes them far more free rolling and much smoother running. Two, they're about 50% lighter than steel balls, which is why spin-up times are much improved. Three, ceramic balls run far cooler and improves lubricant life. Four, the balls in ceramic bearings are much harder than steel balls (over 100% harder). This, combined with their excellent surface finish is the reason they out-wear steel bearings.

Simply put, the MicroBlue coating reduces friction by 25%. That's 25% less friction compared to un-coated ceramics.

The common reason can be tracked back to cheap import ceramic balls. The most are actually ceramic coated steel balls. So when loads get to a certain point, the steel ball distorts and the ceramic "eggshell" breaks. We're not done yet. They are rather soft and porous, resulting in surface breakdown and failure.

To the average buyer, honestly no, they look the same. You need to know who made the balls unfortunately, not an easy task.

That's your call. There is no question that ceramic bearings are "freer rolling" than steel bearings, but their high cost, understandably, gives pause to many. The primary reason is the cost of the ceramic balls. The other is that they are hand-built, not mass produced. For those on a budget, we suggest you think about using one of our MicroBlue-coated steel bearings.