Prusa I3 - Need opinion

I want to get into the 3D printer world and im wondering if this is a good option.
[wanhaousa.com]

I have soldering skills and a bit of arduino skills, think thats enough?

Thanks!
Sam

There are a lot of reviews of this printer around. The i3 is a proven design and this is an all metal construction version of it. This should make it easy to build and quite precise.

If you were to get a printer, for 300 to 400 would you get this one?
Also is the steel worth it? for about 100 dollars less I could get a cheap one made of not steal on ebay.
What about the Turnigy Fabrikator?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 04:09PM by UltiFix.

The frame is a good place to invest money - if the frame isn't robust and stiff (and square) then you'll have a lot of trouble getting good results.

I want to go right the first time, I know all to well that cheap stuff makes my life awful lol.

I have noticed ALOT of printers that use an acryrlic frame, im assuming that even though an acrylic prusa i3 is 260, a 400 dollar steel one is definitely worth it?

Also this printer says it's aluminum, with some acryclic mounts and it's only 260 instead of the 400 one I linked to in the first post.
[folgertech.com]
Which one should I get?


Thanks for the help!
I just want to get a good printer and not be mad about which one I got.

See the Prusa i3 forum. That 2020 kit has 3100+ posts of people with issues or people helping with issues. Although there are postive posts are there keep that in mind. Frame construction is probably one of the most important portions of your printer. The more rigid the frame in general the better the prints. Remember you get what you pay for...

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Prusa i3 Rework - Ramps 1.4 - E3d Lite6 - Full Graphic LCD Controller

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gmckee
See the Prusa i3 forum. That 2020 kit has 3100+ posts of people with issues or people helping with issues. Although there are postive posts are there keep that in mind. Frame construction is probably one of the most important portions of your printer. The more rigid the frame in general the better the prints. Remember you get what you pay for...

If it were you, which one would you go for? I kind of wan't to go the for wanhaosa one, it seems better built, more rigid and more polished. But you can only see so much from the cover of a book
Think I would notice a difference in print quality?
Im leaning towards the wanhaosa one, people were saying that the foxtech one is easier to modify, is the wanhousa one still modifiable?

Thanks again for help!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 08:02PM by UltiFix.

Honestly I would avoid the Folger Tech. Some people have had great experiences, some haven't. Look around in the forum and see what kind of problems people have.

Also Repraps can all be modified. However, the ease of finding modifications differs.

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Prusa i3 Rework - Ramps 1.4 - E3d Lite6 - Full Graphic LCD Controller

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gmckee
Honestly I would avoid the Folger Tech. Some people have had great experiences, some haven't. Look around in the forum and see what kind of problems people have.

Also Repraps can all be modified. However, the ease of finding modifications differs.

I was talking to the people in the forum and they seemed happy enough, not sure what to do lol

There's no easy answer, you have to make a best guess on what suits your particular skills and priorities. Without wishing to put you off (at all!), if you're looking at anything in the lower end of the market you would be best to approach it as a learning experience/toe in the water. It's very unlikely to stay in its original form or be the last printer you buy. It's a fascinating hobby and brilliantly useful tool if you are the creative type, and surprisingly addictive.

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JamesK
There's no easy answer, you have to make a best guess on what suits your particular skills and priorities. Without wishing to put you off (at all!), if you're looking at anything in the lower end of the market you would be best to approach it as a learning experience/toe in the water. It's very unlikely to stay in its original form or be the last printer you buy. It's a fascinating hobby and brilliantly useful tool if you are the creative type, and surprisingly addictive.

Thanks!
I think about gonna pull the trigger on the foxtech printer, it seems like there is a small but nice community ready to help me! And it's more in my price range.

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JamesK
There's no easy answer, you have to make a best guess on what suits your particular skills and priorities. Without wishing to put you off (at all!), if you're looking at anything in the lower end of the market you would be best to approach it as a learning experience/toe in the water. It's very unlikely to stay in its original form or be the last printer you buy. It's a fascinating hobby and brilliantly useful tool if you are the creative type, and surprisingly addictive.

This was my experience when I built my first printer (also a Prusa) - all the plastic parts in my kit were black, but as time went on I replaced and/or changed components using whatever plastic I had available, mostly orange. Now there are hardly any black pieces left! It has also gained quite a few new metal components along the line, plus a few electrical bits. It's rather like someone saying that they've had the same broom for 25 years - it's only had 5 replacement heads and 6 new handles - but it's still the same broom!

Have fun with whatever you decide to build.

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David J

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JamesK
There's no easy answer, you have to make a best guess on what suits your particular skills and priorities. Without wishing to put you off (at all!), if you're looking at anything in the lower end of the market you would be best to approach it as a learning experience/toe in the water. It's very unlikely to stay in its original form or be the last printer you buy. It's a fascinating hobby and brilliantly useful tool if you are the creative type, and surprisingly addictive.

This was my experience when I built my first printer (also a Prusa) - all the plastic parts in my kit were black, but as time went on I replaced and/or changed components using whatever plastic I had available, mostly orange. Now there are hardly any black pieces left! It has also gained quite a few new metal components along the line, plus a few electrical bits. It's rather like someone saying that they've had the same broom for 25 years - it's only had 5 replacement heads and 6 new handles - but it's still the same broom!

Have fun with whatever you decide to build.

Do you guys think it's a big deal that the folger tech printer has a frame that isn't a few big pieces? Will that make it harder to square? That's about the only thing holding me back right now.

I was wondering how they did the joints in that frame, particularly to the vertical section. I made my frame out of 1" aluminum square tube, so I have no issues with aluminum extrusion itself, but it does all kind of depend on how well you can join the stuff together. I used pieces of 90 degree extrusion to hold the parts of the frame square, and then clamped the joints between pieces of steel with through bolts. It is impressively rigid, albeit a bit on the heavy side.

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JamesK
I was wondering how they did the joints in that frame, particularly to the vertical section. I made my frame out of 1" aluminum square tube, so I have no issues with aluminum extrusion itself, but it does all kind of depend on how well you can join the stuff together. I used pieces of 90 degree extrusion to hold the parts of the frame square, and then clamped the joints between pieces of steel with through bolts. It is impressively rigid, albeit a bit on the heavy side.

Think this printer is a good choice? I need to just make a decision

I have no direct experience of that kit, so I can't really say. After a year of building my own, I think if I had had access to that kit at that price, it would probably have got me printing a hell of a lot quicker than what I did. I'd probably be changing things left right and center, but with a 2020 frame and a fairly useful set of parts you can do that.

What do you want to do?
Buy a ready to go printer with a solid frame and just start printing?
Buy a kit, build it, pull it apart to "upgrade it", rebuild it and then start printing?

Personally I wouldn't buy a kit that had:
- an acrylic frame
- is based on the older Prusa i2 design (motors on top)

While I understand we are all trying to perfect our printers with various tweaks, I don't understand people buying a cheap printer knowing they will have to upgrade it to get decent prints.

Steve

Pick a design that has a strong and rigid metal frame - everything else can be adjusted, fixed or replaced at a later date, when you get more experience. A flimsy frame will just bring you heartache and frustration.

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David J
Pick a design that has a strong and rigid metal frame - everything else can be adjusted, fixed or replaced at a later date, when you get more experience. A flimsy frame will just bring you heartache and frustration.

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SteveRoy
What do you want to do?
Buy a ready to go printer with a solid frame and just start printing?
Buy a kit, build it, pull it apart to "upgrade it", rebuild it and then start printing?

Personally I wouldn't buy a kit that had:
- an acrylic frame
- is based on the older Prusa i2 design (motors on top)

While I understand we are all trying to perfect our printers with various tweaks, I don't understand people buying a cheap printer knowing they will have to upgrade it to get decent prints.

Steve

People on the folgertech 2020 forum are having usuable prints without upgrades. And the 2020 has an aluminum frame, and people are saying it's easy to square up. is it bad having the motors up higher? What printer would you reccomend in toe 250-400 range?
I honestly think it's fun to build stuff, and if I can get a kit cheaper, id do it. But I don't want to have to be constantly working on it...
Thanks!
Sam

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2016 03:19PM by UltiFix.

What about this printer?
[www.monoprice.com]

LOL so many options, I need to choose one before im dead

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2016 02:08PM by UltiFix.

Pulled the trigger on the Folger Tech RepRap 2020 Prusa i3 Full Aluminum 3D Printer Kit

Thanks!

Cool - now enjoy yourself!

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gmckee
See the Prusa i3 forum. That 2020 kit has 3100+ posts of people with issues or people helping with issues. Although there are postive posts are there keep that in mind. Frame construction is probably one of the most important portions of your printer. The more rigid the frame in general the better the prints. Remember you get what you pay for...

That's a pretty negative portrayal of the FT 2020 kit! 3100 posts of 'people with issues or helping with issues' is NOT ACCURATE. You will find a lot of love for the machine on there and a lot of people have found it a great machine to tinker with and upgrade if you are so inclined. My machine after 4 months is still basically stock with only a few upgrades to increase print height and adjust the Z axis more easily. For $269, you get a KIT. What would you expect for that amount of money? It's up to the skills of the person putting it together and programming it whether he as problems or not. It's not the machine's fault in most cases. Yes, there are a few mistakes in the build manual but they've been addressed over and over so a simple search would solve that problem.

It is also quite rigid with aluminum extrusions. Don't be afraid of the kit. The other one looks quite strong as well so, if you have the money, go for it.

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SteveRoy
What do you want to do?
Buy a ready to go printer with a solid frame and just start printing?
Buy a kit, build it, pull it apart to "upgrade it", rebuild it and then start printing?

Personally I wouldn't buy a kit that had:
- an acrylic frame
- is based on the older Prusa i2 design (motors on top)

While I understand we are all trying to perfect our printers with various tweaks, I don't understand people buying a cheap printer knowing they will have to upgrade it to get decent prints.

Steve

I've been getting decent prints from the day I pushed the 'go' button. Pretty much set it and forget it for the FT 2020 if you take the time to set it up. That's without upgrades except for more print height. Too many Folger Tech bashers on here IMHO.

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tjnamtiw


I've been getting decent prints from the day I pushed the 'go' button. Pretty much set it and forget it for the FT 2020 if you take the time to set it up. That's without upgrades except for more print height. Too many Folger Tech bashers on here IMHO.

Hey, I'm happy if you're happy. I've been getting awesome prints from my scratch built Prusa i3 from the day I finished it.
I don't think I'm really bashing Folger Tech, I just didn't like the quality I saw in the Folger Tech i3 kit that I helped a local Hackspace member with.

Steve

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SteveRoy

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tjnamtiw


I've been getting decent prints from the day I pushed the 'go' button. Pretty much set it and forget it for the FT 2020 if you take the time to set it up. That's without upgrades except for more print height. Too many Folger Tech bashers on here IMHO.

Hey, I'm happy if you're happy. I've been getting awesome prints from my scratch built Prusa i3 from the day I finished it.
I don't think I'm really bashing Folger Tech, I just didn't like the quality I saw in the Folger Tech i3 kit that I helped a local Hackspace member with.

Steve

No problem. I see several people dumping on Folger Tech but upon reading further, their experience is with the early kits that had the lousy extruder. That has been upgraded and works quite well. Sure, there could be improvements in components but that means more money and there could be improvements in the instructions for sure, but for a starter kit that works, the 2020 is a good one.