First You can say that the stronger the steel is the harder it is but you can't say the harder it is that stronger it is. At a point it becomes brittle and loses all strength.
Second - Ball bearing HAVE to be strong and MUST resist deformation - Warped bearings aren't a good thing. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Yes the latter is possible through HT and quenching but it is not the norm. Under regular circumstances if each were HT'd to their best final outcome - S60V is the stronger steel.
I keep reading this but I'm not sure I follow it or agree with it completely...I would need to do some research. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I believe it is stating that S60V HT'd to a hardness of 56, while softer than the ATS-34 at hardness of 60, will still have better wear resistance. Which goes with what I was saying because I think WR is a function of strength. And since strength and hardness go hand in hand to a certain point - it is possible to make the ATS-34 stronger than S60V by HT. Whew! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
"S60V, even at 56 Rc, still has more and harder carbides than ATS-34 at 60 Rc, and thus the S60V is more wear resistant, while the ATS-34 would be stronger."
