[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 Most of the "legendary" spindle threads on this forum are outdated and watered down with page after page of banter/fluff as well.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?

[Rob K]

Mike -

I haven't found any negative reviews on solar.jean. All the more popular ebay spindle sellers seem to have a series of complaints about their service or their spindles.

I'm a bit perplexed that he/she has lower prices on water cooled spindles, yet claims they have 4 bearngs, rather than the standard 3 bearings.

I suspect he/she screwed up your tracking number. Maybe solar.jean is sending her a package under that tracking number, and she is forwarding you a 3kW spindle that she incorrectly received fom China? (I've played that Chinese ebay game before).

[vpl]

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)!

hey-
So you actually have one of those units? I'm running a porter/cable 3.25 hp on my cnc. Its the weak point in my machine. I sure would like the flexibility of low rpm and a little quieter operation. What are you mostly cutting on yours? What would you suggest to someone who is interested in purchasing one?
Thanks
Vince

[mikkojay]

Hey Guys,
I received another tracking number tonight (from DHL this time) and a profuse apology, so maybe things are looking up. According to this tracking number, the package seems as though it was just picked up/started in the last 24 hours.
I also noticed that others seemed to have had success in the past with this seller, so I am starting to feel better now. It does seem like something got botched on their side somewhat, but that's OK as long as I get it reasonably soon. I am wiring the 220 and tweaking other things now, so a few more days is no biggie.
I am also curious about the sound level for these- My old table had a Bosch router that darn near made me go deaf.
-Mike

[vid1900]

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?

Yes, it is very quiet compared to a router.

People have indeed removed the spindle fan and replaced it with an electric fan. There is a post about this on Shopbot and Mechmate forums.

No taxes or duties. Just sign when DHL rings the doorbell.

[vid1900]

hey-
So you actually have one of those units? I'm running a porter/cable 3.25 hp on my cnc. Its the weak point in my machine. I sure would like the flexibility of low rpm and a little quieter operation. What are you mostly cutting on yours? What would you suggest to someone who is interested in purchasing one?
Thanks
Vince

Yes, I have the 3kw air cooled spindle.

Cutting mostly plywood, sometimes a little aluminum stock.

If you get one, skip the Chinese VFD and get the Hitachi x200. It runs about $28 more, but you get a great manual and Mobus control in Mach3.

[dj_nuca]

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

Did you found your final answer?
I have the same problem only that Chai did not tel me what brand weer his bearings
This is an updated list of what is up for sale on ebay:

Thes are the prices for 2.2 Kw water cooled spindles and VFD-s i got from asking all ebay sellers:

CNCCHEAP : 569$ M + D + SH Unknown B
GO_2010F : 600$ 275$ M + 185 D + SH (TNT) Unknown B
-SONIC-2009R : 400GBP M + D + SH (TNT) 3B China famous brand: LYC/HRB
SMPART : 450$ M + D +107$ SH Unknown B
IGOODMART2011 : 170e M + 139e D + 50e SH Unknown B
FALL_DOUGLASS :380$ M + 350$ D +60$ SH 3B UTE, The VFD is Hitachi X200
TECHNICAL.JRS : 401$ M + D + SH Unknown B
SOLAR.JEAN : 390$ M + D + SH 4B imported from Japan
LOVE-HAPPYSHOPPING :272GPB M + D + SH 3B Unknown
LINIARMOTIONBEARINGS2008 : 490$ M + D + SH 3B Unknown

M= Motor
D= Variable Frequency Drive
SH= Shipping and Handeling (to Constanta city in Romania)
B= Number Bearings

So: Wat To Choose ???

[Rob K]

dj_nuca -

I'm still not certain. Chai doesn't seem to want to sell me a spindle (he has them on his ebay store, but tells me they are not available?).

I'm leaning towards solar.jean due to good price and 4 bearings - not certain whether to go with "adopt Japanese" or "adopt Germany" bearings. Probably lean towards "japanese" since germany bearing plant has been exposed as a truly Chinese plant.

I did get a price list from CHE spindle company (see link above). They quoted 1500 rmb ($240 usd) for a water cooled 2.2kW 80mm spindle with 4 ac bearings (7002c). They didn't quote a shipping price, and I'm not certain of actual bearing quality/brand.

I'm thinking about the 3kW air cooled square spindles. They might be a good choice if the spindle fan could be easily removed and an electric fan reasonably mounted on the top of the spindle. I searched Shopbot and Mechmate forums looking for a post regarding this, but haven't found anything yet.

I'm tempted to go with keling due to them being in the U.S. and claiming NSK bearings ,but I had a bad experience on a previous order, and I'm still feeling a little bit "burned".

[dj_nuca]

dj_nuca -

I'm still not certain. Chai doesn't seem to want to sell me a spindle (he has them on his ebay store, but tells me they are not available?).

I'm leaning towards solar.jean due to good price and 4 bearings - not certain whether to go with "adopt Japanese" or "adopt Germany" bearings. Probably lean towards "japanese" since germany bearing plant has been exposed as a truly Chinese plant.

I did get a price list from CHE spindle company (see link above). They quoted 1500 rmb ($240 usd) for a water cooled 2.2kW 80mm spindle with 4 ac bearings (7002c). They didn't quote a shipping price, and I'm not certain of actual bearing quality/brand.

I'm thinking about the 3kW air cooled square spindles. They might be a good choice if the spindle fan could be easily removed and an electric fan reasonably mounted on the top of the spindle. I searched Shopbot and Mechmate forums looking for a post regarding this, but haven't found anything yet.

I'm tempted to go with keling due to them being in the U.S. and claiming NSK bearings ,but I had a bad experience on a previous order, and I'm still feeling a little bit "burned".

I communicate much with solar.jean he send me the manual of the VFD he sed his spindle is not made for working with aluminum BUT if you adjust the feed rate to minimum it is not a problem, he dose not have documentation in English for the motor.

Chai sold me some linear rails, linear bearings, ball screws, er20 collets from 1mm to 13mm, and all of them are very good quality i trust him. BUT his price is 100$ higher then solar.jean and -1 bearing )

Sincerity i wood buy from FALL_DOUGLASS from the lucks his products are the best but they are far out of my budget...

Evey body shes that water cooled spindles are better then air cooled because they cool better and they can work for longer time without human intervention

Buy the way Keling is not selling anything on ebay at the moment or i did not find him.

So i think i will go with solar.jean 2.2Kw 4 bearings Water Cooled spindle
Any other ideas ?