nwreprap.org or mixshop.com for Prusa Mendel i2 kit

Hello Reprapers,

I am new to the reprap community and would like to build my first Prusa Mendel i2 printer. Everyone is recommending buying a kit online. I made my research to buy a kit and found that nwreprap.org offers a kit for $799 ! while mixshop.com offers the kit (without the plastic parts) for $439

the mixshop offers the kit for almost half the price of newreprap !!

I need your help clarify why there is a huge difference in the price while offering the same thing ( if they offer the same thing).

does nwreprap have more stuff in the kit while mixshop is missing stuff? or its just a quality thing?

thanks

san

i dont know about the nwreprap.org,

i have used mixshop in the past, and for the stuff i have got from them it has been passable, not bad, but it always seems to be for a dollar. but they have always got me what i ordered and what i needed.

i would try mixshop, if i needed to save the money, but it all depends on how much you want to spend,

depending on what city you are in think of trying to find a local hackerspace.?

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

im in canada and there is no local hackerspace around here

I took a look at the nwreprap.org and they give pretty detailed list of the stuff they provide. here is the link to the list [nwreprap.com]

Here's a comprehensive list of what's included in this kit:

Fully Assembled Electronics
Ramps 1.4
Arduino Mega 2560
Pololu Stepper Drivers
Heatsinks and Thermal Adhesive
5 NEMA 17 Stepper Motors (5.5KG-CM)
J-Head Hot End (0.5mm 3mm)
[new] J-Head Aluminum Mounting Plate
[new] 30mm 12v Fan
2 GT2 Timing Belts
2 GT2 Aluminum 16-20 tooth Pulleys (5mm bore)
MK1 PCB Heat Bed
Tempered Glass Print Bed
12 LM8UU Linear Bearings
6 608ZZ Bearings
Hobbed Bolt
Hot End Thermistor
Hot End Heater Resistor
Hot End PTFE Tubing
1/4" MDF Bottom Plate
2 Heat Bed LED's
Heat Bed Resistor
Heat Bed Thermistor
Heat Bed PTFE Tubing
30 Amp Power Supply
AC Power Cord
USB Cable
3 twisted pairs of 24 AWG Wire - End Stops
3 pairs of 22 AWG Wire - Hot End & Thermistors
1 pair of 18 AWG Wire - PCB Heatbed
3 Mechanical End Stop Switches
2 Springs for Extruder
4 Springs for Heat Bed
2 Springs for Z Axis
Wire to Board Crimp Housings and Receptacles
234mm Measuring Stick
290mm Measuring Stick
4 Paper clips

Prusa Mendel Iteration 2 Plastic Parts
8 Bar Clamps
3 Bearing Guide Sets
4 Belt Clamps
3 End Stop Holders
2 Frame Vertex's
4 Frame Vertex's with Foot
1 NWRepRap X Carriage w/Fan Mount
1 NWRepRap X End Idler
1 NWRepRap X End Motor
1 Y Bracket
4 Y Bushings
2 Z Motor Mounts (One Piece)
1 Modified Hinged Extruder
1 Extruder Idler
1 Extruder Large Gear
1 Extruder Small Gear
2 Nophead Couplings
1 NWRepRap Electronics Mounting Plate

Nuts and Bolts (Flush Fit Threaded and Smooth Rods)
2 M8 O1 Smooth Rods X-Bar 390mm
2 M8 O1 Smooth Rods Y-Bar 395mm
2 M8 O1 Smooth Rods Z-Bar 343mm
1 M8 O1 Smooth Rod E-Idler 18mm
6 M8 Threaded Rods Side Bars 365mm
4 M8 Threaded Rods Front and Rear Bars 275mm
3 M8 Threaded Rods Top and Bottom Bars 420mm
2 M8 Threaded Rods Lead-Screws 220mm
1 M8 Threaded Rod X-Idler 40mm
100 M8 Nuts
100 M8 Washers
30 M3 Nuts
30 M3 Lock Nuts
100 M3 Washers
30 M3 10mm Bolts
2 M3 60mm Bolts (E-Idler)
3 M3 30mm Bolt (Extruder & E-Idler)
8 M3 20mm Bolts (Couplings)
20 M3 25mm Bolts
30 M3 14mm Bolts
2 M4 20mm Bolts
2 M4 Nuts
2 M4 Washers
6 Fender Washers



Did your kit from mixshop have all those items?

thanks for your help

san

No I got my first printer from techzone. But I got my electronics at UltiMachine. But that one printed my Mendel

I am in swift current SK.

Have you found people who bought from them before. And what did they say

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

Get a Mendel90 from Nophead, it's not that expensive, and it's proven to be a nice kit.

It would be cool if someone would buy all the available kits and do a detailed comparison video. I would do it but I'm the guy who runs NWRepRap.

By the way, the NWRepRap kit is a great kit and the support is great too!

Oh, and it's nwreprap.com, not nwreprap.org. I think you might be getting us mixed up with reprap.org which is the founders wiki page for the RepRap project.

Have fun!

I just got an order from mixshop - horrible experience. My order did not ship for a couple of weeks, got stuck in customs for another week or so, and when it finally arrived UPS had a COD on it for another $35. Were I to do it again I would go with nwreprap

Ya I learned about the UPS tax that way too.

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

@san

I am not sure if you have already bought a kit yet but I wanted to give you my advice as the first printer I got was a Prusa kit from Mixshop.

First of all, I would NOT recommend that you buy the Prusa kit from Mixshop as your first printer. Now let me explain why. While the guys at Mixshop are great people and are more than willing to help you get up and running, their Prusa kit is not ideal for someone who is new to RepRap.

First of all, it does not come with plastic parts, which adds the hassle of buying these parts from another vendor which can lead to compatibility issues. When I bought the Prusa kit from them, I ended up buying the plastic parts from Eckertech. While the Eckertech parts were great quality, they were printed for 3mm filament and PLA bushings, while the Prusa kit I got from Mixshop was designed for 1.75mm filament and LM8UU linear bearings.

Secondly, and most importantly, the hot end included in the kit is a hack. It consists of a piece of 16mm x 50mm raw PTFE bar stock heat insulator, a brass barrel drilled for either 1.75mm or 3mm filament, a brass nozzle machined from a dome nut, and a heater block. The metal parts are perfectly fine, but the major problem here is that the PTFE heat insulator is used as a structural element in the hot end. Since PTFE expands significantly when heated, and begins to degrade at ABS processing temperatures, there are a multitude of problems that come out of this hot end design. Z axis positioning becomes almost impossible, the hot end can easily be knocked out of position while you are printing... I could go on for days talking about all of the problems I had trying to get this hot end to work, but I don't think that would be necessary. I literally spent months trying to get this hot end to work reliably. Finally I found out that other reprappers use J head hot ends with almost no issues printing ABS... -__-

I recently bought a J head and now my printer in working great! I think the biggest problem was that when I first started out I had almost no knowledge of the RepRap community and the standard hot ends that people used. With the knowledge I have now, if I could start over I would have bought a Mendel 90 kit from Nophead. Nophead is a RepRap legend and would be the best person to help you get started with RepRap. Needless to say, his Mendel 90 design is easily the best RepRap printer out there. Spend the extra buck and save yourself months of trouble. Also, I recommend that you try to spend time reading posts on this forum and reading Nophead's Blog as these resources will provide you with tons of knowledge about RepRap in general and will help you solve any problems that you encounter along the way.

I am saying all of this because I do not want you to go through the same trouble that I did. 3D printing is incredible and very easy to get involved in provided that you start at the right place. When you are starting out, you need the support of experienced RepRappers who can guide you. That's why the RepRap community is so important. I am not saying that the Mixshop guys are not supportive, but admittedly they are not very invested in their Prusa kits as they design their own 3d printers. While I am saying this, I have to point out that a few months after I bought the Prusa kit from them I bought one of their Mix G1 printer kits. I am sorry to say that printer was very poorly designed. All of the axes were very wobbly and the hot end was pretty much the same as the one I received with my Prusa kit (though the PTFE insulator was not a structural element, the hot end had sever jamming problems). BTW, I honestly don't have anything against Mixshop, but I just want to give honest advice for people who are interested in getting started with 3d printing.

San: I am not sure if you have already invested in a printer kit but I want to make sure that you do not make the same mistakes that I did. I think buying a Mendel 90 kit would be the best choice starting out and will make your 3d printing experience much more enjoyable and much less frustrating.

Happy Printing!

Eric

I've seen cheaper sets on emaker, you can see a Prusa i3 kit with everything (including motors) for around 180 euros, if you add printed parts to that and a sanguino with pololu's (for around 79 euros), you can have a good kit for less than 350 euros. This might be a bit more in Dollars, and you have to pay customs fee. Anyway, it's good to kind of look around before you buy.

NewEric,

You can contact us at nwreprap.com if you need any parts or if you have any questions. I know you didn't get your kit from us but we still want you to succeed.

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RP Iron Man -

thanks for the info about the hot end - you saved me a bunch of headache. I guess I'll just go ahead and buy a new one.

@NewEric

Yeah, I'd go for a J Head if you want a reliable hot end for printing ABS and PLA. On the other hand, if you want to experiment with high temperature thermoplastics like Polycarbonate and Nylon, an all metal hot end like the E3D hot end would make more sense. Keep in mind though that people have difficulties getting good PLA prints using all metal hot ends.

Eric

Hey guys! Good news! We at NWRepRap.com are offering $50 off your kit with the coupon code LOVE50! Have fun!