This one sat on a shelf, unbagged, in a climate-controlled room, for an unknown period of time. It seems to spin fine, not crunchy or gummy (low resistance).

It sounds like the overall words to heed with sealed units are: With no crank attached, spin the spindle and assess whether things are smooth or gummy (should be obvious, eh?) and if gummy, move right along?

Thanks as always for the feedback.