V-groove wheels or linear rails?

In the early days of 3D printers, most models used smooth rods and bearings that ran on them. But today, printers ship with either V-slot extrusions with Delrin wheels or linear rails. Which is better? Everyone seems to have an opinion, but (Spencer) decided to compare them through some well-defined experiments, and shares his results in the video below.

The general consensus is that linear rails create better print quality, but (Spencer) didn’t actually find that much of a difference. He admits, though, that he’s not an expert on setting up linear rails, so perhaps there’s something he could have done better. He noted that the rails were quieter, but that in both cases, the noise generated by the moving rails was only a small fraction of the total noise generated by the printer. The rails were also more stable in terms of resonance. However, gate shaping can help overcome that, so it’s probably not that important on a modern printer.

What do you think? Are the linear rail upgrades worth it? Let us know in the comments. We’ve been 3D printing for so long that it’s hard to complain about the prints we produce today with printers that cost a fraction of what we spent on our first ones.

Of course, a rope can also be used. Joining rails with or without grooves is an art in itself.