Hello, I am new to 3d printing. I found this printer in gearbest. Its very cheap (I think). Does it worth it or should I go for something better?
http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_337314.html
If you enjoy putting it all together yourself? The build roughly takes about 16 hours to complete install. Then you have to configure software and calibration. Because of these issues alot of people prefer and “out of box” type of printer. Trust me that it ain’t easy and the learning curve is really high!
It’s certainly cheap, but as already said, you need to be prepared for a complex build an long calibration period.
If you don’t have experience with 3D printers, or even electronics in general, this may be a considerable challenge.
Personally, I think the “build it from a kit” approach has a lot to recommend it. Certainly you really understand the device far more than if you bought an “out of the box” one.
That’s true, assuming you actually complete the assembly.
But the same thing could be said about almost anything. There’s a lot to be learned in building your own computer as well, and yet, the vast majority of people just buy a finished one from the store.
@Tom_Nardi That would be true if you had to fettle your computer once it was up and running – calibrating it, adjusting it, keeping an eye on wear and so on, using it in a sympathetic way which doesn’t cause harm. But a computer (from the point of view of the hardware) is build-and-forget. A 3D printer is a different kettle of fish so building it yourself sets you up well for running it later.
And gearbest does have very bad reviews(they sometimes never ship the product, others keep receiving defective products)
@Mark_Wheadon Sure, that was my experience when I built my first couple printers too. Always twiddling with it and adjusting it every so many prints. Then I bought an assembled ready to go printer, and it hasn’t need anything since the initial setup outside a couple drops of machine oil on the rods once and awhile.
Personally, I think it’s something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. You build the printer from a bare bones kit to get the hands on experience to adjust and fix it going forward, which is good, since you’ll need to constantly fiddle with it because it was a bare bones kit.
Honestly, if you have a machine that has linear bearings held onto a piece of thin wood or plastic with zip ties, is it really any wonder that it would be finicky?
If you’re new to 3D printing, then don’t buy it, unless there’s someone who has built it and runs long hours of prints with various material, to get you going all the way until your 1st print (the girl nextdoor maybe?), and if you’re thinking about printing flawlessly the 1st time, don’t be surprised, these guys here knows better, tuning (especially your pid) is labourious work…just a heads up if you decided to buy it
@Tom_Nardi I suspect the truth may be somewhere between us. I did things the other way round – an M3D Micro (so pre-assembled and setup) then a Mini Kossel (so kit built). Because you started with a home-build you may not appreciate how at-sea one can feel when it starts to go pear-shaped for the first time and you have no knowledge of the hardware – a stubbornly blocked nozzle felt like the end of the world for me for example.
On the other hand, you’re right in that a well setup printer needs very little fettling – my Kossel runs pretty much every day for at least weeks and sometimes months before I have to tweak anything. But when it does need a tweak, I’m much happier now I know how it all fits together.
Ha your getting attacked by everyone here.
SO yeah if you don’t want to build one and all this effort for a DIY printer. You are going to end up paying min $1,000+ for a Out-Of-Box type printer. At least based on print area.
Two things I noticed. First, it does not say how thick the acrylic is. There is a big difference between 6mm and 8mm acrylic. 2nd, it does not say what kind of electronics drive it. I also agree that a metal frame is a big plus. I have an acrylic frame Prusa, my first printer, great to learn on.
SO all the if you are new to 3d printing, etc comments. If you are brave enough to build and calibrate. Which I have done with one of those linear rod bearing zip tied types, and it works great FYI. Is this printer worth the cost to purchase? I would like a bigger build volume and this would be double my current printer. So, is this worht the money and time for a bigger volume printer?
For the price, it’s unbeatable. I’d be all over it except my (modified) Printrbot is ticking along just fine (with zero tweaking or repairs for months now) and my build of my massive 15"x15"x15" Cobblebot is almost finished, so I don’t really need another one right now.
And FWIW, my first printer was one of the original Printrbot kits. Setup and calibration was not a problem, except for slipping lines. Once I switched to GT2 drive belt, it became bulletproof.
Shipping is really high on that printer $177 to Canada, I purchased this one http://www.aliexpress.com/item/full-Metal-Reprap-Prusa-i3-3d-Printer-DIY-kit-Stainless-Steel-Easy-Installation-2-Roll-Filament /32586716087.html?spm=2114.30010308.3.46.PjEdJd&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_5_10017_10005_10006_10034_10021_507_10022_10020_10018_10019,searchweb201603_8&btsid=1a2c4b98-ff90-4262-9cda-b30cb892832d Half of it was already assembled, Just about everything was SS or aluminum, only 3 parts were plastic. 1 kg of free filament. etc
@Jeff_Dewe Good point - I’m so used to free shipping from China, shipping cost didn’t even occur to me.
Don’t buy the cheapest printer you can find…
You will end up scraping it. You wouldn’t buy the cheapest car/bike/phone(ie randomly selected eBay store). If you want a good experience go with a highly rated printer. Check out Tom’s reviews http://toms3d.org/category/3dprinter-reviews
Also watch his videos. He does an incredible job of explaining how to 3d print.
But please for the love of God, don’t ignore the research, knowledge, and frustration that many people here have had and buy the cheapest clone from China and expect it to work.
1st of all, thanks for all your comments. I think that building and calibrating and cursing for hours/days and paying lots to a therapist after being depressed for failing a million times is part of the “fun” in 3d printing. I got a lot of valuable information from your posts, also the fact that shipping to Greece is 180 € (20€ more than the printer itself. LoL). Anyway? I will try to find something better to start with. Thanks again.