Z-Axis ease of movement

Sounds like your rod is binding. I was able to correct my issue by turning it by hand and it worked itself out. One possibility is the motor is not perfectly in line with the axis path. Regardless, remove the collar shafts or hose clamps (whichever you may have) from the rear vertical rods. There will be four in total, one on each end of the rod. Slide them out the top, then you will have access to further analyze the threading.
Try not to let the platform just dangle from the threaded rod for long, I'm not sure that would cause damage, but better play it safe.

If you need to remove the z motor for more workspace or whatnot, loosen the four screws on the bottom of the printer that anchor the motor.

It seems Solidoodle have tweaked some small designs on the Workbench already. The older ones will have collar shafts (a metal band with an opening for a hex wrench), whereas the newer ones have a black bar with said hex openings at each side. Look at the non-threaded vertical rods at the rear of the printer. Follow those up to the top and you will see how they are held in place.
Since I don't own a Workbench, if you have any questions finding something on your printer, feel free to post a pic and we can easily edit the pic for further help.
Start an imgur.com account, upload the pics, then copy the embed code for "forums". Paste that code into your message box here, and we can help you faster.

Thanks for the advice for far.

I did the following and now its zero noise on the way up and slight noise on the way down when motor powered. Excuse the grease everywhere!

First I removed the four screws on the threaded rod and spun the copper looking part (name?) all the way down and lowered the base.

Then I removed these(4) end screws both on the top and bottom and the bars wouldn't budge at all.

Then I removed just these top four (not the bottom). And the bars still attached to the black block dropped down along with the base.

I then put the top eight screws back on top, but made sure the base was at the bottom and that there was an even distance around the entire threaded rod and the hole on the base it goes through. I also put all four screws back on the end of each bar (first pic).

Finally I screwed the four screws back onto the copper part that sits on the threaded rod. Again I made sure it was at the bottom.

I seems it relived tension and helped align the threaded rod with the bars. I haven't yet checked how it prints, but noise has been cut to almost nothing. Any thoughts?

If you noticed a difference from mechanical adjustments, then you may have found the problem at some point during your steps taken.
My only other thought is a VREF adjustment. But with a new unit like yours, the Z shouldn't really need an adjustment, though possible. I say backtrack your steps and find a sweet spot. If you have to move on to VREF adjustments, remember to use a plastic or ceramic screwdriver. Also remember a 16th of a turn goes a long way.

I'm interested to see what the culprit may be. Keep us posted!