I'm having some weird performance with my new gears, why?
When getting your gears, please inspect them for plastic ‘flashing’. Plastic flashing is small amounts of plastic that squeeze out of the injection spots and stick to the surface of the gear. Usually a small razor blade and a few seconds of scraping can get rid of most flashing (But be careful not to cut into the gear!). Below are a few pictures of flashing that can happen and are easily remedied with some light shaving. Flashing is an absolutely normal side effect of mold injection plastic and when shaved away will have no effect on the performance. (often times you dont even have to scrape it away and it will wear away after a few hours of play also).
Why do you say the gears will restore the stick to a 7-8 out of 10?
While the gears are new and can restore most firmness to your joystick there are other parts that wear down. The Bowl and stick can also wear down over time giving a lose feel. Replacing the gears is usually the easiest and most noticeable way to return stiffness to the control stick but to get a full 10 out of 10 you’d mostly like need a brand new bowl and stick as well and even then there’s no guarantee of absolutely no movement as I think even brand new stock OEM controllers have a small amount of movement. Either way the gears will restore a very good amount of usability to your current joystick.
Do you sell new bowls and sticks?
At this moment I do not. The molds are quite expensive but I am considering a Kickstarter to help get the molds made and then carry sticks and bowls.
Do I need to use Lubrication with the gears? What kinds?
You are not required to use any Lubrication with your gears but it is highly recommended. Proper Lubrication and give your gears a smoother feel and will prolong their life. I recommend Superlube (tiny 1ml tubes are available here on the site) or I have also used white lithium grease in the past (safe for plastic) which can be found at most home improvement stores (I used the Lucas brand). I prefer superlube now as it is ‘food grade’ which doesnt mean you can eat it, but means if you happen to have a tiny smidge on your hand and you eat something you probably aren’t going to get sick or die or anything like that. Safer is always better right?