Balancing a dob has more to do with where the centre of gravity, COG, of the scope than stickion, and the diameter of the altitude bearings has an effect too.
If the COG is very close to the geometric centre of the OTA, then the balance of the instrument will be very sensitive. If the bearing diameter is small too, this is even more so the case. Sure you can compensate for changes in balance by using some type of braking mechanism, but the trade off is the scope becomes harder to move. It can also add the complication of backlash. Many folks, instead of using a braking mechanism because of the constant change in moveabilty, use a large magnet that they then slide up and down the tube to compensate for the change in balance.
If the COG is really low, making the thing bum heavy, the amount of change in weight up at the top end is a lot less sensitive. Particularly if the bearings are really large in diameter.
I'll give you two examples with two of my scopes: My 8" dob uses a commercially made solid tube OTA. Its COG is pretty much dead on to the geometric centre. This makes it a real bugger to balance with any change in eyepiece. I use a magnet and a velcro strap to help control the balance issue. My 17.5" dob that I designed and built myself has a very low COG. The diameter of the altitude bearings is 80cm. I can use a tiny eyepiece and then switch to a huge 1kg piece of glass and she stays put! No braking mechanisms, and her movements are silky smooth.
Stickion is a term that was created to describe the relationship of the ideal movement in a scope. It should be easy to move and have no backlash. To get the scope to start moving it there should be just enough resistance so that once the resistance is overcome, it happens with the slightest "pop" and then the force needed to keep it moving should be very little. Stickion should be a constant force, not a changing one that will happen if there is a braking mechanism on the scope.
The two pics are of these two scopes of mine I've mentioned. The only way with the 8" I have of not altering its "stickion" properties is by shifting the magnet. Otherwise if I just rely on the braking mechanism, the constant changing of the friction properties of the scope would make it a trying task during the night. Yet because of the design of the 17.5", balance is never a problem.
Stickion also refers to the property of Teflon sliding over laminates. That it IS slippery running over highly textured laminate is what makes this combination the materials of choice. BUT, unless the designer of the scope doesn't understand both this property and the mechanical properties of a dob, then the resulting scope will have both balance and ease of movement problems. In fact, we even WAX our laminate bearing surfaces to make them even MORE slippery! But, unless your scope is finely tuned, you will always have an unrulely instrument. Even waxed, my 17.5" dob doesn't loose its balance regardless of the eyepieces I'm using, and the bearings are the Teflon/laminate combination. Off course there is a limit to this capacity of my big dob, but I've also got design elements built into it to deal with eyepieces larger than 1kg,
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When people talk about balancing a Dob (any size), what are they referring to? 
