How important is low W & F performance anyway?

@phoenixengr. I tend to agree with you.  Viscous pre-loading of the drive can be beneficial as it damps the bearing and by extension the platter. But perhaps more importantly, it damps any tendency of motor to oscillate about the synchronous speed when presented with a sudden change in load, torque demand. 

Cheers. 

I think the earliest version of the 301 did use a grease lubricated bearing which then became the eddy current brake that RB describes.  301 aficionados may correct me if I am wrong.  Some 301 cognoscenti seek out the grease bearing version ahead of the later version.

@phoenixengr 

With regard to the Garrard 301, it has always been my understanding one of the purposes of the eddy brake was simply to load the motor and push the operation of the motor higher up the torque curve. One would assume that it would increase the resistance to stylus drag, but obviously does not eliminate speed variations.

One would assume that it would increase the resistance to stylus drag, but obviously does not eliminate speed variations.

This is what I addressed in my previous post.  Why would it change the resistance to stylus drag?  Unless the brake is operating close to the stall torque where the curve is starting to flatten any changes in drag (torque) will show up as a change in speed.

@phoenixengr 

Unless the brake is operating close to the stall torque where the curve is starting to flatten any changes in drag (torque) will show up as a change in speed.

I recall reading some years ago, in one of the English hifi mags, in an article about the Garrard, the torque curve was published, and the suggestion was that the motor was pushed into operating at a point at which the torque curve was flattening off. This is where I got my understanding around the eddy brake.