The bearings that I had an issue with were Peer brand, but these were small, 1" diameter bearings. They were middle of the road in price. The Max VIII came with all Peer bearings as the inners. I have two Peer outers, and I ordered their "equivalents" on line from thebigbearingstore.com. I THOUGHT they were shipping me Peers, but instead sent me KMLs. At $11 a piece, I won't complain until they're field tested.
I have to go back down to RI tomorrow, and I'm sure they'll give me some Peer units for the last couple bearings I'm lacking. I've had a lot of luck with the Timken-Fafnir units for a lot of machines, but they really go up in cost quickly. The only issue I've had with the Peer units on Big 5 were the locking collars. Lots and lots of time in the water, mud, ice and the bearings themselves held up well. I don't think they're a bad brand by any stretch. RI wouldn't be putting them on machines unless they're a proven quantity.
~m