How do you tell by looking at it what type you have?
8 ways also have a square gate kern. Octo's are more of a spoil of sorts that are optional at times.
Usually a 4 way is a round gate or square gate rotated to a diamond shape.


The white spacer inside the shaft is wearing out. That's common in HAPP sticks. Temporary solutions: flip the white spacer over or remove the e-clip and add a small washer to the end. Ultimately you need to replace it or just get a Sanwa.Ahh, I think I got it now.
These Happ sticks are just really mushy in the corners, and the range is super tiny for triggering both switches. It's hard to tell when you have the exact diagonal.