I’m having trouble finding a supplier w/ the 10mm x500mm(L) rods for reasonable price. Looked at metric drill rod but not sure if that’s good enough? Anyone have a good/reputable option from AliExpress? Could order from Misumi but the price is pretty eye watering…
http://www.tekro.ro/index.php?route=product/category&path=63
a romanian online store with absolutely decent prices; I tegulary buy fro them. The stuff is from China, you can buy it also from Aliexpress. I used to buy fom Ali but it’s faster for me to buy directly from Romania with a reasonable markup.
I wouldn’t buy from a super cheap supplier for <10mm rod, but maybe 10mm rod is easy enough to get straight.
But “Enco” is a good low-cost industrial supplier, not sure how much cheaper than Misumi. Check out if their prices are acceptable, and make a decision pro-con vs going with a china supplier.
Sometimes you can call MSC-Industrial and price match with Enco (they might even be the same company, I never really figured that out)
The side rod concentricity is critical. Don’t skimp on them. The center cross rods have more leniency.
Alrighty, guess Misumi it is…
Try vxb bearing. Very cheap and precise
@Blake_Dunham just looked, doesn’t appear any more economical than Misumi? Cheap is Swm3D but won’t see them for several weeks as they are out of stock and won’t have any for a week or more
Just got an email from Roy in regards to the Azteeg X5 and a delay in shipping. Mine has been ordered since the V3 was released (May) but still hasn’t shipped, sooo… Guess I got time to wait for SWM3D to get stock in 
Yeah vxb and misumi are pretty comparable. I will say though, vxb and much faster at shipped.
I just ordered all my rods from Aliexpress, I’ll take some measurements and let you know how they are. Eric, wouldn’t the bearings have a greater effect on concentricity than the rod itself? I bought some koyo bearings and compared them with cheap skateboard bearings and it’s night and day with regards to the play in the bearings.
@Sean_B I just mean that since the side rods translate motion laterally as well as rotate to power the opposing axis (X/Y) that the must remain highly concentric along the length. If the are eccentric, when they rotate that will translate that cyclical motion into the cross rods and hence into the hotend.
@Eclsnowman yeah, that makes sense, in that case concentricity would have a stronger effect than the bearings.