Hello!
I am new to the Melbourne area and am looking to purchase my first FFF 3D printer. I’ve previously printed with an Up Plus 2 and a Makerbot Replicator 5th Gen. I want to purchase a printer locally, (my budget is $2500 and I will use it for both study and personal applications) and I was looking for suggestions of where to buy in Melbourne.
Thankyou!
Hi @timmy_4 I don’t know of any stores around Melbourne, but can I ask why you want to purchase locally? While it’s a good practice for your daily shopping to support local businesses, you’re likely to be severely limiting your choice trying to do the same with something like a 3D printer.
Thanks for the reply! I wanted to purchase locally because I wanted to be able to see the printer first before commiting to a purchase. Also, I wanted to speak with a sales assistant to ensure that I was getting the right printer for me.
Hi @timmy_4 I can appreciate your reasoning, but I think the problem is that many of the best (and most popular) printers don’t sell from high street stores. You may be able to find a store that stocks some, but you’re very, very unlikely to be able to see all the best printers somewhere in a shop (or multiple shops).
As for looking at the printer itself, I’m not sure what value that might give. It’s very difficult to judge a machine by it’s build quality. While this is important in any product, with 3D printing it’s more the “sum of its parts” than anything you can physically see or touch; reviews from real-world users, particularly those who’ve been using the machines for a while, can be much more telling and informative than anything you’ll gather in a store.
Your best bet really is to give the folks here an idea of what you’ll be printing, what your current skill set is, your budget, etc. and we’ll offer some opinions and pointers.
