Hi @Maker5162 thanks for the clarification. I think price vs quality and reliability becomes a very difficult discussion when dealing with technology (or many other things for that matter!). It’d be lovely to be able to definitively say that a “thing” that costs twice as much as another “thing” does its job twice as well, but we all know that’s not usually the case. If we’re right down the bottom of the market, the lower priced thing could be virtually useless while the higher priced one does an OK job; at the upper end the differences between the two could be hard to spot (and the higher priced thing is almost certainly overpriced). And, of course, there’s every stage inbetween.
The Prusa Mk2 and the Makerbot M2 are, on the face of it, very similar machines. Virtually the same build area, both open source, both the same physical design, etc. The M2 can go down to 25 microns rather than 50 for the i3, but really I rarely print below 100 microns anyway so it’s debatable how important that is for a new user. So, someone looking to buy their first machine is left asking, what am I getting for my extra $1000? Your argument (and I’m not disagreeing with it) is that the extra cost is in higher quality components, greater reliability and so on, but that’s really only relevant if the i3 Mk2 has demonstrably poorer quality issues in terms of reliability, etc. What’s important to any user is whether they’ll actually be affected by any such issues. If the M2 will print 24x7 for 10 years and the i3 only 6, I’d argue that’s irrelevant to me because I can be pretty sure I won’t be using either in 6 years time. If the Prusa will break down in a year, that’s more of an issue, but it seems unlikely and if it breaks down, I’ve got $1000 in my pocket I can use to repair/upgrade it and, perhaps more importantly, by then there will be other machines on the market and that $1000 could buy something even better than the M2, who knows?
I think the M2 is a fine machine, I have absolutely no criticism of it, but this thread was started by @marczem who has said he’s a new user, looking for a hobbyist/enthusiast machine and that being the case I’d argue the Prusa is a better choice because it’ll do everything a hobbyist will need and it leaves $1000 in their pocket for filament, the multi-colour upgrade, spare nozzles, etc., or to reduce their wastage if they discover 3D printing isn’t for them. If the original poster was an experienced printer with specific needs, the M2 may well be the better choice, but that’s not the case here and we should consider the person as well as the machine.
Just to clarify it’s the prusa I3 Mk2 that you mentioned, unless prusia mk2 is a thing I don’t know about. In which case sorry and please ignore this!
Yeah that is what I was discussing sorry if there was confusion I was abbreviating.
This guy has been on the attack on anyone who mentions anything other than worship for the M2.
My opinion for what it is not worth - if you like the M2 and have had a good experience with it then great but no reason to attack everyone with a differing opinion or experience.
He won’t like this then! Aside from “Make” another very respected site had this ranking of their top 20:
Best 3D Printer 2016-2017 #1: Original Prusa i3 MK2
Best 3D Printer 2016-2017 #14: Makergear M2
Preach my fellow maker.
Jacob
I spent a lot of time looking at these two printers, ultimately I went with the mk2. The most likely use will be 3d gaming scenery. The review on fatdragongames.com 2 ultimately sold me. I like when products over deliver… mk2 claims .05 resolution, but reports of printing with great success .025, and he isn’t the only one, appeals to the overclocker in me. Dreams of warhammer quality miniature armies, not really but the possibility of, are nice if not the current reality. I have waited years to get a 3d printer, till the quality, stability, and value/$ ratio got to the present levels. I am hopeful that in two years I will be buying a new one at even greater resolution, speed, volume , and ability than the current m2 even suggests at mk2 pricing or lower.
In the mean time I will build scenery for my games, toys for my kids, and start learning 3d. 20 years ago I’d have bought the kit version, at 50 now though, I’d rather concentrate on learning the use for now… time enough to learn the build if I discover a need/ability to upgrade components going forward. If I was looking at this from a buisness stand point, the ability to have two running in case one went down would be appealing… dual extruders would be nice for dissolvable supports but, that is a consideration for the future. My hope now is that the mk2 system will allow implementation of multiple spools of same material on same extruded, so that as one roll ends the next can provide uninterupted material supply. Might require sensor upgrades on the feeder, but problem seems solvable in my naïveté . It might not be a huge issue, but It would suck to have to have 9 or 16 pieces of scenery/ figures aborted because I ran out of material 80% of the Way through a print.
I have played the tech game on computers for almost 4 decades, Looking for the sweet spot far enough back from the bleeding edge to not waste too much money, but far enough forward to get the functionality I need to be happy. For me at least, I am going with the mk2. I understand that the m2, might be better. Like the top end $1000+ CPU is beter than a $300 CPU when I build a computer. But the demonstrable benefit to my life at this time, in a field I expect to continue developing relatively fast, is minimal.
I did appreciate the conversation I found here. For those like me who are starting out, this is where I landed. If the noise level is a problem, that will mearly determine which room this printer ends up in. Of course with three kids under 9, printer noise is likely the least of my problems there.
john
Hi Marc,
I just recently bought a Prusa i3 Mk2, and have fallen in love with it. I bought the pre-assembled version for $899, and there was very little hassle from taking it out of the box and to getting it running. I am a beginner in 3D printing, as you are, and this printer was very easy for me to understand. I love the amount of filaments to choose from, along with the heated bed and relatively low price. I would recommend getting the pre-assembled version if you aren’t too pressed for cash. It’s much simpler to get running, but if you have enough time and patience, maybe opt for the kit. One caveat to keep in mind is the somewhat long delivery time; mine was about a month and a half. I have never used the Makergear M2 myself, but I certainly like my Prusa. Check out my hub for a few initial prints I have made with it.
-Brendan