Using Non-Pachinko Ball Bearings

[Wertyo]

I found some ball bearings on amazon that are made in Florida and are the same size as pachinko balls. Is there any reason why using them in a pachinko machine would be a bad idea? Could they cause any kind of damage? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

[Drunkenclam]

With moderns. As long as they are 11mm I can't see a problem. With vintages that use weights and levers. If the ball bearings are a different weight I could see that causing problems.

[lotsoballs]

They might rust more easily without a protective chrome coating; and not as shiny?

[Moparformances]

With moderns. As long as they are 11mm I can't see a problem. With vintages that use weights and levers. If the ball bearings are a different weight I could see that causing problems.

They might rust more easily without a protective chrome coating; and not as shiny?

[Mooseman]

So I decided to buy some from amazon when I first got my machines and I would overall recommend against it. I bought a small 300 ball tin from FKG, and those worked great. Then I bought another 600 from QZsteelball and there were several times balls got stuck in pins that I have never seen them get stuck in. They were 7/16th inches (11.11mm) so even a minor, indistinguishable difference caused issues. Both were marked as the same size, and several other listings have them listed as 7/16th OR 11mm but there is a very small difference. As others have said, they cause problems with vintage machines because the jackpot levers are balanced using pachinko balls so if the balls weigh even slightly less they will not weigh down the lever. Thankfully I kept them separated and have since removed them from circulation.

Now all that being said the big issue is that it's hard to find affordable pachinko balls as importing them has gotten much more cost prohibitive with the current shipping situation. So I wouldn't say directly not to do it, but just be aware you might have to adjust the pins outward slightly if balls start getting stuck and you may need to tinker with vintage machines to make sure the balance is right.

[Wertyo]

Thank you! I really appreciate the insight

[lotsoballs]

So I decided to buy some from amazon when I first got my machines and I would overall recommend against it. I bought a small 300 ball tin from FKG, and those worked great. Then I bought another 600 from QZsteelball and there were several times balls got stuck in pins that I have never seen them get stuck in. They were 7/16th inches (11.11mm) so even a minor, indistinguishable difference caused issues. Both were marked as the same size, and several other listings have them listed as 7/16th OR 11mm but there is a very small difference. As others have said, they cause problems with vintage machines because the jackpot levers are balanced using pachinko balls so if the balls weigh even slightly less they will not weigh down the lever. Thankfully I kept them separated and have since removed them from circulation.

Now all that being said the big issue is that it's hard to find affordable pachinko balls as importing them has gotten much more cost prohibitive with the current shipping situation. So I wouldn't say directly not to do it, but just be aware you might have to adjust the pins outward slightly if balls start getting stuck and you may need to tinker with vintage machines to make sure the balance is right.

Karen at JT Comatz gave me a very good price of a case of 4000 balls; and I’ll be saving greatly on shipping cost by bundling with the group bulk shipment via slow boat.

[Mooseman]

Karen at JT Comatz gave me a very good price of a case of 4000 balls; and I’ll be saving greatly on shipping cost by bundling with the group bulk shipment via slow boat.

Yea I tried to get a last minute add onto the shipment but it was going to be 100$ extra for shipping. There is a pretty decent deal on ebay right now for 4000 if you need that many. Really another 2000 would be more than enough for me tho https://www.ebay.com/itm/30426196228...MAAOSw7bdanQl7

[Peteybob]

I received a carton of 4000 balls yesterday from Japan via the ten week slow boat. A second carton went astray 1200 miles south of me but it will come back around.

They need a slight cleaning and polish which is happening now. Given the handling, supplies and electricity I have added a penny per ball to my cost of four cents per ball delivered to me. So if anyone is interested here at Pachitalk, I'm offering polished balls (could be mix of smooth and etched from various parlors in Japan) for five cents each plus shipping. An example would be that using USPS last month it cost about $16 for a flat rate box with 2k-3k balls, perhaps 4k will fit

Feel free to comment or private message me. Pricing is/has been different at times and at other sites I frequent due to supply and demand when I obtain items or with other fees to promote items.