Gear diff/Ball diff
In theory there should be no difference, no pun intended!
A gear diff cannot slip under load whereas a ball diff can due to the very small contact patch between each ball and thrust plate, they are lubricated too!
The reason they 'feel' different when driving is because the ball diff IS slipping even when tightened down hard, the evidence to this is the maintenance required to replace the washers due to 'grooving' and pitting and the balls because they have become micro-faceted from slipping.
Using ceramic balls prolongs the ball life but the rings still suffer!
The initial tightening down also initiates pitting of the rings as they are relatively soft compared to steel and more so with ceramic balls.
It was interesting when discussing gear diff oil viscosity with a Schumacher member recently that they had reduced the recommended viscosity dramatically from their original build instructions to get closer to the ball diff handling 'feel' but of course a gear diff can never feel the same.
So it is down to preference when driving along with the acceptance that maintenance will always be the bane of the ball diff if this is the choice!
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