If you want to buy the best bearings then perhaps the place to start your search is the manufacturer who produces the most types of bearings in the world – SKF.

SKF bearings was founded in 1907 in Sweden, they are now the worlds largest bearing manufacturer and employ over 45,000 staff. They no longer just manufacture bearings; they also produce maintenance products, power transmission products, lubrication device, coupling systems and seals. The company now have over 80 manufacturing facilities worldwide and are supported by over 20,000 distributors and retailers. They received ISO 14001 certification in 1998, being one of the first multinational companies to do so and track and review environmental challenges company wide annually.

SKF bearings are available in simple single row deep grove bearings that are open to the elements, to linear bearings that can be used as shaft carriers.

SKF taper roller bearings

Taper roller bearings are usually used in pairs, so forces can be easily dealt with in an axial direction. The tapering of the rollers gives a large contact path for the races and reduces the chance of them sliding instead of rolling. This reduces the amount of wear that the bearing will receive and hence increase the bearings lifespan.