I have a set of Schertlers on my Eastman Pagelli and they are, without question (IMO), superior to Waverlies. The Schertlers literally act like Gotoh 510 sealed tuners...smooth as glass, no discernable lash, just top flight.
I have had 2 sets of Waverlies (on 2 different Collings) and both sets were disappointing in their operation.
Bruce is exactly right on the cause of the Waverly binding issue. Both sets I owned had that issue.
PS. I fully understand not wanting to put Schertlers on a "traditional" looking acoustic guitar (like a Franklin as mentioned in this thread). As far sealed Gotoh 510's, there a zillion button options out there...I am NOT a fan of the standard 510 button, it's just very odd to me.
Here's a nice option...small snakewood buttons from John Buscarino. The tuners are Gotoh 510 minis (18:1 ratio) in Cosmo Black and X-Gold (Satin)
Or boxwood buttons from Tone Ninja:
