I bookmarked that old thread several years ago thinking that the information may be useful at some point in the future.
As for the 698, yes it has its weaknesses. As I'm sure you know, their intention with the headshell mount arrangement was to reduce effective mass and they were successful in that regard. Unfortunately, it didn't stand the test of time. I believe that the key is to tighten the collar no more than required to make good electrical contact. Tightening any more than that risks snapping off the plastic mount.
The cueing does tend to become gunked up but it's usually not too hard to correct. When not used for a while, my 698 cueing is very slow but cycling it up and down a few time is usually all it needs. One day I'll open it up and tend to it properly. The controls are also fairly straightforward. The one CMOS device is still available today. When working properly, the 698 cueing is as gentle as any that I have used. The end of record lift also works very well although it can be a little finicky to set up.
So yes, the 698 is somewhat fragile but with gentle use, it can be relatively trouble free.
