My kicker is somewhat random as well, and I may try to adjust it. It fairly reliably launches the ball over into the "POWER" targets, and I have seen no plastic shavings. I know it's got some power behind it because I accidentally tripped the switch when I was adjusting something else, and it banged into my finger pretty good. I would think that the other factor would be the adjustment on the switch itself: if it is gapped very tight, so that it trips soon after being brushed by the ball, the plunger will fire prematurely and contact the ball near the end of its travel. If you make the gap wide so that it trips after it has rolled over the majority of the switch, it will likely strike the ball only partway through it's travel, imparting more kinetic energy.

Hope this helps!