SirSpeedy, I feel your pain. I've been 'table-less for nearly six months and as of last Wednesday my system is totally down.
I agree with you about bearing wear not being much of an issue on most any of the higher end tables. Including many we haven't mentioned here. As for bearing design I think it is one of those parts of 'table design that is dependant on many other things. For example, some designers use the bearing to sink vibrations away from the cartridge. I'm sure Walker and the JC designer have other methods for dealing with platter vibrations. IMHO, it is alot like the debate in another thread about what is the best drive design and as Thom pointed out to me about suspension vs non-suspension designs. It all comes down to how well the complete design is implemented.
I agree with you about bearing wear not being much of an issue on most any of the higher end tables. Including many we haven't mentioned here. As for bearing design I think it is one of those parts of 'table design that is dependant on many other things. For example, some designers use the bearing to sink vibrations away from the cartridge. I'm sure Walker and the JC designer have other methods for dealing with platter vibrations. IMHO, it is alot like the debate in another thread about what is the best drive design and as Thom pointed out to me about suspension vs non-suspension designs. It all comes down to how well the complete design is implemented.