May. 27, 2011 4:52 AM
I wrote a simple guide on how to choose a Clear Wheel in "build me a combo". The point of this thread is to help people decide what clear wheel to use when making a combo. It should hopefully save a lot of people asking a lot of questions 
Keep in mind, CW's are probably the last thing you should choose. They're pretty much the most minor part of a beyblade:
But, when you've built that combo, and aren't sure what to use, this should help you decide.
th!nk's Relatively Simple Guide to CW choice:
Hope that helps
FWIW, I cleared it with Kai-V before posting this, as I wasn't totally sure it was worthwhile
An important note because I wish to clear up a common misconception: OTHER than mold differences, parts from different manufacturers (hasbro/tt/sonokong) are generally identical weight wise. Yeah, what everyone says about hasbro CW's being heavier is wrong. That's come from one early set of erratic weights. Look at the weights of MFB document, and look at the heaviest weights for each part (they'll be about .2g heavier or something), and notice they're all by the same person, who never weighed TT parts. Weird, huh? Because it's an error.
Thanks Arupaeo for pointing that out.

Keep in mind, CW's are probably the last thing you should choose. They're pretty much the most minor part of a beyblade:
Consider it this way, here’s a list of the importance of/differences made by the various parts of a beyblade: (Click to View)
Quote:The facebolt: Plastic, Metal, MF-2. Difference of up to 4.2g, Noticeable effect on Stamina, Defence, and Recoil.Honestly, it would be more reasonable to ask us to "Build [you] a combo using a normal facebolt". That’s a far more important thing than a clear wheel.
MW: Hugely important, weight, shape, spin direction, arguably most important part.
Track: Again, Hugely important, Height is a huge factor for all combo’s, defense (especially in the case of 230 or bd145), and weight.
Bottom: Determines the movement, stamina, defensive ability, grip. Again, huge.
Clear Wheel: Unless it’s getting in the way of attack types, the main effect is on weight distribution and weight, however, the weight difference between a Hasbro Aquario (the heaviest) and Gemios (the lightest) is little over 1g.
The effect of weight distribution and spin time is similarly small. Again, Facebolt choice has a larger effect, as does pretty much every other part.
But, when you've built that combo, and aren't sure what to use, this should help you decide.
th!nk's Relatively Simple Guide to CW choice:
I Wrote:Simple Version:
Attack: Choose something where it doesn't get in the way.
Stamina: Choose something that's weight distribution doesn't screw up the balance.
Defense: Choose the Heaviest CW possible.
Longer Explanations:
Long Explanation of Attack CW choice (Click to View)The former should be obvious by it not jutting out ahead of an impact point or above a slope (Aquila and Gemios jut in front of Vulcan's impact points, most CW's block Screw's slopes. This is an example of what to avoid).
With painted wheels, impact points will be where the pain chips the most, But really, you should be able to see it anyway. If something looks like it's gonna be hitting the opponent, make sure it can. Metal hits harder than plastic (lower elasticity etc), so you want to let it make contact.
An excellent example of this is Perseus Attack: compared to the other Perseus CW's, it has been tested and shown to improve results. Same with Choosing Counter mode on Perseus Normal/Def.
If it's not getting in the way, you can really use whatever you want, as it won't make a huge difference.Less important note on the benefits of awkardly shaped CW's for attack (Click to View)ControL_ explained to me (and I hope he doesn't mind me posting) that an awkwardly distributed, and non-aerodynamic CW is good for attack types, and I agree. Byxis is a good example of that, especially on Vulcan, where it also reveals the major impact points excellently. Again, the distribution and aerodynamics doesn't make a huge difference, but if you're looking for a little extra or you don't mind not using your favourite CW, you may as well go for it.
Appendix A: CW Dependent Wheels (Click to View)Okay, quick addition. The two main wheels that are really affected by CW choice are Vulcan and Screw. For Vulcan, Byxis, Horuseus, and Giraffe are by far the best options. For Screw, only use Pisces or Horogium.
Stamina CW Choice Explanation (Click to View)Here, you want to choose a CW with a good weight distribution.
This is still hard to show in testing because there's only a few seconds difference between good CW's. Yamislayer discussed this HERE
Still, when choosing this, you have to take into account the Metal Wheel’s shape and distribution. We have always traditionally suggested Bull, and it IS great, BUT at that time, Stamina MW’s balanced well with it. Now we have Hell, which doesn’t have a perfectly equal weight distribution when used with Bull. As such, Kerbecs is a logical choice, (though theoretically, any 3-sided/divisible CW should be fine).
Any more than matching the sides for balance, and choosing a CW that isn’t terribly un-aerodynamic, is very minor.
As I said before, Yamislayer has argued that it’s almost impossible to test the differences reliably (read that post I linked, it's excellent). It’s extremely hard without a way to moderate RPM for each launch, and remove other tiny factors like the breeze etc.
In a tourney, Launch Power, Technique, and Tip Condition are probably more likely to make the difference.
CW weight for Defence (Click to View)The differences between the weight of the heaviest CW's (Bull, Kerbecs, Aquario), and indeed most CW's, is a matter of tenths of grams. This is a tiny fraction of a beyblades weight, and rather inconsequential.
The only way to tell for sure which of your clear wheels is heaviest is by weighing them on a suitable set of scales (accurate to at least .1 of a gram).
In general, you should use Bull, Kerbecs, or Aquario. If choosing between them, use the information contained in the stamina section about balancing with the MW to decide.
An extra note on Aquario, it may be ever so slightly lighter than Bull (though it is so narrow, it is not impossible to find a heavier Aquario), but it does have an advantage in it's extremely even weight distribution, which means it balances well with most MW's.
Arupaeo raised an excellent point, the idea that "Hasbro parts are Heavier" is a total myth, based on a set of erratic measurements, so brand should not be a consideration when choosing CW's.
Hope that helps

FWIW, I cleared it with Kai-V before posting this, as I wasn't totally sure it was worthwhile

An important note because I wish to clear up a common misconception: OTHER than mold differences, parts from different manufacturers (hasbro/tt/sonokong) are generally identical weight wise. Yeah, what everyone says about hasbro CW's being heavier is wrong. That's come from one early set of erratic weights. Look at the weights of MFB document, and look at the heaviest weights for each part (they'll be about .2g heavier or something), and notice they're all by the same person, who never weighed TT parts. Weird, huh? Because it's an error.
Thanks Arupaeo for pointing that out.