The Bearingizer may be the tool of choice when the following conditions exist:

• Parts with thin walls — Bearingizing eliminates barrel-shaping of the part.
• Parts with irregular wall thicknesses — the Bearingizing tool will produce a very round hole, whereas the Roll-a-Finish® tool might generate a slightly egg-shaped hole, due to variations in wall thickness.
• Applications where porosity is an issue (e.g., oil-impregnated bearings) — the smaller “footprint” of the Bearingizing roll leaves pores in the surface intact.
• Applications where very tight tolerances must be held — the Bearingizer reduces springback in the work surface material. The Bearingizing tool can, in some materials and with proper part preparation, hold size as close as ±.0001 inch (.002mm), while the Roll-a-Finish tool can achieve tolerances of ±.00025 inch (.006mm).

Where the above conditions do not exist, the Roll-a-Finish® tool would generally be the tool of choice, for two reasons:

1. The relatively wide adjustment range of the Roll-a-Finish tool, which is typically .040 inch (1.01mm), and
2. The ease of adjustment, with the castellated adjusting collar on the Roll-a-Finish tool.

The Bearingizing tool features a greater number of rolls, and rolls of a smaller diameter, as compared to the Roll-a-Finish tool, and can only be adjusted by change of rolls. The Bearingizer also requires a closer presize than the Roll-a-Finish tool.

Where the above conditions do exist, the Bearingizing tool should be considered. While the Roll-a-Finish Tool increases surface hardness by about 5 to 10%, Bearingizing increases hardness by 10 to 30%, but with less surface penetration.