Bearing questions, maintenance replacement etc

[SrC]

I use one of these to blast the crud out of the bearings....pretty effective: bearing blaster

Bearing Blasters are a must have. Many never heard of them. RPM made them 20+ years back. Many just replace their BB's anyway.
But with a BB Blaster you can flush out way better, even the metal shielded types, using a spray solvent under pressure. You can even inject grease into them with the Blaster. It operates much like a Scale car Bearing injector works. I have both sizes.
Rubber sealed BB' still need both seals removed before using the Blaster.

Tip:
when checking for well cleaned BB's , never high speed spin any of them once cleaned and dry. This will ruin them real fast being dry. The cages get damaged as well when dry.
Just rotate by finger to check them for any slop and free spinning.

 

[Diem Turner]

I have dealt with removing both types above. The press fit ones rarely if ever can be reassemble properly. They simply distort once removed, and end up hitting the cage as it rottes.
Circlip types are kind of rare. Usually costing more. More frequently found in BLX Motors.
These metal shielded type BB's do provide the best performance, least amount of friction. Rubber seals create some degree of rotating friction. But for Bashing use are just fine and more beneficial. The tighter seal at the Inner and Outer races do prevent dirt ingress. There is a trade off with both types.
I sometimes leave just one Rubber seal off and make sure that side is faced away from any potential dirt ingress. Facing inside a hub for example. The BB will have 50% less potential friction. Perhaps splitting hairs for most applications. I find that the better designed BB will always have a Plastic/Polymer type Cage. I found that metal type BB Cages explode/blow out much easier as the BB wears out.

It definitely comes down to application at the end of the day. There's really no point in running high quality ceramics with metal shield in any bashing or off-road rig.
I typically run my bearings with just one metal shield facing outward. That's as low as I can realistically get the friction while maintaining at least a modicum of protection against dirt/dust ingress.
Personally, I really dislike the plastic cages because, most of the time, they're not compatible with acetone, which I like to use as a final rinse. My subjective impression is that it leaves less residue behind than most other solvents. I haven't had any issues with the metal cages. I ran the same two bearing on my center spool for over two years and they still work fab-bleeding-tastic.

 

[SrC]

From my exper., it's the metal caged BB's that explode apart most of the time without warning. When sourcing certain specific BB's we have no control over whether they come with Plastic or metal cages. I use a Brake Spray solvent. I always felt Acetone lingers way too long, before evaporating. Plastic/polymer cages are more slippery. Less wear against the Balls. Better IMHO. That may be splitting hairs. Just makes more sense. And what I read in regards.
Yeah, I aways use Ceramics only with my Motors, when replacing the stockers. Makes no sense using them elsewhere on the chassis. Gets costly, with little if any benefit.
If you are Speed running, and trying to eek out that 150+ mph, I could see it as slight benefit. But $70.-$100. for a set gets costly. And they wont last any longer IMHO. Radial slop wear still developes like Chromium BB's do.