Printed Parts

Up until now, only some very minor decisions have been made.  The type of electronics (RAMPS), and the colour of the extrusion are pretty much the extent of it.  But now it's time to order my printed parts, and some key decisions must be made.

It seems like there are a few places that sell MendelMax printed parts:
Tech Paladin
Lulzbot
MendelMax.com (kits only - not really what I'm looking for)
SBB RepRap

However, before I order these parts, there are some things I must consider.  Specifically, I have to think about:

• PLA or ABS?  Is there an advantage of having parts made from one over the other?  Keep in mind that we're not talking about what the MendelMax will print, only what the parts are made out of.  Steven Devijver has a good article on the general differences on his blog under the Plastics section.
• Do I want to use 10mm smooth rods for the X and Y, or only for the Z?  I've read that the 10mm smooth rods all around seem to cut down on vibration, so this would be idea, but it depends on how available all the other components are.
• Types of bearings: Bronze Bushings or LM10UU (the 10 is for 10mm, as opposed to LM8UU) 
• Extruder?  Haven't even began to think about this yet, but I think I'll stick pretty close to the script on this one.
• After the pain of my last UPS bill, I'd like to find somebody in Canada

Tech Paladin - 10mm for X,Y and Z - Made from PLA
Lulzbot - 8mm for X,Y and 10mm for Z - Made from ABS
SBB RepRap - 8mm for X, Y, 8 or 10 for Z - material unspecified

I'm leaning towards getting everything from Tech Paladin with the following options:

• Black PLA
• 10mm X, Y, and Z LMUU Linear Bearings
• Include the Spool holder (which mounts on top)
• Include the 70mm drilling jig.  This will be required as my Misumi extrusion is not drilled.  It would be easy to make the jig myself, but it's only $4 and it'll save me the hassle.  

The only option I'm not sure of is the Z Axis motion compatibility.  I believe since I've order the hardware from Misumi that I need to specify the option 'Misumi Leadscrews with 15mm rounded nuts (Part Number MTSKR8)', but I'm not totally sure about that, so I'll likely lurk around on the MendelMax Google Group this week.  It looks like this also includes the extruder gear, but again, need to do more research.