Despite the new braided wire, it seems like my TE2+ still has issues. Last night after an hour long GG session, my stick just stopped registering all inputs despite still being connected and all the lights being on. This has happened before, but I wasn't sure if it was a hardware problem or a wire disconnect.
Definitely sours me on future MCZ products, and I'll probably just import an HRAPV now with Sanwa parts and use that as my primary stick. A quick google search shows that other people have had this problem, but I didn't see any solutions so I'd rather not continue using a stick that can randomly give out on me at any moment.