Chinese Spindle Recommendation

[Rob K]

I was planning to purchase a 2.2kW water cooled spindle from Chai. It supposedly included 3 NSK bearings. Now, out of the blue, they are out of stock. I asked when they would be available again, and he informed me that they were no longer available. Now I'm looking again and considering the following units:

ebay solar.jean 2.2kW w/4 japanese imported bearings
ebay solar.jean 2.2kW germany imported bearings
ebay smpart 2.2kW 3 bearings unknown brand
ebay sonic-2009r 2.2kW 3 Chinese bearings (LYC/HRB/ZWZ)
UGRA cnc 2.2kW 3 UTE bearings
Keling 2.2kW 3 NSK bearings (or so he's told)

Does anyone have firsthand experience with any of these?

Some come with 3 pin connectors, some with 4 pin. For those who have opened their spindles to add a 4th ground connection, how hard was it to get the top cover off?

Thanks

[lgalla]

Rob I think it is hit or miss on these spindles.The E-bay sellers are selling off what they have.There is too many problems with these spindles.I would buy from Keling or UGRA as they are in the USA and you can feel safer.If you are a gambler go ahead or buy a real spindle....
Motors, Routers, Electrical Components / Motors, Servos, Amplifiers, Routers / Colombo -- KVAL INC Online Store
Larry

[mikkojay]

Hey Rob,
I just ordered a square 3KW spindle from solar.jean on ebay about 7 days ago. I also ordered a 3KW vfd from ebay seller world-etrade.
Although the square spindle cost about $85 more than a 2.2kw round spindle, it does not need a mounting bracket. A nice bracket costs anywhere from 89 to 105 shipped, so by getting one that doesn't need a bracket, you actually come out ahead in price.

** Please keep in mind that this is not an endorsement of any kind, I have not even received my parts yet... Just sharing what I did. I noticed that the images of the solar.jean spindles have Huajiang markings on them, while other sellers' images do not. This makes me a tad wary of other sellers. I received a PM from a member here that might have been a good lead, but as fate would have it, I had already pulled the trigger on this one.
I can give you an update when they come in if you would like. I responded to your thread because I was in the exact same stage as you are now. Most of the "legendary" spindle threads on this forum are outdated and watered down with page after page of banter/fluff as well. Good luck with your search!

Thanks, Mike

[slowlearner]

I am looking for a spare spindle. I am apprehensive from ordering without knowing what to expect. Please give us your feedback upon receipt, after running, and longetivity.
Thank you,
Scott

[Rob K]

Mike - Please give an update once you receive the spindle.

I was thinking the same about the square spindles eliminating the need for a seperate mount, but when I asked several ebay sellers for the mounting pattern, they told me there were no mounting holes.

I like it that these square spindles have a manufacturer's label, but I'm still bothered by the fact that the manufacturer's website has no real details on their spindles (except dimensions).

CHE Spindles

Thanks

[lgalla]

The square spindles are actually the round spindle in an aluinium extrusion the way it should be.The alu housing cools the spindle and has a fan for cooling.This is why the square spindles cost more.They are also much easier to mount.I will provide a link where you may think the prices are high compared to E-baybut the spindles probably have better bearings etc.
electric spindle - Detailed info for electric spindle,spindle,electric spindle,GDZ93*82-3.5 on Alibaba.com

[vid1900]

I got this square 3kw spindle about 3 months ago:

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

Works good, quiet, and it came with 5 collets ( plenty of mounting holes too)!

[vid1900]

Some come with 3 pin connectors, some with 4 pin. For those who have opened their spindles to add a 4th ground connection, how hard was it to get the top cover off?

Thanks

The 3kw spindle I got had a 4 pin connection + ground (5 pins all together).

Pins 1-3 have connections, pin 4 is blank and the ground goes to the spindle case.

[vid1900]

Here is a picture of the pinout of the spindle.

Read the thread for more info too:

MechMate CNC Router Forum

[mikkojay]

^great info guys^
An update on mine- solar.jean is not impressing me...
They sent me a tracking number a few days ago (I paid 9 days ago now), but FedEx says that the destination for this tracking number is someone named Ellen in North Carolina??? (I an Mike from Omaha). This is starting to smell funny, so I opened up an ebay case just to cover my tail.
Language barrier or not, they should be able to provide a real tracking number nine days after a purchase takes place. That is not asking too much.

I'd be interested to get a second opinion on the following email exchange:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I paid 2-4-2012

(solar.jean 02-07-2012)
Thanks very much for the purchase.
We have ship out the item to you by Fedex yesterday.
Because we use Hongkong Fedex ship the item to you, it need to take about two to three days to delivery the package to Hongkong handling center, there they will update a new tracking number for the package, we will inform you the update tracking number once get it from the handling center, please wait a few time latter, very sorry for the delay!

(Me 02-11-2012)
Hello, do you have a tracking number for this yet?
Thank you

(solar.jean 02-11-2012)
Dear friend
the tracking number is 520932935807 by Fedex express.
pls tracking it.you will receive the product very soon.
if you have more question after receive the product,pls feel free to contact with me ,I will reply you within 24hours.
Best regards
jean

(Me 02-11-2012)
The tracking number you send has a destination of RALEIGH, NC? Mine should say OMAHA, NE.

(solar.jean 02-12-2012)
thanks for your reply,Yes,you are right,I see
Actually,we sent the product to you as your ebaby address.In general idea.Fedex express will dispatch the product to you as exact address.Maybe it's problem for Fedex express.
Anyway,Maybe you can contact with your local Fedex express so that they will dispatch the product to you ASAP.
I also will consult with our shipping company,I will track the product until you receive it.Pls don't worry,my friend.
if you have more question,pls feel free to contact with me,I will reply you within 24hours.
Best regards
jean
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, FedEx says that unless my name is Ellen and I live in NC, this vendor has not sent me anything. I buy stuff from China all the time, and this one just seems "off". We'll see.
-Mike

[vid1900]

Mike,

That is a crazy story.

I looked up your Solar Jean and with a 99% satisfaction rate, I'd guess that it will all be OK.

Everyone I know who ordered a Chinese spindle used qiandingzhensatisfaction or love-happyshopping (they might even be the same seller, who knows??).

qiandingzhensatisfaction shipped my spindle,and it arrived within a week (through DHL). He never gave me a tracking #, just an instant email that the spindle had shipped.

Just like everyone else who bought one, the ebay ad said "ships from California USA" but DHL said it came from China.

[Rob K]

vid1900 -

You mention that your 3kW air cooled spindle is "quiet".

Do you really mean "quiet" or do you mean "quiet compared to a router" ?

I was looking at water cooled spindles because I wanted to minimize sound levels, and be able to run at lower rpm without overheating.

I wonder if it would be easy to add an electric fan to help with cooling at lower rpms?

Did you incur any additional import duties/taxes?