Cheap Z-stage (SELN LZ-60 Shengling Precise Machinery CO. Ltd)
I picked up this cheap Chinese Z-stage on ebay, it was only 100USD and I wasn’t expecting much but it’s actually pretty well put together. It uses a standard micrometer head and I could fit both a Picomotor and the Chuo Seiki AMH-13 in its place (which works well).
The micrometer head provided (pictured below) is easily the nicest micrometer I’ve seen come out of China. Very smooth and clean, there does seem to be a small amount of grit left in there but overall very nice (particularly considering the price).
The linear guides also look very nice, and the overall operation of the stage is very smooth.