I'm getting some ABEC 5 bearings, but I don't know if I need them sealed or shielded. Right now I'm a beginner so I'm just cruising with the occasional hill if that makes a difference in what I need.
Get ones with removable shields. If the bearings are sealed, you can't clean or lube them, so you throw them out and get new ones.
Some people mistakenly call shields as seals. No one actually uses seals on skates or boards, they create too much drag. If the drag wasn't there, they would be great since they would actually keep water out. It doesn't matter if you get bearings with metal shields or the neoprene coated ones (more likely to be mistakenly called seals. The neoprene ones are all removable for cleaning and lubricating. Most metal shields are removable but occasionally you find non serviceable bearings that have shields that are permanently staked in place. With some work, you can remove the shields on non serviceable bearings by destroying one of them. You only need one shield that is the side of the bearing you see from the outside.
