Originally Posted by bellweatherman
Phil bearings! Hey man, if you want them, by all means go for it. They are good bearings. Take them to a bearing dealer and they'll mic it up and I promise you, they are identical to Grade 25 bearings, which are still good quality bearings. Dude, go for Phil if you want. They make good stuff. I'm just trying to tell it like it is. 6001 is a myth. Just take some to a bearing dealer and ask them to compare it to a Grade 25.
You have no idea what you are talking about here. Grade 25 ball bearings are ball bearings. Individual balls that can be used in a loose ball setup. 6001 is an industry standard size of cartridge bearing. The cartridge contains ball bearings, but the balls are not removable, so the cartridge must be replaced as a unit. 6001 refers to the dimensions of the bearing cartridge inside diameter, outside diameter, and depth.
That size is used in many applications inside and outside bicycling It's not proprietary to Phil Wood. It's used in Formula, Miche, and I believe Promax hubs. Any bearing dealer can get you 6001 bearings from various manufacturers with various different specs. For $6 you can get a high quality metal 6001, for significantly more you can get one with ceramic balls, or even full ceramic cartridges. I just looked up 6001 in the QBP catalog, and they want $8 for an Enduro brand 6001RS (RS stands for rubber seal).
Phil doesn't make their own bearings, but they do specify high tolerances, and Phil Grease in the bearings they use, and put their name on. Are Phil's Cartridge bearings better than the ones used by Miche, Suzue, or Formula? I don't know, but they certainly are good, and although you can buy cheap 6001 bearings for significantly less, or exotic ones for significantly more I would not have any problem paying $24 for a full set of 4 Phil Bearings.