No, the Z-Plus includes an EZ-Tram plate, but they have roughly the same Z-axis travel as the belt-drive units and continue to have the higher mounting (so as to reduce lever forces).
Long term, the HDZ should require less maintenance and adjustment than the Z plus due to ballscrew vs leadscrew.
One day ide like to get my hands on a Z plus to inspect the lead nut.
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good argument… @Vince.Fab
the hdz has more advantages… 
but when is it would be in stock… lol it’s very much in demand 
The step size is tiny and you’re right, compared to the other deflections in the machine the Z step size will not be relevant.
However… The Z plus uses a leadscrew and the HDZ uses a ballscrew, those two really aren’t comparable as the ballscrew is the one designed to not have backlash, lead screws have assorted after-thoughts to work around their inherent backlash. Still, other things on the machine will dominate.
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All this talk about backlash and I was forced to google it. Thinking I may not be the only one, Here is an article I found that explains it. Hope it helps someone besides me.
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As Rob notes we made some changes and a big batch are being assembled as we speak.
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GJM
You are so right. It was called vaporware in my day and referred to a company announcing a product or software well before they were ready to roll out the thing. This was often done because they knew their rival was announcing a new competitive product before them. This is not the case here, it’s the nature of the enterprise. Building a low cost but reliable cnc machine we can all afford. Still, I agree with you the wait for such gripes my ever-loving you know what. I want my toys when I want my toys, LOL. As for the choice between the two, to each his own.
That’s a pretty good explanation. The linear rails and ballscrew on the HDZ deal with the backlash with a similar preload mechanism, the bearings rolling in the tracks are slightly over size and therefore don’t wobble up to a certain load, nothing is truly zero backlash.
Just in case anyone is interested, I stuck a 0.01mm dial gauge on my HDZ and heaved it around with “large cutting force” i.e. about 5kg force up, down, left and right by the spindle and the backlash I measured between the spindle mount bracket and the fixed Z plate on this sample was;
- X backlash - sod all, squat, couldn’t even see the needle move
- Y backlash - as above, below my measurement capability
- Z backlash - < 0.005mm
I think that exceeds any performance we would require of it on a Shapeoko, nice one Luke 
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Does anyone know what the amount of backlash is with the Z+?
I don’t have one to measure, hopefully somebody else does.
Bear in mind though that it’s likely to be a small number in the context of the deflections elsewhere in the machine from the V wheels and belts.
The stock Z had some relatively large unwanted movements which the design of the Z plus removes rather effectively, it has linear rails (like those on the HDZ) so that should be X and Y deflection taken care of and the leadscrew is going to be a large improvement on the old belt drive.
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I upgraded to the HDZ in March 2020 and love it. The Z-Plus has been promised for ever in the store and still remains vapor ware. The HDZ I bought was on sale for $400.00 and was version 3.2. I saw they have a new 4.0 HDZ and have not checked price. If they keep the $450.00 price for the HDZ and the Z-Plus at $250.00 I think the $200.00 is well worth it. I have not had a Z-Plus so I cannot compare but the HDZ vs the stock belt Z there is no comparison. Frankly for me the higher price was worth it but you have to spend your money your way. I can only say that the HDZ is great and was certainly worth the $400.00 (on sale) I paid for it.
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@MarkLince, @Julien, @gdon_2003, @LiamN, @shapeokonoob, @Vince.Fab
thank you for your comments which will help me to choose.
when it will be available 
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Make sure your register your email address to be notified, apparently there’s a huge batch coming soon but there’s also a large crowd of HDZ-hungry people out there
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thanks, it’s been done since yesterday
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A little late to the party…but for the record, @RichCournoyer has made some cool stuff with the Z-Plus seems quite content with the Z-Plus and has convinced me to be satisfied with its capabilities when it becomes available to purchase. His adventures with aluminum featuring a 4th axis have been impressive utilizing the Z-Plus.
Like others have said if another $200 for extra beefiness is worth it, then more power to you! It’s been nice to see many happy customers with the HDZ.
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I am leaning towards an HDZ, due to it’s Z-travel and the thought, that I would never have to upgrade again. If I spend an extra $200 now, I potentially won’t have to disassemble the machine in the future if I want to add a giant spindle.
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You do realize they just announced the v4 of this thing - and lots of folks are considering upgrading their prior versions? Never say never! 
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Opening up a whole new market for second hand HDZs
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What I do with my Shapeoko may not be the same as others. So for me I cannot see upgrading from the HDZ 3.2 unless it came with a full time butler to keep my bat cave in order. At some point when upgrading you exceed the capability of the Shapeoko. The Shapeoko is a great machine with a good amount of features like BitSetter, BitZero and BitRunner but as a belt driven machine there can some incremental improvements but without major modifications the Shapeoko close to its limits. That is not to say that the limits are not acceptable. I dont need a Formula 1 race car to go to the grocery store just like I dont need a $200,000.00 CNC to do what I do. My pickup works well to get me to the store and haul home my groceries just like my Shapeoko does what I need.
As I said everyone does something different with their Shapeoko. Upgrade what ever you like but at some point you add so many bells and whistles that it collapses the machine on it self.
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FWIW, I’m having a hard time seeing the need to update from any older version of the HDZ to a new one, and I say that as a person who could probably get a free v4.0 HDZ just for asking for one.
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