ALUNAR 3D Printers

Hello all, I'm new here so please be nice :-)

I saw my first 3D printer in action the other day and now I want one! I've done a bit of research and feel like I'd like to 'dip my toe' in 3D printing, I do not want to break the bank but I also don't want to buy something that will never work.

I've found the brand ALUNAR have a sale on their printers at the moment ranging from $180-$228USD. Delivery to Australia is a bit of a sting, but even with another $100USD postage they are a bargain. They seem to be Prusa i3 clones.

I guess my first question is - is the ALUNAR brand OK to try? I realise the general advice will be "don't buy anything but the best" but that's not in my budget. If however ALUNAR are absolute junk & it's unlikely to work then I would avoid them.

If they're OK for a starter, is this the model to go for? M508:

[www.alunar.net]

There's a further discount applied at checkout so all their models are within $30USD of each other. Would the M606, M605, M506 or M505 be better?

It all really depends on how good you are at tinkering and reading / research when it comes to these low end printers. Some people love them, some hate them but I think it really comes down to the user in the end.

When buying a low end printer with the intention of upgrading in the future, one of the main things to look at is a good solid, square frame. Everything else can be replaced, but if the frame is shit, so will be the printer. Stay clear from acrylic frames as they then to warp and bend, also stay away from printed parts in the frame as these can also reduce accuracy.

Also don't be fooled by marketing junk like printing accuracy and tolerances most of them are over exaggerated, is it theoretically possible for the printer to print at the advertised tolerance yes, will it no. Another one would be auto bed levelling, while yes a lot of us have them installed in our printers, if the printer is setup right at the start it shouldn't need it. This is just a sign of a bad frame to start with, imagine if a TV needed to scan for the channels every time you turned it on, you wouldn't buy it.

Anyway just my 2 cents good luck with it all. If you have time and patience these cheap kits can be great, but if you get frustrated and cant troubleshoot methodically they can be a real pan it the ass for a beginner.

I am not a fan of these cheap Chinese kits.
What looks good about that kit is:
lead screws for the Z-Axis, it has an aluminum heat bed.

Looks OK - nema 17 motors, LCD, power supply

The bad:
Acrylic frame and it's design, hot-end/nozzle/extruder, wing nuts for the bed leveling? who does that?
Can't comment on the controller board as I have always used Arduino/RAMPS combo vs an all-in-o

Ask yourself if you want to print stuff or upgrade?

Steve

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My updated Instructable on our Prusa i3 Build
[www.instructables.com]