About a year go, I made my initial post about the DIY Igus slider. Back then, sliders were a bit of a novelty for HDSLR users and the DIY way was the only affordable solution.
Since then, manufacturers have reacted and are offering commercial alternatives at various price points.
Still, I think the DIY slider made out of Igus part gives the best bang for your buck. Its only flaw was the DIY part which required some drilling (and potential errors…). Igus noticed and they are now selling a pre-drilled version, the only thing left to do is attaching the ball head and tripod. Cant get simpler than that and at 150$, it is a fraction of similar solutions.
Small advice: while tempting, dont put any lubricant on the slider. Igus parts are designed to work without lubricant and while spraying some could improve the sliding motion, it will leave residues which will force you to use lubricant every time you want to use it afterward.
Also, some people inquired about the DIY electric slider I have been talking about. It is still not finished. My first version was a total disaster so I decided to revise the whole design.
You can get it here from Amazon.