Gifted - huh. Not half as gifted as I want to be, as I wouldn't have stuffed up the bearing retainers.
Regarding your hubs, I wouldn't regard myself as qualified to give advice, but one thing is that greased bearings have a run-in period, becoming smoother with time. And yes, seals can also stuff performance to some extent, so make sure the grooves in which the seals run are clean and oiled. Bearing pre-tension is even more important- make sure the bearings aren't so stiff that they are binding.