I’ve never had and issue with the linear rails rusting in all the years I’ve been 3D printing. But I do live in a drier temperate climate also. But dust will eat the seals up very quickly as well. If rust is a worrisome issue, hard chromed linear rods are also easily available to prevent any worry about rust. And they would outlast the the non-chrome rails significantly. That’s what I use.

As always YMMV

It’s not so much about lubrication as it is about trying to prevent seal wear. When the wiper seal gets worn and can no longer keep the dust and grit out, the rolling elements have little time left.

If the bearing as lubricated correctly at installation time, it should never need re-lubrication. But it’s important to keep the rail surfaces clean. And it’s amazing just how dusty those rails can get and just how abrasive that dust is on the bearings.

I don’t lube the rails, it attracts too much dust. But I do wiper the rails periodically. I replaced the linear rod bearings and rods on my old and trusty Mk3s+ after almost 3500 hours of operation this last winter. Though I should have probably done it a bit sooner.

For PLA and PETG, I like MatterHacker, though I have been buying some Voxel PLA lately and that’s been pretty good stuff too. Voxel does run sales that get the price down to $15/$16US a kilo.

For ABS/ASA, I’m still using a the same kilo of Zyltech ABS I bought 5 or 6 years ago. And I still haven’t used 200g yet. I did dig it out this weekend to print a couple dozen custom cable clips for my boat with it though.

I don’t own one - yet. But I have spent a good amount of time reading about users experiences with the brand. They seem to be pretty decent. The company offers good support and works to solve product issues. And users seem to be genuinely positive in their overall comments.

Just from my own research, they seem to be kind of a hidden gem that no one notices. I think it wouldn’t be wasted time for you to take a closer look them. I just need to talk myself into believing the carbon fiber rods on the X-Smart3 are fine. As always: YMMV

Use metal fasteners. Plastic fasteners are too weak for your application. The shear and tensile strength of plastic is quite low.

The issue is Crealty makes price point products. Maybe you get a good one or an OK one, a kind of bad one, or a dumpster fire. And there is no way to know what you are going to get, to get the results any one user is expecting - even if you consult Tarot Cards…And add in the total lack of support it can be more than a little bit of a gamble to buy.

My personal opinion is, if money is that tight that’s the best you can afford, then you can’t really afford cheap - let alone the ongoing costs of 3D printing, (upgrades, repairs, and filament ain’t free). And since it’s very often new users looking to get into the hobby, (which is great), they have no idea just what the learning curve is like when things go wrong. And how fussy it can be to make those failures go away. That shiny new cheap printer that provided that quick dopamine hit when you first unboxed it, can quickly become a point of never ending frustration and a bit of a money sink for a new user.

Overall, buy what you like. I’m certainly not paying for it. But not a lot of people have ever regretted the “Buy once, cry one” approach.

And that can be a very valid reason to enjoy the hobby.

Nicely done! That’s a far better place for it anyway.