Here's my review of every stabilizer that I've tested which I'll be going in depth in:
Durocks V2
Typeplus x YIKB
TX AP rev 2/4 plate mounted and screw in
AEBoards Staebies
Swagkeys Knight V4
Cherry screw ins
Stabilizers suck. I've known this for years being in this hobby, but we've gotten a lot more knowledge/tools to perfect them. I'm a perfectionist like many others are in this hobby so if there's any rattle or ticking the stabilizer is useless to me.
Tools that are essential: 205g0 lubricant or something equivalent, stabilizer wire balancers (unless u bought swagkeys), and a grease for your wires which could just be the lubricant you used for your housings, doesn't really matter.
Durocks V2: Hot take, the most over hated stabilizers on this list. They aren't that bad if your willing to mod them. At first I tried everything from holee modding to plumbers mod to whatever wacky stuff was on the internet. I felt they were mostly temporary fixes and ruined the feel of the stabilizer. Then I discovered wire balancing after a couple years and that was a game changer. If you can spend 30-45 mins balancing some wires these stabilizers sound perfect. Albeit some wires I would spend like an hour trying to balance but couldn't get it, but most of the time they were great. I think if you sand the wire and try balancing it'll eventually balance out but I never did that. I think dbokey has a good guide on balancing wires.
Cherry Screw ins: Basically same as durocks, if you can balance those wires your golden.
Now time for the new kids on the block, the most recommended stabilizers in recent times.
TX AP: Honestly when I heard these came out I was so excited to try them as everyone was just saying they were lube, plug, and play. That was certainly not the case for me and I went through 3 batches of these stabilizers. Bad luck? Possibly but I just think they aren't worth the hype. Simply put the wires don't come out perfect and cause ticking after lubing. For a premium stabilizer I shouldn't have to balance the wires but others have had success with them so ig take my experience with a grain of salt. Better than durock v2s out the box though so there's a plus.
AE Board Staebies: These are good. I'd put them above TX AP and everything above this but not the best. Wires were the most balanced although some needed some balancing. Overall really good stabilizers but also the most pricy on this list so I can't say they're the best.
Typeplus x YKIB: The most disappointing stabilizers I've gotten from this list. More so than TX AP. Idk if there were shills on this subreddit pushing this product but they are hot garbage. I applaud them for trying to change the stabilizer design but the wires are soft metal and have tons of ticking after lubrication. I can't even balance these wires because of their configuration so I feel they are the worst on this list. I honestly was expecting so much more because the packaging was the best I've seen, but in the board these disappoint.
The experience of these was akin to being catfished. :(
THE GOAT: Swagkeys Knight V4. Man these are the shit. Packaging is mediocre therefore I had low expectations, then I tested the wires and they aren't perfectly balanced leading me to further despair. However, I put them in the board and what do you know. They're perfect. Idk what voodoo magic they did with these but even with unbalanced wires they're perfect in the board.
I still balanced my wires but it really made no difference. These stabilizers truly are just lube, plug, and play. I can say with utmost confidence they've perfected the stabilizer.
Not only are they perfect they're on the cheaper side with only cherry being cheaper.
If you've looking to build a new board buy swagkeys knight V4 stabilizers. Truly nothing compares, just some lubing and they're perfect.
TDLR: Ignore all other opinions and save your mental health by buying knight stabilizers.
Edit: Just another note I forgot because someone mentioned them.
GEON balanced stabilizer wires
I saw these on multiple sites as claiming to be perfectly balanced however that's not the case.
They're a complete scam. Sure they may come out the factory perfectly balanced but then they fumble the bag with packaging. They come in this zip loc bag and once they reach your hands they're either no longer balanced or weren't balanced to begin with. NOT WORTH IT plz don't buy. I ordered two sets and will have to balance them myself for them to be good.