Ever Heard of Koyo Bearings?

[cltengr]

My company makes some large rotating assemblies as part of their line of equipment and, as a rule, uses brand-name bearing components from SKF, Timken, SealMaster, or Fafnir to name a few. Our purchsing group has come to us with a proposal to use Koyo deep groove ball bearings instead of SKF on a new application. All of the physical specs seem to be the same as the bearing we were buying previously but with a substantial cost savings. Does anyone have any experience with this brand of bearings either good or bad?

 

[diskullman]

Koyo is a Japanese manufacturer. They have all the needed ISO designations, and make a bearing of excellent quality. The Japenese brands , namely Koyo, NTN, Nachi, NSK, have long been sought after by electric motor shops for their longevity and reliability. This started when the prices were the lowest on the market, then continued after major price increases ( kind of like the Japanese car revolution, started with the price, then we got used to the high quality.)

Russell Giuliano

 

[Philrock]

Koyo is a major player. I would not hesitate to give them a try.

 

[whorley]

I agree Koyo is a generally accepted alternative (as most 1st tier Japanese manufacturers).

An important thing to keep in mind is to ensure that you are comparing apples to apples from the engineering side.

For example if you require a machined brass cage, ensure that this is what is being offered. Also as you get into spherical bearings there can be internal differences in the geometry and ratings between manufacturers.