Players in the linked Reddit thread are quick to point out that a much larger sample size is needed for a conclusive statement, and Bungie’s official response is that the item in question is bugged on Mercury and will be patched. However, many players are calling first and foremost for numbers on what the item is supposed to do; based on the limited data sets available, the consensus appears to be that the effect of these items is tiny (or nonexistent) and would require a very large sample to effectively determine. So welcome to Monday, Destiny 2 fans; here’s another part of the game that isn’t working right and doesn’t appear to be very fun.
Source: Reddit; thanks to Danny for the tip!