Quote Originally Posted by ecat View Post
even just thrust bearings to even the manual machine. They make for a much smoother experience and kill most of the backlash dead.
Not that it really matters, but strictly speaking that's not quite true. Putting thrust bearings on the leadscrews reduces (ideally eliminates) screw end-float which is when the screw can move parallel to it's axis causing inaccurate positioning, even if there was zero backlash.