Friction tuners are authentic in the quaint, old fashioned sort of way an ice box is more authentic than a refrigerator. Or a wax recording is more authentic than a digital CD. Or a Model T is more authentic than a Smart Car. Or Al Jolson is more authentic than Jason Mrazz. Or bleeding as a medical treatment is more authentic than antibiotics.
Not better, mind you, just older. But old fashioned does not convey better or more efficient.
Friction tuners are what most stringed instruments started with, so some people believe that's what you should still use on ukuleles. Few, if any, guitar players would agree, even though that's what guitars began with, too. It's like saying all cars should still have a hand crank on the front of every engine because that's what cars started with. But ukuleles, like cars and humans, have all evolved from their primeval state.
Friction tuner aficionados are the creationists of the ukiverse. Geared tuner fans are the Darwinians. As a modernist and pro-science guy, I am stoutly in the Darwinian geared-tuner camp, myself.
Geared tuners offer two main advantages aside from being more modern:
- They slip less.
- They can tune strings a very small amount, so are easier to use and more efficient.
But don't leave out the fashion aspect. Friction tuners seem to come in white, off white, eggshell, ivory and cream colours. Geared tuners come in red, black, green, blue, amber, silver, bone, gold, ivory, rosewood, yellow, ebony, mother or pearl, chrome, clear, anodized, brass, cream, and probably several other colours and materials I have yet to discover.
When re-stringing a uke (or guitar), a $2 string winder can make geared tuners turn very quickly. There is no similar accessory for friction tuners.
ALL tuners require periodic maintenance. Cleaning and oiling - even sealed gears and friction tuners. See
Tune Up Your Gears for details.