SE may have different criteria for speed than players. For instance, perhaps they want the equipment changes to appear on the model. Before they consider it "done." Then perhaps 1second is as fast as they can get.

OP is mischaracterizing a problem with the macro system (fixed wait between lines even without a wait command) and one with stal and macros (which SE may have fixed now) as a problem with equipset. There is no problem with equipset per se.