I don't think you are understanding what I am saying. I spent 30 pages on a article I wrote just on "how a shock works"
https://www.m2shocks.com/how-a-shock-works I don't think you can fairly have a conversation on a forum and put the "full context" into a conversation.
FWIW There are three rules I use:
1. The shock cannot break, leak, or otherwise "fail". In the first thousand shocks we sold, ONLY ONE was delivered with an operational failure. Nothing made me more mad than working for a company that delivered shocks that had "oil weeping" on a consistent basis only for the engineer/designer to say, "Yeah, that is normal...see we use this "special coating" on the shaft and it promotes less stiction"...that is pure bull hockey.
2. The assembly process must pro actively address long term operation reliability. Everything from the lubricants and assembly oils we use are designed so that the shock works as long as it can. We use competitors assembly lubricants, because they work! It is funny, because the manufacturer of our assembly lube...the technicians that put together their shocks don't like it "because it is not slick enough" and won't use it. We have found it is an excellent long term lubricant. To be more specific, many guys like the Silkolene RG-2 grease for assembly as it breaks down in the oil easily so you don't have "clumps of grease" inside the shock. We only use that grease on a few areas because the grease will break down too easily when introduced to oil. The same can be said for many of the popular Moly Grease assembly lubricants.
3. The product must perform.
On item 2, I could go on for hours about assembly lubes and the discussion would be boring and so anal-retentive...no one would care, but again, it is (IMO) those details that are the most important.
So if you think "I am on a high horse". I am not. I love talking shop, but a conversation on a Forum cannot catch the full breadth or context of a complete conversation.