Originally Posted by mx_599
probably partly because i do not have balls at my disposal.
Theres a good Jr. High joke in there somewhere. Anyways, I have NO idea what size ball the headset would take. Most companies list on their website. I think the Orbits are all a sealed cartridge bearing, however, so you really couldn't go loose ball. the number it takes totally depends on the size of the bearing. For setting up a loose ball headset, I pack it until full and remove 1-2 bearings to allow a little space between each bearing. As far as the nylon retainers, my thought would be a) they still take up room that could be occupied by more bearings and b) it seems like they would wear down quickly. I've honestly never used the nylon ones though.