Originally shared by Patrick Ryan
Said to hell with it, pulled the pin and backed this. Yes, I know “Kickstarter+3D printer=bad” almost without exception, but honestly? The BoM alone is worth the price, and I can use the parts to roll my own or build a Rostock if it came down to it.
http://kck.st/1qTC8NO
The “BoM alone is worth the price” IS the problem. These guys will not be able to afford to deliver these parts at $270 net revenue (remember, KS/AP take 10%). If you back this, you will not see your kit until post-kickstarter sales bring in more money. Take a look at Rigidbot and Makibot for similar examples. This pricing model is not feasible.
@Tim_Elmore Fair point. I’m actually in no rush, so I backed it for a 2015 delivery. I’m going to keep an eye on it for the next 16 days, and if I get convinced that the parts will never ship, then I’ll cancel my backing. But delayed? I can live with that.
I think there is a need for a graph that indicates the amount of printers funded and delivered. I still don’t see a profit
Having your cash tied up for months on a depreciating asset is hardly worth the price. Imagine all the lost productivity that you will never get back in those months. Time > money. And by the time you get it, IF you get it, I’m going to guess that you won’t be getting the latest and greatest that 3d printing technology has to offer. By then you’ll just want it for the parts so you can build something else. That’ll take even more time.
@Evan_Nguyen I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying, except that it’s not really “lost productivity” because I already have a 3D printer. It’s more like Present Me is buying Future Me a gift, that’ll show up some time in 2015. 
That changes things if you have a printer now. I just see so many backers commenting on how they can finally afford to buy a 3d printer through these projects.
@Evan_Nguyen Oh, absolutely - I already warned a friend off this one today. Told him for a first printer, better to go with something tested and shipping now. (My go-to recommendation for first-timers is the Printrbot Simple.) But I’m looking at this as literally what I said: a BoM that I can use to go with their design, or do something different. I’d like to build a Rostock or a Wally, but don’t have a lot of time at present to take on sourcing the BoM or building the thing, so this could be a perfect starting point for my second printer.
What is that thing ? It’s like they tried really hard to have the smallest build to printer volume ratio possible with a Cartesian system.
@Shachar_Weis OK, but still: 15x15x15 build volume, with the potential to do a fully enclosed cabinet - I don’t really care all that much about its footprint.
Well that is really a strange piece. It’s not pretty and not in any way innovative. it’s nothing but relatively cheap and i agree that they will have a hard time getting making a profit on this.
Especially as you already own a printer i can’t really see why investing in this and waiting a year to get it might be a good idea.
@Helmi That’s fair enough. My take on it is, big build volume and really cheap, so hell with it.
The price isn’t impossible with cheap parts but he never showed it printing and shipping is not included so he could possibly charge a couple hundred dollars to ship it.
@Griffin_Paquette There is video of it printing. If the shipping cost isn’t specified before the campaign ends, I’ll cancel.
Do not back with money you cannot afford to lose. That’s what I would say. As this is at around the price range of all printer parts, at bulk price. So there is little to no margin for problems, support, or replacement parts.
Friend of mine was one of the Printrbot backers. And the Printrbot was quite a bit more expensive, and even that one had lots of issues getting everything done. (Went way over time, started to sell more machines before everything was shipped. I presume to cover more costs)
The Printrbot came out nice in the end. But I think they learned their lesson. They are doing good stuff, and if you want a cheap printer I generally suggest them. (Else I suggest Ultimaker for obvious reasons)
Also don’t forget that none of these cheaper printers really assist in the software development. So depending on what you want to support in 3D printing development, it’s not the best option.
@Daid_Braam I’ve had a Printrbot since beta, so I’m somewhat familiar with those issues… No, those are fair points. But even if it ends up being nothing more than a conveniently-packaged and reasonably-priced BoM, that’s still not a loss at the end of the day.
Oh, and the Filabot stuff could happen as well. Refund after 1.5 year due to high shipping costs to Europe. No option to pay for the extra shipping even if we wanted to.
Or some projects never delivered at all. Not because they do not want to, but because they cannot (costs much higher then expected) Just google for “Kickstarter fails to deliver”.
Note, I’ve backed a few projects myself. Mostly board games. But it’s all money I can miss. And I hope most of those deliver as they do not sound “to cheap to be true”.