I took out the original bearings out of my Aus10a Demko AD 20.5 (with Liners) and replaced them with these.
The action does not get gritty when cutting through sandbags or other sandy/dusty environments.
The trade offs are minimal in that they stay cleaner longer without sacrificing too much as far as "Action" goes. The lock up is solid even with aftermarket scales*.
I even recommended these to a friend and he seems equally as happy swapping out the bearings of his 20.5.
*I have after market scales (Rock Scale Designs) on my 20.5 that require steel race washers (To prevent bearings from eroding the titanium.) I kept the race washers in the pivot along with the the new PB washers and the knife still kept a solid lock up with no blade side to side or front to back.
***If you have aftermarket scales that require steel race washers then KEEP THEM IN THE PIVOT. Other than that, if you have the original liners installed, the swap should be a breeze.***