yeah, you need to tighten it up after riding it for a bit--I think you put much more force on the cog while riding than you do when installing the first time.
as for hub smoothness, I'm not one to say, gyeswho, how good phils are--all I know is that people absolutely love them. (shrugs) that doesn't mean nothing, though, because people love all sorts of irrationally expensive things.