Dilemma with choosing a printer

Hi All,

I would like to ask ye for advice, I have dilema between these two printers:

Greeetech Prusa i3 X

[www.ebay.ie]-

and HICTOP prusa i3 (on images the threads look like lead screw but I have suspition they are just threaded rods and that is just fake picture)

[www.ebay.ie]

I like this printer as well but I can't find it here around

[www.flsun3dprinter.com]

My conditions were:

• under 300euro with shipping
• shipped from EU (to avoid customs and keep shipping and returns and troubleshooting less troublesome)
• ABS and PLA support as minimum (bonus for extra filament types)
• stready looking and possibly full metal frame
• repetier compatible (because I have only expierence with printer based on mega2560 and repeteri)
• have funtional parts (i have a chance to print some parts on different printer, but it's not by hand as much, so I would preffer if the one in the kit wouldn't be broken)
• have heating bed or have possibility to install one very easily
• have Z stepers on both sides (i don't like when there is only on 1 side)
• full kit (I don't want to source steppers from somewhere else)
• prefer XYZ over delta printers

My priority was steady and reliable over pretty (acrylic is fancy, but when it cracks or warps it can be annoying) and over the speed.
I'm happy to leave that thing running twice as long if it will result better print. I seen lot of sellers but even the ones who had good feeback (over 99%) after examination they received lot of bad reviews for the printers I wanted to buy. So spends few days researching and hesitating. Now it's narowed to these two?

Electronicly wise and skillwise I should be capable to build one even without a kit, build few drones, rebuild Rostok delta printer, modified and resoldered few things on ramp and mega boards, writen a good bit of C code. So if something is wrong I should be able to get around. But because printers remind to drones, in the time respect. You could be be rebuilding and remaking the thing 10 times for months and months. So this time I don't have much time and I would prefer complete working kit if possible. If a manual is missing I should be able to figure out, so I don't need ready to made printer but because of the time I would like be printing well in minimal time. I know I'm still getting low end budged printers, but if they print ok just they are slow then I don't mind, but I would like to have bit better expierence than 150 euro printers out there. Because wasting twice as much and still have to solve the same problems would be annoying.

Was thinking to either make tentioner for the threaded rods or buy lead screw ones and replace, maybe get induction sensor for auto leveling so I'm willing to make few mods, but still would prefer working printer from the kit. Probably getting good grade extruder in case the shipped one is low quality.

I'm not sure about the feeder together with the head. First I was thinking it should be better because more precise feeding (while the filament feed from tube is probably not as much precise with feeding. But then I seen somebody doing opposite mod and removing feeder from the head so there is less weight moving will ensure bigger precision. Is there really advantage to one or other approach, can it be compensated with something else (slower prints, shorter tube) ? Only difference which i'm 100% sure is the difference of one capable printing ninjaflex and the others can't, but all the other quality and precision wise are just guesses.

What ye think guys, is one of them probably better in something I didn't realized, or there is something completely else which would be better than both options? (the conditions and rules can be bend if there is something worth, budged could be higher a tiny bit if there is some awesome printer worth etc...)

Thanks in Advance for any input / ideas / suggestions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2016 12:15AM by marioam.