Deore
XT
Seems to me from memory that Americans can find them online for 40,50 ish bucks
My take is that xt tends to have slightly better materials and or seals. I have both on bikes and older xt stuff, if greased and adjusted properly, last a good long time, with grease staying clean quite well.
Meh. If you've got a Phil on the front, why not get the maintenance free benefit of something similar on the rear?
If you can't afford a Phil Wood for the rear, shanabrook.jody, you can go with White Industries which is about $100 cheaper than a Phil but not as easy to work on. I my experience and opinion, the Whites are smoother and much lighter but they aren't as simple to remove and replace bearings. On the upside, I haven't had to replace bearings in a Phil or White with over 20,000 miles of use for the former and 10,000 miles for the latter.
You can also go with a
Velo Orange Grand Cru which is about $300 cheaper than the Phil. Not US made but it seems simpler even than the Phils to disassemble.
Finally, however, the economy of the Phils is better than you think. I have Phils that are more than 10 years old, have 20,000 issue (and maintenance) free miles on them and I suspect that they can go another 20 to 40 years before I'd have to replace them. Even at only 10 years old, they have cost me $40 per year which is pretty cheap. At 50 years old, they will have cost me $10 per year.