Roller bearings are a type of ball bearing which more or less allow two flat surfaces to rotate along each other with less friction. It’s hard to put into words, so you can get a better idea by taking a look at the image below.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Roller bearings have hundreds of different applications – from car wheels and alternators, to yo-yos, to skateboard wheels, to pretty much everything you can think of. Roller bearings are you used in all sorts of things that you’d never expect, and are a really important component of a lot of things without you even knowing they’re there.
To give you an idea of how important these things are – German roller bearing factories were prime targets for bombing during World War II because of just how important roller bearings were to the German war machine. You’d think we’d be mostly worried about their gun factories or munitions depots – nope! We figured out that destroying their roller bearing factories would really hit ‘em where it hurt.
Cost of Roller Bearings
The price of roller bearings varies greatly depending on the type, quality, and of course the quantity ordered. Some applications require highly specialized bearings which can cost $30 or more per bearing. More common bearings run for about $5 – $10.
Where to Buy Roller Bearings
Finding a place that sells bearings isn’t too difficult – more than likely your local hardware store carries them. However, stores like these typically have to mark up the price to even turn a profit, so more often than not you’re better off ordering them somewhere online, such as Amazon.
