Gears are where you trade speed for torque, or vice versa. Pick the wrong ratio and your rifle either bogs down on heavy springs or burns through batteries on light ones.

Every AEG gearbox contains three gears (bevel, spur, and sector) that translate motor rotation into piston compression. The ratio of those gears — how many motor turns produce one full piston cycle — determines whether the rifle is optimised for speed (higher rate of fire, light spring loads) or torque (lower RPS but able to drive heavier springs without slowing down). Three standard ratios cover most builds: high-speed (16:1 or lower), standard (18:1), and high-torque (32:1 or higher).

Picking the right ratio. High-speed gears (e.g. 13:1 or 16:1) suit speedsoft and CQB builds running M90-M100 springs with high-torque or high-speed motors — high RPS, low battery drain, but they'll bog down on M120+ springs. Standard gears (18:1) are the stock factory ratio — balanced for general skirmish use across most spring weights. High-torque gears (32:1 or 100:200 ratio) suit DMR and sniper builds running M130+ springs — lower RPS but the gearbox handles heavy springs without overstressing the motor.

Brand-wise. SHS is the value-end gear standard — reliable hardened steel gears at sensible prices, the default for most upgrade builds. Lonex sits in the mid-tier with consistently better tolerances. ZCI offers competitive value with multiple ratio options. Prometheus is the premium end — precision-ground gears for high-end builds where every microsecond of consistency matters. Match the gears to the rest of your gearbox — high-speed gears with a stock motor and 11.1V LiPo are the classic setup that breaks pistons in two months because nothing else in the gearbox is rated for that combination.

💡 Titan Forge tip: Don't upgrade gears in isolation. Changing the gear ratio shifts the load on every other component — motor, spring, piston, anti-reversal latch all need to be matched to the new ratio. If you're going high-speed, also expect to upgrade the motor (high-speed needs high-torque or high-speed motor) and reinforce the piston (polycarbonate piston with all-metal teeth). Otherwise the whole gearbox is fighting itself.