There are many different gear types and manufacturers for AEG's out there.
First step is explaining about AEG gear ratio.
To make it simple, the gear ratio is the number of turns the motor makes to cycle the piston.
The standard gear set is 18:1, meaning the motor head (bevel gear) will turn 18 times to fire one shot.
Gear Ratio Options
Ratio | Classification | Details |
9:1 | DSG (Ultra High Cycle) | Extremely high rate of fire, but wears out faster. |
13:1 | High Cycle | Faster rate of fire. |
16:1 | Standard | Standard Rate of fire, similar to most standard AEG's. |
18:1 | Standard | Standard Rate of Fire, often found in Tokyo Marui Guns. |
32:1 | High Torque | Less cycling than standard, but stronger. |
100:200 | Petite High Torque | Reduced load on bearings and case, accepts regular full-tooth pistons. |
100:300 | Strong High Torque | Significantly reduced load. |
When you begin to delve into the gearbox, I cannot stress enough that you should document it from the moment you open it. Take a picture as a reference in case you forget how to put put it back. This is something I have seen a lot of.
When choosing your gears, you need to think about the type of motor that will be powering them, the piston, how fast you want to be shooting etc.
It is not as simple as thinking "I want my gun to shoot faster" and then buying a set of 9:1 gears and putting them in a stock gearbox. Speeding up the firing means the shims/bearings, piston, piston head and motor will wear out faster. This can also damage and warm a stock gearbox.
As a general rule of thumb, it is better to upgrade the internals as a set rather than have a poor result later. I have seen cracked gearboxes from wrong parts being used together. I have even seen gears broken due to either too much torque or speed on either cheap gears, or wrong parts installed.
Not only is having the right parts essential to maintaining the quality and consistent shooting speed, but it also keeps money in your wallet. In many social media groups, you see people bragging about firing a large number of BB's per second. One I saw was able to fire 58 per second. But while this borderline laser shooting seems fun, it does mean that reloading will be more often, wear and tear will significantly increase, as well as many more problem that will come in the near future.
Finding the right balance between shooting speeds, is down to individual preference.
High-Torque Gears
High-torque gears for airsoft guns have fewer teeth, and a deeper engagement, meaning the gears deliver the necessary torque to pull back stronger springs. This in turn will reduce your rate of fire, but allow you to pull a stronger spring back without stressing the motor too much. A way to mitigate this is to install a high-torque motor to compliment the gear setup. This is especially important if you have an AEG DMR (designated marksman rifle) build, as you will need higher torque gears, motor and steel tooth piston to accommodate the stronger spring.
High-Speed Gears
High speed gears have a much lower motor to gear cycle ratio. Since high-speed gear sets generally have more teeth than high torque gears, you will get a higher rate of fire from the same motor than using the standard 18:1 ratio gears. This setup is typically used for an AR or SMG type of setup.
When you begin to customise these aspects, be sure to do your research, ask store staff for advice or even ask us and we will help.
Note: Gears are often marked with a stamp to indicate their ratio.
You should not mix gears of different sets unless you are an advanced user with significant tuning knowledge.
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